Exfoliation - An Important Facial Step
Have you ever felt like you weren’t getting enough out of your facial products? You spend enough on them, so why aren’t they as effective as they should be? You might be missing one of the most important steps of skincare. Exfoliation. You’ve probably heard of it, but what does it do, exactly? And why is it so important? In this post I will go over what it does, how often you should do it, and the different types of exfoliation.
Your skin is constantly turning over new skin cells. But what happens to the old skin cells when your body makes more? If you’re not exfoliating your skin, they just stay there. They create a barrier for your skin, because most of the time we don’t want stuff getting into our skin. But that’s not super helpful when we’re trying to make changes. That barrier just makes it harder for your other facial products (your serums, moisturizers, or masques) to penetrate deeper so they can make meaningful change to your skin. They can also block sebum from coming out, causing blackheads and pimples. Exfoliating your skin regularly will remove the old, dead skin cells that are just sitting there, to leave your skin clearer and more apt to change.
Constantly removing your skins barrier sounds kinda rough, doesn’t it? It certainly can be. If you exfoliate too much, you can cause irritation and leave yourself susceptible to stuff we don’t want getting into our skin, i.e. bacteria. So how often is the right amount? That depends of the type of exfoliation you’re using. There’s 3 different types.
The first type of exfoliant would be mechanical. These act by physically removing the dead skins by scraping or rubbing off, like sandpaper. Microdermabrasion or Dermaplaning would be examples of facials that have mechanical exfoliation.
The second type is chemical. They work by breaking down the glue that holds the cells together. This is often more intense, and should only be done by professionals. Chemical peels require weeks of prepping the skin before getting one. They have different levels of strength, so lower levels can be done 2 weeks apart, while higher levels it’s best to wait 4 weeks or more. This type of exfoliation also requires a lot more at home care, but they are the best option for those of us who are serious about making changes with our skin.
The last type is enzymatic. Enzymes are similar to chemical exfoliants, except proteins (usually from pineapple or papaya) are used to break down or eat away the surface layer of dead skin cells. Enzymes are the least intrusive type of exfoliation and are great for those just starting out or with sensitive skin. A facial that may use an enzymatic exfoliant would be the o2 Lift.
If you’re just starting to add exfoliating products to your skincare routine, you should only use once a week and slowly work up to 2x a week. As always it’s best to consult your esthetician on what facials, or products would be best for you. Book your next facial with Jefferson City’s own, Respiro Spa to talk about your skin care needs.
