Should you wash your face with salt water? Dermatologist reveals the answer

Is salt water good for your skin? (Picture Credit: Pexels)

When it comes to skincare advice, it is almost free of cost. All you need to do is open your Instagram and chances are you will come across posts and reels that talk about the new skincare hack or trend. The latest one to do the round is using salt water to help address some of the skin concerns. Of course, this skincare trick too claims to exfoliate your skin and have anti-ageing benefits.

While social media is a great place to find the best of skincare advice for free, what one must know is that without a dermatologist guidance and inputs, experimenting with different hacks can actually do damage to your skin. To understand if salt water is truly good for our skin, Moneycontrol's team spoke to Dr Sunita Naik, Head Medical Advisor (West) and Dermatologist at Kaya Limited.

"Washing face with salt water is touted as the new DIY skincare craze that is commonly marketed as a calming and clarifying agent. It is true that salt has natural antimicrobial properties that can help reduce surface bacteria and mild inflammation. However, what one must bear in mind is that the skin of the face is much more sensitive than body skin. Therefore, saline solutions can interfere with the normal functioning of the skin barrier. The salt water may dry, tighten or irritate the skin," she told Moneycontrol.

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Any benefits of washing face with salt water?

Dr Naik shares that washing face with salt water may provide a temporary solution when there's small acne or blockage of pores. "However, it is not a substitute for specific dermatological interventions. What one must bear in mind is that the roughness of salt crystals and the drying nature of saline water makes it inappropriate to use salt water for daily face cleansing ritual," she added.

What happens when you wash face with salt water?

The application of salt water on the face may have a number of disadvantages especially when repeated and not diluted well.

Salt naturally dries out the body and when the salt water is used regularly for cleansing face, it can strip the skin of its natural barrier, compromising the protective layer of skin. Apart from all this, Dr Naik says it can also lead to overly sensitive skin, redness and over flaking.

"In some cases, the abrasive nature of salt can increase microtears or inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema or rosacea. Besides, it may also aggravate the problem of transepidermal water loss, predisposing the skin to environmental aggressors and breakouts," she highlighted.

Advantages of salt water cleansing

Salt water cleansing can have a handful of advantages especially for some skin issues when used properly and in limited quantity. "Salt has mild antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and therefore it can be used to minimise the microorganisms on the surface and soothe inflamed acne lesions. Its natural astringent can temporarily constrict the pores and restrict surplus oil which gives the skin a more clean fresh look. For people who experience minor congestion and breakouts, a saline rinse in diluted form can temporarily help get rid of congestion in the skin by cleansing excess sebum and exfoliating the skin surface gently," Dr Naik told Moneycontrol.

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She also added that both magnesium and calcium in sea salt are likely to have a calming effect and can help people experiencing mild skin irritation. "Although these advantages are there, but regular use of salt water is not recommended. Salt water must be regarded as a supplemental tool as opposed to evidence-based skincare therapies," she stressed.

Which skin type is salt water most suitable for?

Cleansing face with salt water is best for those with oily or combination skin type. "Basically, people should have the capacity to withstand slight astringent and drying power. These type of skin can be characterized by excess sebum production and sometimes breakouts so the diluted salt-water rinse could help to control the oil and also decrease the number of bacteria on the surface," concluded Dr Naik.