'Rubbing the eyes can create tiny tears in the tissue,' she says. 'When you touch your face, you can unwittingly spread oil, dirt, and bacteria from your hands to your face.' And now's as good a time as any to try to stop doing it so much. 'Our hands carry bacteria,' says Lucy Chen, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology in Miami, Florida. In fact, you've probably touched your face dozens, if not hundreds of times, without realizing it.
Today, you likely rubbed your eyes, scratched your nose, wiped away a crumb from your mouth, smoothed over your temples-or something in between.
