Hello Everyone,
Skin exfoliation is a topic that most of us are always curious about. It is a key that unlocks certain skincare problems like removing dead skin cells, evening out skin texture, and tackling acne problems etc. There are two ways you exfoliate your skin, one is to do it physically using facial products like scrubs or tools and the other is to use Chemical exfoliators. Depending on your skin concerns, age and other factors you can do it accordingly.
Age is a major factor you need to consider before exfoliating. For many in terms of physical exfoliation, the age basically starts from 15 years however I have heard even lesser aged teens start off early. I would rather not recommend exfoliating at that age or upto 17 atleast as that phase of your life is where your skin evolves unless you deal with hormonal acne, it’s scars or other skin concerns then you can exfoliate but with a doctor’s consent and diagnosis. But you if your skin is on the oilier side at a young age you can do physical exfoliation or rather using facial scrubs but with mild granules in them, this is to not excessively disrupt your skin.
I remember when I was thought during my makeup classes, the skincare topic was brought about regarding scrubbing and my teacher told to the class then that you shouldn’t scrub as it is not necessary but with the evolving climate and body changes, one’s skin starts to change accordingly and sometimes with the aid of exfoliation in skincare routine, your skin gets better. When I had hormonal breakouts during my teen years I would scrub constantly yes you heard me right and that too everyday but with a mild facial scrub as my oily skin then was a little problematic. Now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have done it, as I felt my skin did get dehydrated in the long run and that’s when I stopped doing it after my 20’s. I started physical exfoliation at the age of 18 years old. But with changing skin products in the market I should have thought about chemical exfoliation or a change in my skincare routine. Now when you think about chemical exfoliation, you think oh that sounds scary? But don’t worry there are mild ones out there and trust me these days the skin care products are vast in the market that there are products suitable for everyone to tackle issues.
What Is Physical Exfoliation?
I guess all of you kind of have an idea on physical exfoliation, yes using facial scrubs where by you use your hands to move or rub the product on your face manually or you can use tools to do it too. This in turn helps to remove the dead cells or skin flakes caused by dryness or any skin concern. It’s more like ‘a at the spot skin remedy’ you can say and maybe yield results in the long run. Some of the physical exfoliants are:-
- Most commonly used facial scrubs.
- Cloth based exfoliants like flannels or cleansing cloth (towels that are gentle in texture and not that harsh too helps to exfoliate).
- Tools such as face cleansing brushes and sponges.
Physical exfoliation helps in targeting the outer layer of your skin surface, as mentioned they help removing flakes left behind dry skin, dead skin cells which in turn gives you a radiant and smooth skin.
Benefits
- Helps in stimulation of blood flow when massaging the product onto your skin.
- On the spot results.
- Aids in skin brightening and evens out your skin.
- Better application of your makeup.
Facial scrubs like the St. Ives apricot, neutrogena scrubs etc are the common ones available in your department stores, and thats what we tend to use more physically. For cleansing tools that you use for physical exfoliation are the vibrating massaging brushes or sponges that you use to get rid of dead skin cells. There are good quality ones and a cheaper variants of the above tools, so according to your budget you can get one. The popular ones are the clarasonic face brushes, foreo face tools etc. When you buy face tools make sure you clean the products regularly for hygienic purposes or else it’s easy to develop bacteria on them which can easily transfer to your skin and can form breakouts or other issues.
What Is Chemical Exfoliation?
Not everyone is familiar with chemical exfoliation, it is a process where you use mild acids or enzymes to tackle skin concerns like evening out your skin tone or texture, reducing blemishes, hyperpigmentation, acne problems etc. This process involves no scrubbing and works gradually. I started chemical exfoliation when I was 29 years old and till then never have I heard of it, but I have heard about the process of heavy chemical peeling and so was scared to do this sort of exfoliation. However with the advancement of skin care products there are so many chemical exfoliants out there that most women are drawn to using them to rectify their skin concerns. My skin is dry and at times normal but I do have texture that’s when I researched on chemical exfoliation and wanted to give it a shot. Well to my surprise the product I used worked. I basically started out using Cosrx clarifying treatment AHA/BHA toner which actually helped me out a little and then started using the ordinary AHA BHA peeling solution which again did its job.
Now chemical exfoliation is done at late 25’s when your skin starts to mature but lately late teens have started using it due their hormonal acne issues and other skin concerns. If you require chemical exfoliation at a young age consult your dermatologist first and then try. There are mild ones out there, so always start with lessor concentration of acids or so. Once you apply these Chemical exfoliators to your skin, they not only work on the outer layer or surface but also penetrates into your skin to rectify the issues as BHA or Beta Hydroxy Acids aim to do so. Most commonly known BHA is salicylic acid. AHA or alpha Hydroxy acids works on the top layers of your skin, such as glycolic acid and lactic acid.
Chemical exfoliation products like the ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% peeling solution, Bioderma Hydrabio Gommage Exfoliating Cream, and many more are available. These exfoliants are great if you have to tackle your dry skin, acne prone, eczema etc.
Benefits
- Ease of use.
- In time it gradually yields the results for the skin issues you face.
- Aids in reducing skin texture, black or white heads problem, blemishes, hyperpigmentation, dryness.
- Requires no scrubbing.
- Aims in working deeply into your skin to rectify the issue.
Depending on your skin issues or concerns, choose the right exfoliation method and incorporate into your skincare routine. But yes research and consult a dermatologist when required, especially if going in with chemical exfoliation.
Hope this helps, please feel free to leave a comment.