The Best Way to Exfoliate Your Skin
Us, humans, have been known to covet beautiful and healthy skin, and one popular way we try to achieve it is through exfoliation. The beauty and skincare industry has somehow convinced the majority of us that the dead cells found on the surface of our skin are responsible for dull, lifeless skin, and even wrinkles. As a result, skincare brands churn out multitudes of exfoliating products, advertising them as just the products we need to get rid of those nasty dead cells. The question is: what is the best way to exfoliate your skin?
While exfoliation has its benefits, we have to keep in mind that not all exfoliating products and procedures are good for our skin. If you’ve read our previous blog post on Understanding How Our Skin Works, you would know that the epidermis undergoes constant renewal and regenerates itself approximately every 30-40 days. But as we age, the nutrient delivery to the epidermis also declines, and because of that, the skin cell turnover rate slows down in order to maintain a complete barrier without compromising the health and stability of the skin.
So when the skincare industry discovered that exfoliation speeds up the skin cell turnover rate, they likely assumed that as an anti-aging strategy. The thing is, forced exfoliation does speed up the turnover rate, but doing so in an aggressive way (like using abrasive scrubs or skincare products with microbeads or granules) and even daily can send the skin into an emergency repair response causing it to become more stressed and even compromised.
So what is the best way to exfoliate your skin?
First, let’s get a better understanding of these “dead cells” that we’ve been made to believe as unnecessary.
You see, the “dead cells” on the surface of our skin actually serves as a protective barrier. It keeps bacteria from becoming an infection, helps prevent fluid loss, and even UV damage. When we use aggressive methods to exfoliate and slough off these “dead cells”, we are, in fact, weakening the protective barrier of our skin and causing an increase in free-radical damage.
As we’ve mentioned previously, our epidermis sheds these “dead cells” on their own once the bottom layers of the skin have made its replacement. So when we use forced exfoliation, what we are actually doing is making the status of our skin worse and causing it to age faster.
Here are some simple tips for the best way to exfoliate your skin without damaging it:
DON’T exfoliate daily. One to 2 times a week is ideal.
DON’T use abrasive scrubs or products with microbeads and/or granules.
DO use gentle exfoliating products that don’t inflame and irritate the skin.
If you’re feeling confused and don’t know which exfoliating products to use that won’t harm your skin, Spalina’s CranGlow MilkZyme Exfoliating Face Mask is great for ALL skin types. It’s a mild exfoliant so it’s perfect even for sensitive skin! Not only will it help you remove blackheads and clogged pores, it also stimulates collagen production, leaving your skin looking healthy and glowing. Its active ingredients include:
L-lactic Acid which helps minimize the appearance of large pores, treats hyperpigmentation, and refines overall skin tone.
Cranberry which contains powerful antioxidants that treat acne, blemishes, and help fade acne scars.
Witch Hazel which reduces inflammation and reverses damage from free radicals such as wrinkles and fine lines.
Always keep in mind that the best way to exfoliate your skin is by using gentle exfoliating products that also helps with dermal repair, and Spalina’s CranGlow MilkZyme Exfoliating Mask does just that.
