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A celebrity skincare expert has revealed some of the worst beauty mistakes people can - and have - made when it comes to caring for their complexions. 

Renee Rouleau, who works with the likes of Lili Reinhart and Demi Lovato, and is best known for her work with acne- and blemish-prone skin, detailed the grave skincare 'sins' on her blog, while recalling some of the most worrisome beauty behavior she has ever seen. 

And according to Renee, these mistakes can range from simple lifestyle choices - like drinking or smoking - to silly skincare errors, like using a DIY face scrub or trying to layer too many harsh products. 

Easy does it! Celebrity esthetician Renee Rouleau has revealed the biggest skincare mistakes a person can make, from lifestyle choices to product fails (stock image) 

Smoking 

According to Renee, not only is smoking incredibly bad for the skin, but second-hand smoke can also wreak havoc on a person's complexion, exposing it to many of the same negative side effects that smokers themselves suffer. 

But what are these smoke-related skincare woes? Renee says they range from severe aging to discoloration thanks to the many chemicals found in cigarettes, with the beauty pro revealing that women are much more susceptible to these side effects than men.  

Cigarettes, she says, can ramp up 'collagen-destroying enzymes', which will cause the skin to show signs of aging much quicker. In addition, collagen-making cells wikll produce 40 per cent less collagen when they are exposed to tobacco smoke. 

Heavy smokers are also likely to be at least five times more wrinkled than non-smokers. 

Drinking alcohol (especially after a facial)

Renee, who recently launched a Skin Reset Kit to help people get their complexions back on track, warns that alcohol is generally not brilliant for the skin, and can cause all manner of unpleasant side effects, including blemishes, redness, and early signs of aging.  

In addition, dehydration caused by alcohol will not do your complexion any favors, causing it to look puffy, and emphasize any fine lines and wrinkles.  

She does note however that 'the amount and frequency of your drinking' have an impact on how severe the skin-related consequences will be, revealing that her own grandmother lived to the age of 102, even though she was 'quite the drinker throughout her adult life'. 

However, when it comes to drinking after a facial, Renee is crystal clear with her advice: don't do it. 

'After a facial, you want the skin to take in all of the wonderful nourishing benefits, so not exposing it to instant dehydration is wise,' she says. 

Expert: The celebrity esthetician has worked with A-list clients including chart-topper Demi Lovato (right) and Riverdale star Lili Reinhart 

Exposing the skin to sun (especially after a facial)

After you have had a facial or a chemical peel, it is incredibly important to ensure that you take extra care with your skin - particularly in the sun.    

Renee explained that these treatments often see dead skin cells being removed, a process that exposes 'fresh, new "young" cells', noting that exfoliated skin 'can be 45 per cent more sensitive to the sun'. 

She noted that skin post-facial requires 'daily sun protection' and should not be exposed to harmful UV rays between the hours of 10am and 2pm, which is when the sun's rays are strongest during the day.

As for the consequences that may arise if you choose to disregard Renee's warnings? 

'I’ve had clients through the years that have ignored my warnings and suggestions concerning post-facial exposure and have gone into the sun or tanning bed and fried their newly revealed skin,' the beauty pro revealed.  

Horrifying: One of the most damaging 'skin sins' that Renee addressed is picking, which can cause awful long-term damage, as seen on one of her clients

Picking the skin 

When it comes to skin picking, Renee is considered one of the industry's foremost experts, and she confesses to being 'a former picker herself', which has helped her to see first-hand just how much damage it can do to the complexion. 

'Every expert will tell you that picking at your skin is a habit that you should stop, yet most people don’t necessarily see the harm in it,' Renee previously revealed on her blog. 

There are, she added, varying degrees of picking - and there are some people for whom the behavior has developed to such a degree of obsessive compulsion that they need to seek professional attention in order to address it properly. 

However, for those whose picking habits are within their control, Renee warns that it is one of the worst things you can do to your skin, revealing that it can lead to additional blemishes, scabs, long-term scarring and severe discoloration. 

Using alcohol and other kitchen products on the skin

Alcohol-based toners were, Renee says, incredibly popular up until the early 90s, and as a result, people often resorted to using straight rubbing alcohol on their skin in the hopes of ensuring more extreme results - particularly when it came to tackling blemishes. 

However, the Texas native warns that rubbing any kind of straight alcohol product onto your skin will cause serious and extreme dehydration, which will in turn lead to long-term consequences for your complexion. 

'Skin cells are like fish and need water to live, and since the skin is constantly trying to repair itself and maintain a moist environment this creates major chaos,' she shared. 

Similarly, you have to be incredibly careful when it comes to whipping up DIY skincare products at home in your kitchen - particularly where acidic ingredients are concerned. 

Easy fix: Renee recently launched a Skin Reset Kit ($115.50), which offers four different products aimed at helping to get your complexion back on track

'A while back, I had a client who was dealing with acid-like burns on her face,' Renee recalled. 'After doing some investigating, I learned that she was using a cut lemon and baking soda on her face every morning and night as her only skin care steps.'

And it's not just highly-acidic products that you should avoid when it comes to DIY skincare - in fact Renee isn't totally convinced that at-home formulas really work at all. 

'The skin doesn’t work the same way the digestive system does,' she said. 'Therefore, it isn’t really possible to put food on the face and expect the nutrients to easily get into the skin. 

'There’s a reason skincare products are carefully formulated in a lab!'

Using random abrasive objects to exfoliate the skin

One particularly bizarre DIY skincare technique she warns strongly against is nail-filing the face, something that she says one of her clients was doing in the past in order to smooth down problem areas without leaving a scar. 

'Many years ago, I had a client who would take a nail file to her face to “file down” problem areas in hopes of lessening acne scars,' Renee recalled. 'She said that it helped smooth out the skin’s texture.'

However, while the immediate aftermath of the nail filing might have been somewhat impressive as far as smoothness was concerned, Renee says that the process was in no way safe for the skin. 

Instead, Renee says there are a number of other, safer, alternatives that people can try in order to achieve that smooth skin feeling. 

The first is professional microdermabrasion, a non-invasive treatment that exfoliates the skin and effectively removes the top layer, helping to improve tone and texture, while evening out any discoloration and reducing scarring. 

Renee says she is also 'all for physical exfoliators', although she notes that these products - which can be anything from a grainy scrub to a brush - have decreased in popularity of late, while chemical exfoliators - which contain AHAs and BHAs - have become far more favored. 

Layering too many exfoliating products

The skincare pro notes that using exfoliants regularly 'will improve many texture issues with the skin', however she warns against taking things 'to the extreme'. 

Renee recalled one consultation that she had with a client who arrived at her office with what appeared to be sunburn on her face - however it turned out that the raw redness was actually the result of using too many acid-based exfoliants that were burning their skin.

'Her skin was reddened and I could even see a line of red demarcation all along the perimeter of the face,' she said. 

'When I asked about her skin redness and if she had been in the sun, she said no. In fact, she hadn’t even noticed her skin was red at all. She was just so used to it looking this way. 

'Come to find out, she was layering acid products by using both an acid toner followed by an acid serum every single night which was resulting in an ongoing acidic burn.' 

And the burns weren't just causing redness on the skin; according to Renee, inflammation is one of the main causes of 'expedited skin aging'. In other words, traumatizing the skin by over-exfoliating can lead to early wrinkles...

Skincare saviors to keep your complexion clear and glowing

By Charlie Lankston for DailyMail.com 

Wash it all away: If you're trying to keep a clear complexion, then finding a good cleanser is a great place to start. Our favorites include the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser (left, $14.99), the newly-launched Goop G.Tox Malachite + Fruit Acid Pore Purifying Cleanser (center, $48), and the brilliantly budget-friendly The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Cleaner (right, $9.99)

Brighten up! Rodial's new Vit C Glow Tonic (left, $55) is a great place to start if you want to add an acid exfoliator into your regime. The vitamin C-rich formula will help to brighten up the skin, while the AHAs and BHAs will work to even out texture and battle any blemishes. If you are someone who finds themselves with regular spots, then consider investing in Dr. Barbara Sturm's Clarifying Serum (right, $250), which helps to tackle blemishes in a 'focused, gentle' way, without aggravating or inflaming the skin. 

Top ingredient: Sulfur is used by many high-end brands in acne-fighting products, like the Sunday Riley Saturn Sulfur Acne Treatment Mask, $55 (£42), the Kiehl's Breakout Control Targeted Acne Spot Treatment, $28 (£24.50), and Kate Somerville EradiKate, $26 (£22)

At-home spa: If you've had a stressful day and your skin is feeling angry or inflamed, light a few candles and slather on The Body Shop Himalayan Purifying Glow Mask ($28). Formulated to invigorate the complexion, which drawing impurities out of the skin, it will leave your face feeling refreshed and revived - even if the rest of your body is still lagging behind.

Tool kit: Renee Rouleau is an expert when it comes to tackling blemishes, and offers an array of products to zap any zits and discoloration. Two of our favorites include the Night Time Spot Lotion (center, $32.50) to dry out and treat any blemishes overnight, and her Post-Breakout Fading Gel (right, $40.50) to ensure that the skin heals and does not discolor.

Fresh: Image Skincare's new I Mask Purifying Probiotic Mask ($45) contains a blend of yogurt-based probiotics and nourishing superfruits which help to balance the skin and keep it hydrated and clear. 

Quick fix: Zap any spots in the speediest way by applying the incredible Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial ($80, left) all over your face, then popping one of Peace Out Skincare's Acne Healing Dots ($19, right) on the pesky spot and leaving it overnight. By the following morning, the pimple will have vanished as if by magic.