Understanding exfoliation and your skin type
UNDERSTANDING EXFOLIATION
Our skin undergoes a natural turnover cycle every 30 or so days. What happens is the upper layer of your skin called the epidermis, sheds revealing new skin. However, this process slows down as we age, so we need help topically.
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells with a substance or a tool known as an exfoliator. Exfoliators come in many forms from chemical exfoliants to mechanical to enzymes and other tools. We're going to cover some of these methods today.
CHEMICAL EXFOLIANTS
Chemical exfoliants are known as alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids.
Alpha hydroxy acids, or AHAs, are plant-based ingredients that help to dissolve dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. They work best for dry to normal skin types. Common AHAs include lactic acid and glycolic acid. There are many more but these two are the best-known alpha hydroxy acids.
Next, beta hydroxy acids, or BHAs, remove dead skin cells from deep in your pores which can help to reduce breakouts. BHAs are a good option for oily or combination skin types, or individuals with acne scars or sunspots. A very well-known BHA is salicylic acid.
ENZYMES
Enzyme peels contain fruit enzymes. That's what's doing the exfoliation. Fruit enzymes remove the dead skin cells by digesting them on the surface of the skin gently but very effectively, and they are most suited for sensitive skin types.
PHYSICAL/MECHANICAL EXFOLIANTS
Scrubs and powders are considered mechanical exfoliation. Mechanical exfoliation works by physically removing dead skin cells rather than dissolving them. Best suited for normal to combination skin types.
You want to avoid mechanical exfoliation if you have sensitive or acneic skin type as a physical exfoliant is going to irritate your active acne lesions. Powder exfoliants use fine particles to both absorb oil and remove dead skin cells most suited for dry or sensitive skin types.
WHAT NOT TO USE?
Regardless of your skin type, you want to avoid exfoliators that contain irritating or coarse particles which can injure your skin.
When it comes to exfoliation, not all products are created equal. Most scrubs are too harsh for your skin, especially if they contain sugar beads, nutshells, coarse salts, or baking soda.
A great example is the St Ives apricot scrub. Oh my goodness, please don't use this scrub. Actually, there's been studies on people who've used the St. Ives scrub: if you look at your skin under a microscope after using this product, it can cause microscopic tears in your skin. You do not want that!
One of the most important pieces of just maintaining a healthy complexion is exfoliation and hydration. I see most people are lacking this step in their home care routine.
Exfoliation usually leaves your skin smoother, and softer. To maintain these results, though, make sure you follow up with a moisturizer that is suited best for your skin type. If you tend to have a drier skin type, you want to opt for a cream or oil. If you have combination to oily skin, you want to look for a more lightweight and oil-free moisturizer.
While you probably already know about the importance of wearing sunscreen, it's even more important after exfoliation. You're removing the surface dead layer of skin, revealing baby cells coming through so they're more vulnerable. You want to protect them against the harmful rays of the sun.
SIGNS OF OVER EXFOLIATION
Just like there are people who don't exfoliate at all there are others that turn exfoliation happy and overdo it. Over exfoliating is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make.
Generally, the skin should be exfoliated only about one to two times per week to help expedite skin cell turnover without causing damage, but if you are experiencing any of the following, you might be over exfoliating your skin:
irritation
burning
peeling
redness
inflammation, or breakouts in the form of small bumps or rash-like consistency
increased sensitivity to your other products
OVER EXFOLIATION RECOVERY 101
You'll want to stop all things active: acids, retinol, exfoliation, friction, heat, hot water… and switch to a mild, fragrance-free cleanser, a gentle moisturizer, and sun protection. It could take as long as a month—basically the entire length of a skin cell cycle—for your skin to get back to normal.
Immediately after an over exfoliating episode, you could apply a cold compress on the area that's red and kind of burning to help calm down the inflammation. Once your skin has recovered, you can start by exfoliating once a week, and if you don't experience any issues, you can work your way up to twice a week from there.
Essentially, exfoliation can result in smoother skin when done correctly, but if you mix and match different types of exfoliants or use a single product too often, your favorite exfoliants have the potential to do more harm than good. It's also important to remember to stop exfoliating for about five days prior to getting a facial treatment as professional skin treatments include a more intense form of exfoliation.
I highly recommend finding an aesthetician you like and trust because once you find that perfect skincare routine (I call it your skincare diet), your skin will just glow and just maintain its healthy state.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SKIN TYPE
Your skin type can kind of change under different circumstances, lifestyles, and climate changes as you age, but we'll talk about the five major skin types.
Dry skin type
This skin type is more likely to have dry patches and requires more moisture as dry skin lacks oil. You probably notice that your skin gets even drier in cold, dry weather. Pores are invisible in a dry skin type.
Combination skin type
This skin type isn't dry but it isn't oily either. You may have an oily T-zone (what is the T-zone? Your forehead, nose, and chin) and dryness around your cheeks and jawline. Combination skin is the most common skin type and you'll notice their pores are small to medium on the T zone.
Oily skin type
This skin type is characterized by excess sebum or oil production, the natural oil produced by the sebaceous glands underneath your pores. This often leads to clogged pores and acne. You'll notice large pores all over the face definitely in the T-zone but also on the cheeks.
Sensitive skin type
This type of skin is easily irritated by fragrances, chemicals, and other synthetic materials. You can have sensitive skin that's also dry, oily, or combination but you can also sensitize your skin over time. With improper product use, or by overusing a certain ingredient your skin can become sensitized over time.
Normal skin type
This skin type doesn't have any dryness, oiliness, or sensitivity. It's pretty rare as most people's skin has at least some oiliness or dryness.
Now, here's a fun way for you to determine your skin type. So you want to remove your makeup, cleanse your skin, dry it, and don't apply anything. No toner, or moisturizer. Wait an hour and gently dab a tissue over different parts of your face. Here's what you're looking for: if the tissue absorbs oil over your entire face, then you have oily skin. If the tissue only absorbs oil in certain areas, you have combination skin, and if the tissue doesn't have any oil, you have either normal or dry skin. If you have any scaly or flaky areas, you have dry skin.
If your current skincare routine isn't serving you, and you are not noticing the improvements you are looking for, seek a skincare professional's help. We live and breathe all things skincare and nothing lights us up more than helping and creating a customized routine for someone that will help them maintain a healthy, glowing skin.
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, come say hi, I won't bite. My inbox is always open!
Until next time, take good care of your skin. It's going to represent you your entire life. Next week, I will be covering the difference between professional versus over-the-counter skincare products.
