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Great Question — How often should I exfoliate?
With age, the rate at which natural skin cell turnover occurs slows significantly. When skin cells are not shed properly from the skin’s surface, they can begin to accumulate and cause skin to be rough, dry, flaky, and dull looking. Exfoliation is an important step in a healthy skin care regimen because it helps reduce the accumulation of dead cells at the skin’s surface, and promotes healthy skin cell turnover.
Though exfoliation is an important step in promoting healthy skin, it is important to not overdo it! Over-exfoliation can actually damage the skin’s barrier function and cause skin dryness or irritation. The outermost layer of your skin forms a protective barrier against the environment — you want to maintain enough of the outer skin cells layers to effectively keep out pathogens, toxins, and other irritants and keep in essential moisture. Exfoliation is primarily a means of improving skin appearance by removing skin cell buildup that is not efficiently shedding on its own. Increasing the frequency of exfoliation beyond a healthy point will not help your skin, but with regular exfoliation you can definitely see a gradual improvement in skin tone, texture, and appearance.
To help benefit your skin, it is generally recommended that you exfoliate 1-3 times per week; the exact amount can depend on your particular skin type and exposure to environmental factors that cause skin damage. For example, oily skin tends to experience breakouts if skin is not able to slough out easily, so an individual with oily skin may exfoliate more frequently than someone with normal or sensitive skin.
When designing a regimen suited to your needs, be sure to assess how your skin feels before and after exfoliating to determine the frequency that is best for you! You can also chose to exfoliate using a mechanical exfoliant like the Celloxylin Enzyme Activated Micro Scrub, or a chemical exfoliant such as the Celloxylin MD 20EX Acid Peel. Both products are a great addition to your daily skin care regimen and will help you achieve brighter, healthier, and younger looking skin by removing dead skin cell buildup and revealing the radiant skin below!
Posted on April 19, 2011 |
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Candace Dye, #1000039
