A lot of people don't have the proper information about exfoliating. Because of this, they actually could end up doing more harm than good. This post is going to give you the 411 on exfoliating.
Cell turnover (the process when the body produces new cells and the old cells are pushed to the surface) is every 28 days for young and healthy skin. This means that you only need to exfoliate ONCE a MONTH! Depending on what you are trying to achieve, it may be more frequent. As you one ages, the rate of cell turnover slows down and could be as slow as every 72 days!
Now that being said, there are three types of exfoliation, chemical, manual, and machine.
Chemical exfoliation works by dissolving the glue that holds the skin cells together. This type of exfoliation includes chemical exfoliations (peels) and enzymes.
Manual exfoliation is you traditional exfoliation using your hands to work a salt or sugar scrub over your skin.
The mechanical exfoliation goes more into some advanced and professional types of exfoliations. These include the Clairasonic, brush machines, microdermabrasion, and skin scrapers. So all those girls that are using your Clairasonic every day, you shoul probably stop. Over exfoliating takes off the top layer of the skin, which can cause premature aging, breaking of capillaries, acne, and excessive oiliness. All of these are the exact opposite of the result you want to achieve.
So what are the benefits if exfoliating and why should you do it? Well the benefits include:
-smoother and softer texture
-follicle openings are cleaner (so they look smaller)
-deep pore cleansing
-increased cell turnover rate (new cells to the surface faster)
-better ability to retain moisture
-better penetration of products
-stimulated blood flow and circulation
-smoother and more even makeup application
So now that you know what exfoliation does, the following is a list of conditions that exfoliating benefits:
-oily skin clogged with black heads and minor acne
-dry and dehydrated skin with flaking and a tight and dry surface
-dull and lifeless looking skin
Now the professional exfoliation such as peels, micro, and the skin scraper will have added benefits such as reducing the look of scars and hyper pigmentation and helping reduce the appearance of fine lines (more to come on those soon).
It's good to have some type of exfoliating product at home be it a gentle scrub or a brush. You can exfoliate at the very most, once a week. As I've said previously, over exfoliating can lead to clogged pores, breakouts, excess oil production, and sensitized skin.