Exfoliating your skin can make a big difference in your skin, whether you want to improve your general radiance or target a specific skin condition (such as breakouts and dark patches).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!When it comes to learning the art of exfoliation, though, you want to get it properly the first time. Too much exfoliation might damage your skin more than it helps it, and too little exfoliation can make it look lifeless. This is why you must understand how to properly exfoliate; continue reading to see why this essential component of your skincare routine should not be overlooked.
What Is Exfoliation And Why Is It Important?
Exfoliation involves the removal of the oldest dead skin cells from the skin’s surface. The word comes from the Latin word exfoliare. Exfoliation is involved in all facials and can be achieved by mechanical or chemical means, such as microdermabrasion or chemical peels.
The skin loves to slither out of its dead cells on its own (kind of like a snake). The skin sheds dead cells every 30 days or so to make place for new, more attractive skin cells.
However, your skin can occasionally do a half job, leaving some dead skin cells behind. This can make your skin look and feel flaky and dry, as well as clog your pores. When you exfoliate, you speed up the process and prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.
Exfoliating helps address;
#Skin Dullness: Dull skin and loss of luminosity results from slowdown of healthy skin shedding as we age, so exfoliation restores a more youthful appearance to facial skin.
#Hyperpigmentation: Excess pigment is stored in dead cell layers, so facial exfoliation can help hyperpigmentation, from melasma to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
#Clogged Pores and Breakouts: Congested pores and acne result from a buildup of dead cells in pores, so exfoliating helps alleviate comedones and breakouts.
#Dry, Rough Skin: Exfoliation can provide softer, more glowing skin from head to toe. For the body, it’s important to exfoliate to keep skin texture smooth and promote a more luminous appearance to the body
Now that you are familiar with what it means to exfoliate and why its important, the next thing is to know how. But before that, you still have to know about the two tpyes of exfoliation we have!
PHYSICAL EXFOLIATION
Physical exfoliation is scrubbing or rubbing with a substance, such as gritty scrubs, dry brushes, netted bath mitts, and loofahs. It’s easy, inexpensive, and accessible. You can do this at home with a homemade scrub.
It’s possible to overscrub if you’re too eager to get rid of dead skin. Physical exfoliation can irritate your skin, producing redness, dryness, and worsened breakouts if done wrong. Applying an oil or serum afterward can help to reduce discomfort and lock in moisture.
CHEMICAL EXFOLIATION
Another common exfoliating procedure is chemical peels, which entail placing facial acids onto the skin for a brief period of time and allowing them to remove dead skin.
If you want a product that you don’t have to make yourself or spend a lot of time researching in the soap aisle, talk to your dermatologist about an exfoliant that uses chemicals like Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), Beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs), retinol, and enzymes to help your skin renew itself and shed dead cells.
The outcomes of chemical peel can be more obvious because they are more significant. Stronger chemical peels performed by a professional reveal smoother, brighter skin while remaining safe, convenient, and requiring less downtime.
Professional chemical peels are far more expensive than the physical peels mentioned above, depending on whether it’s done by an aesthetician or a dermatologist, and will produce more obvious effects.
HERE IS HOW TO EXFOLIATE
Wash your face first;
Exfoliation is best done at the end of the day, after you’ve already cleansed with a cleanser. Exfoliation should be done at night to prepare your skin for active substances like retinol or peptides.
Apply your exfoliator;
Whether you’re using a manual or chemical exfoliant, it’s essential to gently massage the cleanser into your skin in circular motions before washing it away with warm water and patting it dry with a towel.
Use a moisturizer;
Moisturizer creates a barrier between your skin and the climate, including cold, dry air that can further dry out skin. Moisturizing also helps to rehydrate and enhance the capacity of the skin to hold water, pamper your skin with beneficial active ingredients and a tranquil moisturizer.
Remember to use sunscreen;
While applying sunscreen (Read more on sunscreen) should be a part of your everyday morning practice whether or not you exfoliated the night before, it’s even more neccessary to use sunscreen after exfoliating to protect your skin. Skin that has been exfoliated is more vulnerable to UV ray damage which includes accelerated aging and can form sunspots more easily. Click here to order your suncreen
Exfoliating will give you nice, smooth skin, but if your skin is dry, red, or flaking, it’s time to cut back on your exfoliation. If you observe an increase in oil production or severe dryness, this means that you are over exfoliating.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I EXFOLIATE?
This is a question with so many answers as its depends on the type of skin you have, if you don’t know much about skin type, read here.
Sensitive skin:
Those with sensitive skin should be very cautious with exfoliation. A good rule of thumb is to start to exfoliate once a week for the first week, then twice a week for the next two weeks, etc.” And be extra wary of physical scrubs; start with a chemical exfoliant and check your skin for irritation.
Normal or combination skin:
Follow the instructions for each product, but you can exfoliate up to three times per week with a physical exfoliant (such an exfoliating scrub), a chemical exfoliator, or a hybrid product that contains both.
Dry skin:
If your skin is peeling or dry and flaky, moisturize to restore it to a healthy hydration level before exfoliating.
Also, if your skin is red, it’s crucial to reduce the redness before exfoliating. Choose a chemical exfoliator with polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) or moderate AHAs to avoid contributing to overdrying, redness, or irritation that can occur when you scrub at the skin’s surface. Physical scrubbing should be avoided at all costs.
Oily skin:
You can exfoliate up to five times a week if you have oily or acne-prone skin. Chemical exfoliation helps to control acne and lightens and improves the texture of acne scars; look for a chemical exfoliator that contains salicylic acid or a combination of AHAs and BHAs to keep breakouts at bay.
You’ll only make things worse if you try to scrub a pimple manually with a facial scrub, which is why a chemical exfoliator is a gentler option to remove acne-causing germs and unclog pores. The exfoliative impact is more advanced when the chemical acid concentration is higher and the pH is lower.
Choose products with care, do your research, and pay attention to your skin’s demands. If you’re interested in chemical peels or microneedling, talk to a trusted professional. We all want The Glow, but don’t exfoliate too much, especially if you’re irritated. A little scrub-a-dub can sometimes go a long way
