How many times a day do you touch your face? What about rest your chin or cheeks on the back of your hands? It's probably a lot.

"Bacteria, viruses and allergens transfer from fingertips onto the skin. Also, repeatedly rubbing the skin can do some real damage," said Dr. Shamban author of Heal Your Skin. "Rubbing the eyes, for example, can actually create microscopic tears in the tissue (making the eye area look older faster), break the capillaries in the eyelids (causing little thread-like veins called telangiectasia) or break the capillaries under the eye (intensifying dark circles)."

Think about all of the surfaces and objects you come into contact with each day – money, cell phones, shopping bags, subway rails, door knobs and even gloves in the cold weather. Now think about the millions of germs and bacteria that live on and in them – transferring these to the delicate skin of our face is well, unsanitary and bad for your skin.

"If you are acne-prone, absolutely face-touching can lead to breakouts. Rather than the word 'cause,' however, think 'trigger.' Acne is caused by the confluence three factors: excess oil, excess skin shedding and p. acnes bacteria," said Dr. Shamban. "What touching can do is spread existing p. acnes -- the culprit behind red inflammatory acne papules, pustules and cysts -- on the surface and beneath the surface of the skin. Beneath the skin is where it does the most damage because it can spread to other pores and manifest in yet another pimple."

This is easier said than done for most of us – we aren’t sure why, but it seems to be a natural response to touch, pick and rub at our faces. "For a willpower boost, it's simple: Gross yourself out. Think about something we touch every day... money. Now think about your own ready cash -- about every germy person who has handled it and every disgusting place it's been before it landed in your wallet. Well, touching your face is just like rubbing those filthy, dirty dollar bills all over it," said Dr. Shamban. "Touching your face leads to picking, and that's never a good thing because it can cause permanent scarring."

You won’t break the habit overnight, and even then it is important that you have a good skincare routine. Always wash skin using a mild, gentle cleanser. Follow up with a toner to balance the pH of skin. And finish off with a great moisturizer that nourishes and protects skin. Use a natural moisturizer with light oils that will absorb and sink into skin quickly without clogging pores.