Exfoliation is Key
When I think of basic steps to skin care, I think cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. Are you with me? These three are easy, simple, and probably take a minute and a half to do all of them. One of the things that women overlook sometimes is exfoliation. Or maybe you are exfoliating everyday. Here's the 411 on why exfoliation is so important.
The science: Our outer layer of skin is called the stratum corneum. It's a mouth full, but in Latin it is called the horny layer and consists of all the corneocytes or dead skin cells. Babies are fortunately to have that youthful glow because their skin cells turn over every 14 days. As we age, the time frame continues to increase. 28 days is the optimal that we shoot for, but you can't stop the aging clock. This turn over does not stop at 28 days either. If you have extra dead skin cells building up, your face could be hiding your best features.
So what do we do about that? We exfoliate! There are 3 main ways to exfoliate the skin ... mechanical, chemical or enzymatic.
Mechanical
95% of you (or more) will think of the scrubbies on the face when I say exfoliate. Manual exfoliation is a great way to get the dead skin cells off quickly, revealing the fresh new skin underneath.
Here's the skinny on this one. DO NOT (I repeat, DO NOT) over exfoliate. Follow the directions on your specific product. If the product says 2-3 times a week at 1 minute, that does not mean that 6 days a week at 3 minutes and 7 seconds is better. One of my main skin care beliefs is that more is not better. Prime example is the mechanical exfoliation.
Chemical
Chemical exfoliations are AHAs or BHAs. AHA or alpha hydroxy acids come from milk (lactic), sugar cane (glycolic), grapes (tartaric), apples (malic), citric (oranges/lemons) and mandelic (bitter almonds.) BHA is beta hydroxy acid and is known as salicylic acid (willow tree).
Think of your skin as a brick wall. While mechanically exfoliating will knock off the top bricks, chemical exfoliation eats away the mortar so the bricks will tumble off on their own. You don't need actual peeling to see results. Newer technology allows for the results without the side effects in many skin care lines. For more dramatic results, come in for a series of chemical peels while using quality products at home.
Enzymatic
This is similar to chemical exfoliation but using gentler products that soothe the skin. Ingredients that are used to do this are papaya and pineapple. This is a great option for those with sensitive skin.
So, you are using the 3 main steps but not exfoliating? Where does exfoliating fit into your steps? If you want to add in exfoliating, I would suggest cleansing, THEN EXFOLIATING, and then finish off with toner/mist and moisturizing. I like to say that you are wasting your money with the $100 serum that you bought if you are not exfoliating. You want the product to get past as much of the dead skin cells as possible and glide easily and effectively so that the product can do what it's supposed to do.
I love exfoliating and offer 4 different take home products just for you. I would love to show them to you!
Active Exfoliating Powder (mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic)
Reveals the next layer of skin leaving it visibly soft, fresh and luminous
Ingredients - rice powder, salicylic acid, papaya and pineapple
Intensive Exfoliating Gel (chemical and enzymatic)
Leaves skin soft and visibly toned
Ingredients - lactic acid, grapefruit, lime, and lemon oils
Derm Renewal Booster (chemical)
Visibly tightens pores
Visibly increases skin's luminosity and smoothes its micro-relief
Derm Renewal Cream (chemical)
Eliminates dead skin cells and reveals a fresher looking skin
Hydrates and replensihes the skin's moisture barrier
Let’s me help you pick out the right product for you so that you can get all of the benefits of exfoliating your skin. Schedule an appointment today.
Don't forget to Breathe. Let Go. Relax.
Zoey Jolley, Licensed Esthetician