Exfoliating for Better Skin: Why It Works

You may be wondering if exfoliation is a good addition to your regular skincare routine. Like many other additional products on the market, exfoliators promise to aid the skin by means of removing dead skin flakes, dirt, and other unwanted debris, leaving behind extra smooth skin. Before adding any new steps or products to your regular skincare routine, it is important to consider how an exfoliator may affect your skin’s natural balance and appearance.

What Does It Mean to Exfoliate Your Skin?

Sometimes, dead skin cells don’t leave the body completely once they are shed from the skin. Instead of flaking away, they remain on the surface of the skin, giving it a dry, dull, or patchy appearance.

Skin exfoliators are chemical products, granular products, or specialty tools used to aid the shedding of excess dead skin. By adding some extra abrasiveness, exfoliators promise to scrub away the dead skin cells, leaving the skin feeling smooth.

Some people may already be using an exfoliating product without realizing it. For example, using a shower loofah, a face wash with granular beads, or a sugar scrub while cleansing your skin are all examples of different exfoliation methods. These products all gently scrub the skin’s surface to remove lingering dead skin cells.

What Are the Benefits of Using an Exfoliator Product?

By removing excess dead skin cells, exfoliators allow the healthy, fresh surface of the skin to shine through at the end of your skincare routine. Often, skin appears clearer and brighter after using an exfoliating product.

Because they are removing unnecessary debris from the surface of the skin, exfoliators are also good tools for fighting acne breakouts. Oils, dead skin cells, and other debris all contribute to clogged pores and new pimples, but when an exfoliator is used during the skincare process, a lot of that breakout-inducing debris is removed before it can cause problems.

Besides preventing pimples, removing dead skin cells offers other great skin benefits. Using an exfoliator gives the skin’s surface a “clean slate” appearance. This means that the other products you apply to your skin, such as moisturizers and lotions, will have a better opportunity to soak into your skin and work more effectively. Before exfoliation, these products may have been blocked from soaking into your pores due to excessive dead skin cells blocking their path.

Exfoliators are also linked to increased collagen production. As the exfoliator stimulates the skin’s surface, it causes more collagen to form. Collagen production is linked to the firm, elastic, and tight appearance of youthful skin. In this sense, exfoliators can provide anti-aging benefits by not only keeping the skin clean but also by keeping it firm.

Exfoliators can also be very cost-efficient additions to skincare routines. For example, many people can use basic products such as a washcloth or create their own DIY formulas from basic kitchen ingredients and reap the same results they would see from a specialty store-bought product. Some common exfoliator ingredients found in the kitchen include coffee grounds and sugar. When added to other nourishing ingredients such as honey or buttermilk, these natural scrubs can give your skin a cleansing glow without breaking the bank.

What Concerns Should You Consider When Using an Exfoliator Product?

Before using any new product, it is always best to test it on a small patch of skin before applying it on the face or all over the body. This allows you to determine whether or not the new product will agitate your skin in any way.

Some people have sensitive skin. Anything beyond a gentle, mild product threatens to irritate sensitive skin, leaving it red, rashy, and uncomfortable rather than cleansed and smooth. Unfortunately, exfoliators may have this effect on sensitive skin. Exfoliators serve to scrub the skin free of any loose or excessive debris, but sometimes this extra scrubbing agitates sensitive skin’s delicate balance rather than helping it.

Exfoliators already have a rougher texture to them—that’s what gives them their cleansing magic. However, some people make the mistake of over-scrubbing with them, which can be too harsh and damaging on the skin. Scrubbing too hard can leave the skin red, rashy, or worse, cut open from too much contact with the abrasive material. Exfoliators should always be used gently and as directed on their packaging.

Resources— HealthLine, Ecotique

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