Exfoliation

When you hear the word exfoliation, what does it mean to you?  Do you think of  scrubs?  Microdermabrasion?  Acid peels?  All of these are a type of exfoliation. 

Exfoliation defined:  Exfoliation is simply ridding the surface of your skin of dead skin cells.  We all turn over new skin, but at differing rates.  The rate varies based on age and lifestyle.  Someone who is 20 years old gets 'new' skin on the surface every 15-20 days.  Someone who is 45 gets 'new' skin every 30-45 days.  This is a big difference in terms of how skin looks and feels. 

Skin that isn't exfoliating at a fast rate will build up dead skin cells on the surface.  This can lead to skin that feels rough, looks dull and won't allow for serum and moisturizer penetration.  Removing these cells from skin's surface gives a more youthful, hydrated look to any skin.

How do we do this?  There are 2 types of exfoliation:

• Chemical
• Physical

Chemical consists of enzymes and peels.  These work without physical stimulation, they simply use their ingredients to break down dead skin cells to help them slough off.

•  Enzymes are gentle and work simply by devouring the cells that hold the dead skin cells together.  They have no action on live cells on the skin's surface.  There is little irritation, no down time, no visible peeling. 
• Peels work in a few different ways.  Depending on the strength and type of peel, they will remove the top layer(s) of skin.  How deep a peel depends on the strength, type of acid used, and length of time left on skin.  Depending on the depth, there can be redness, peeling and down-time. 

Physical exfoliants work by using beads in scrub form to physically remove dead skin cells.  Beware of scrubs using broken nuts and seeds as these can cause tiny tears in the skin leading to damage and pre-mature aging, or at worst, infection. 

There is such a thing as over-exfoliating your skin.  You should only exfoliate at home once a week.  Professional exfoliation can be done every 2 -4 weeks by a licensed professional. 

Questions about this?  Schedule a FREE consult/face mapping with me and learn more! 
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