Greetings, my friends!
Today I'd like to talk about one of my favorite skincare topics - exfoliation. Over the years, I've gone back and forth about whether or not I need to exfoliate everyday or if I can get away with doing it once a week. The bottom line is I need to exfoliate everyday. This is a personal decision for everyone, but I would argue whether you exfoliate everyday or if you do it one-to-two times a week - exfoliation helps everyone's skin. But it's important that you know your skin before you begin an exfoliation ritual. Exempli Gratia (E.G.) - my skin is lazy, congested, acneic, and oily. I accept my skin for it's beautiful faults and treat it accordingly. Because of my skin issues - exfoliation helps me remove the dead skin which builds on my face (gross, I know) daily and clogs my pores. By removing the dead skin through exfoliation once a day, my products can better penetrate and treat the issues I need to treat more effectively to reach my goal of healthy glowing skin.
Which brings me to the point of this post - the importance of exfoliation. There are three types of exfoliants: physical, chemical and enzyme (which I'll describe briefly below). While they all work differently, they all do the same thing in the end - they remove dead skin. The key to using exfoliants is to use the gentlest exfoliant that works for your skin.
As I mentioned in my cleansing principles post earlier this month, never use anything that is harsh on your skin. This extends to all skincare products, but I would argue it is especially important when using exfoliants as these are products designed to remove your skin - not just dirt and gunk. Over exfoliating (using a product that is too harsh for your skin or using multiple exfoliants in a 24-hour period) is terrible idea. It can lead to skin irritation, micro-scratches, hyperpigmentation, aging, and many many other terrible side effects. So when choosing an exfoliant - be critical of the product and always test on a small portion of your face first. If after you test, you feel like your skin was scratched or you see irritation - do not repeat. Throw that product away immediately and find a new product.
The following is a brief description with pros and cons of the three different types of exfoliants to better address the different products and how they work.
Physical Exfoliants:
Aptly named, physical exfoliants (also known as manual exfoliants) physically slough off skin via tools or ingredients. A type of tool would be a brush, such as the ever popular Clarisonic, or even a wash cloth. A type of ingredient would be course, but not abrasive, such as rice powder or sugar scrubs.
What I look for in a physical exfoliant is whether the product is gentle. Physical exfoliants can damage your skin, so proceed carefully when using these products. My advice to my readers is to not use apricot seed scrubs or anything like it that scratches your skin. They are too harsh on the skin and will cause micro-scratches on your face which can let in bacterial and can lead to hyperpigmentation. Also, never combine an exfoliant ingredient with a tool. E.G. Think using your Clairisonic with a sugar scrub. You will damage your skin. On the plus side, these tend to be inexpensive, highly effective, and of all the other exfoliants - this is the one you can make with the help of your pantry or linen closet in the form of sugar or a wash cloth.
Chemical Exfoliants:
Chemical exfoliants are (wait for it) chemicals you use to exfoliate your skin. They fall into two categories: AHAs and BHAs which work slightly different on your skin.
AHAs or Alpha Hydroxy Acids are great for exfoliating dead skin. They treat signs of aging, wrinkles, fine lines, uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, sun damage - really, everything you care about as you age. These are typically derived from natural sources which produce lactic acids, glycolic acids, citric acids, malic acids, and tartaric acids. The down side to AHAs are that they are water soluble which means that they can't permeate deep into the skin like BHAs can. Since it can't permeate deep into the skin, it only treats the uppermost layer. You're not going to cure a issue with your skin quickly with an AHA, but they do work very well against a myriad of issues. AHAs are best for people with normal or sensitive skin types.
BHA or Beta Hydroxy Acids are ideal ingredients for oily skin, and above all - they treat deep in the skin and help to calm red inflamed skin - such as psoriasis. (There is no cure for psoriasis, but this can help alleviate some of your flare ups. Talk to your dermatologist about how they can help you if you would like more information about BHAs and psoriasis.) The most common BHA is salicylic acid. BHAs treat blackheads, milia, large pores, and has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Since BHAs are oil soluble, they penetrate deeper into the skin. However, the downside to BHAs are that they can cause inflammation and skin irritation as it's a harsher chemical on the skin than the AHAs.
Enzyme Exfoliants:
Enzyme exfoliants are typically fruit-derived exfoliants which dissolve dead skin. Enzymes tend to be gentler than the other exfoliants listed, but like AHAs and physical exfoliants - they only work on the uppermost layer of skin. Enzyme exfoliants treat blackheads, discoloration, hyperpigmentation, clogged pores, dryness, flakiness, fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes, etc, but it's important to note that it works slower than the other exfoliants listed above. However, this is a great exfoliant for people with sensitive skin or for those that have tried the other types of exfoliants, but found them to be too harsh.
That's it! Please let me know if you have any questions. Until next time...
JessiPedia
Comments
Post a Comment