Aside from including skincare products like serums and skin needling pen treatments in your routine, one other method that you can use to successfully maintain beautiful, radiant skin is exfoliation. If this happens to be the first time you have ever heard of exfoliation or exfoliating, it is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin either through physical or chemical means. As you age over the years, your skin can take much longer to regenerate or renew, which in turn causes old cells to build up and lead to a dull-looking, rough complexion. However, if you incorporate regular exfoliation in your schedule, you can slough off those dead cells to reveal fresher, renewed skin.
Physical and chemical exfoliation are the two major types that you can include in your skincare routine. In physical exfoliation, it involves using a product that can physically scrub away your dead skin cells. Some common kinds of physical exfoliating items include facial scrubs that contain coarse particles like salt, sugar, or microbeads that can buff your skin gently; and exfoliating brushes or gloves, which are tools that can stimulate your blood circulation as well as remove dead skin cells. Chemical exfoliation uses certain substances such as alpha hydroxy acids or AHAs to effectively dissolve the bonds between skin cells. Lactic acid and glycolic acid are some of the most common AHAs you can find in the market these days. These are ingredients in skincare products that can help exfoliate the upper layers or surface of your skin. Another type of chemical exfoliant that you can easily purchase in stores or online are beta hydroxy acids or BHAs like salicylic acid, a popular product which can penetrate deeper into your pores to unclog the build-up of oil and cells, and even reduce skin swelling and redness in some instances.
How Does Your Skin Benefit From Regular Exfoliation?
When you exfoliate on a regular basis, you can get to enjoy improved skin texture since it will help to soften and smoothen your skin. This can lead to developing a brighter skin tone since it will help fade any hyperpigmented parts of your skin and correct the uneven appearance of your complexion. Since the dead skin cells building up on the surface are removed from your skin through exfoliation, this would enable the better and quicker absorption of your skincare products as these can then penetrate the deeper layers of your dermis. In certain circumstances, there’s some evidence that exfoliating regularly can even help to reduce mild cases of acne since it can prevent breakouts and unclog oil from your pores.
The frequency that you decide to exfoliate within a week can really depend on the type of your skin as well as the exfoliant product that you intend to use. If you have oily skin, for example, you may be able to exfoliate your skin two to more times a week, depending on your tolerance level. If this is the case, the best exfoliant for this skin type is a chemical one like a BHA serum since it can get deeper into pores and clear out oily build-up. If you have dry skin, exfoliating two times a week would be sufficient, and an AHA product would be the ideal type since it will only take off an upper layer of your skin cells. Finally, if you happen to have sensitive skin, do not think that you cannot exfoliate. You just need to be more careful when you try to include exfoliation in your skincare routine. Make sure you start by exfoliating just once a week to see if your skin can tolerate it, then gradually build up to more occurrences when you see that your skin can handle exfoliation well. Physical exfoliation may be the best option for your needs since you can control the intensity of how you apply a scrub to your skin.
When you decide to incorporate exfoliation in your skincare routine, probably the most important thing to remember is to make sure your skin is moisturised and hydrated after each session by applying a nourishing moisturiser. This will help to soothe your skin and keep it healthy and well-balanced, especially if you choose a product that contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides as some of its ingredients.
