5 Skincare Habits Most Indians Still Follow — Here Is What Korean Dermatology Does Differently, and Why It Matters
By Dr. Akansha Agarwal / October 2, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Five habits come up repeatedly in first consultations at Glam — skipping moisturiser on oily skin, skipping sunscreen indoors, aggressive scrubbing, home remedies for pigmentation, and waiting for pigmentation to fade on its own.
- Each of these is working against the skin rather than for it, and the reasoning behind why is usually enough to change the habit once a client actually understands the mechanism.
- Korean dermatology’s approach across all five is broadly the same principle applied differently each time: protect and support the skin barrier first, correct gently and consistently, rather than treat aggressively and reactively.
- Indian skin’s higher melanin content means it pigments more visibly after irritation than the skin types most home remedies were designed around, which raises the stakes on getting these habits right.
- Most of the pigmentation cases we treat at Glam did not appear overnight — they built up over years of exactly these five habits, which is why early correction matters more than most people assume.
A version of the same conversation happens in nearly every first consultation at Glam. A client describes their current routine, and at least two or three of the habits in it are things I have to gently walk back — not because the client is doing anything unusual, but because these habits are simply widespread, passed down from family, social media, or old assumptions that were never actually accurate to begin with. I want to go through five of the most common ones here, plainly, with the reasoning behind each — because once clients understand the “why,” they rarely need convincing to change the habit.
Habit One: Skipping Moisturiser Because the Skin Is Oily
This is the most common one I hear. The logic seems sound on the surface — why add moisture to skin that is already producing too much oil? But oily skin can be oil-heavy and water-depleted at the same time. When the skin’s water content is low, it often compensates by overproducing oil, which makes the original problem worse rather than better.
What Korean dermatology does instead: lightweight, water-based hydration — gel moisturisers and hydrating essences rather than heavy creams, and never skipping this step altogether. The goal is balancing the skin’s water content, not fighting oil with dryness.
Habit Two: Skipping Sunscreen Indoors or on Cloudy Days
UV rays pass through both clouds and glass. Sitting near a window through the workday, or assuming an overcast Mumbai sky means no meaningful UV exposure, is one of the most common reasons pigmentation appears gradually with no obvious trigger a client can point to.
What Korean dermatology does instead: sunscreen as a non-negotiable daily step regardless of weather or whether the day is spent indoors, reapplied through the day rather than once in the morning.
Habit Three: Scrubbing Harder to Clear Blackheads Faster
Aggressive manual scrubbing feels productive in the moment, but it damages the skin barrier, and a damaged barrier frequently responds by producing more oil and more irritation — which can worsen blackheads and breakouts rather than resolving them.
What Korean dermatology does instead: gentle, consistent exfoliation using mild chemical exfoliants or calibrated peels at controlled intervals, rather than daily manual scrubbing.
Habit Four: Using Home Remedies for Pigmentation
Lemon juice, baking soda, and toothpaste are common suggestions passed down for pigmentation or acne — and all three can cause chemical burns, worsen pigmentation, or damage the skin barrier. This is a particular risk on Indian skin, which tends to pigment more visibly than lower-melanin skin types in response to any irritation, meaning the “remedy” can leave a longer-lasting mark than the original concern. It’s part of why I’ve written before about what actually separates a Korean skin clinic from a regular dermatologist visit — the calibration for Indian skin is the difference.
What Korean dermatology does instead: targeted, calibrated treatments designed for the specific concern, with ingredients and strengths tested for safety on the skin type being treated — not kitchen-shelf experimentation.
Habit Five: Assuming Pigmentation Will Fade on Its Own Over Time
Some superficial post-acne marks do fade slowly over months without intervention. Melasma and deeper pigmentation, however, usually do not resolve on their own, and continued unprotected sun exposure in the meantime tends to make it darker and more stubborn rather than allowing it to fade.
What Korean dermatology does instead: early, targeted intervention — brightening actives, calibrated peels, or booster treatments — rather than a wait-and-hope approach that gives the pigmentation more time to set in.
How This Comes Together in a Korean-Calibrated Approach at Glam
Individually, each of these corrections is small. Together, applied consistently, they are the difference between skin that manages itself well over the years and skin that needs increasingly aggressive correction later. For clients where pigmentation or active breakouts have already progressed past what a routine correction alone can fix, we build a short clinical course around what the skin actually needs:
- TRx Peel — a Korean pigmentation peel calibrated for melasma and marks on Indian skin.
- Korean AC Spot Treatment — a targeted, thirty-minute protocol for active breakouts.
- Glutathione & Tranexamic Acid Booster — a brightening booster for melasma and overall dull tone.
What Clients Ask About These Habits
Does oily skin really need moisturiser?
Yes — a lightweight, water-based one specifically. Skipping moisturiser on oily skin often causes it to overproduce oil to compensate for the water it is missing.
Is sunscreen genuinely necessary indoors?
Yes, particularly near windows or glass. UV exposure through glass contributes to pigmentation over time even without direct outdoor sun.
Are any home remedies safe for pigmentation?
Some very gentle ones are harmless, but anything acidic, such as lemon or vinegar, or abrasive, such as baking soda, tends to worsen pigmentation on Indian skin rather than improve it.
How is the Korean dermatology approach different from what is commonly practised in India?
It generally prioritises a protected, well-supported skin barrier and gentle consistency over aggressive or reactive treatment — prevention ahead of correction, wherever that is still possible.
If Any of This Sounds Familiar, It Is Worth an Honest Look
Most of these habits are not anyone’s fault — they are simply widespread. What matters is catching them before they turn into something a routine change alone can no longer fix.
Book a Skin Consultation at Glam Korean Skin Studio, Andheri West →
Aston Building, 802, Lokhandwala Rd, above Mercedes showroom, Sundervan Complex, Shastri Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai 400053
+91 93269 69657 · Get Directions
Book a Consultation at Glam Korean Skin Studio, Andheri West →
Aston Building, 802, Lokhandwala Rd, above Mercedes showroom, Sundervan Complex, Shastri Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai 400053
+91 93269 69657 · Get Directions
