As new skin cells are born and rise to the surface, the old cells accumulate and harden forming the protective skin surface. New skin formation is a healthy and natural process. The skin cells slough off at a huge rate – about a million skin cells per day. This process is called the skin cycle and takes between 14 and 28 days.
With age, our skin cycle slows down, resulting in more dead skin adhering to the surface. It takes more time for young skin cells to be born and take place of those that died. Natural things like sweating, skin oil, outside dust and dirt can really clog our skin, if we do not give it a helping hand.
Skin Cells Slough Off At A Rate of A Million Skin Cells Per Day! Exfoliate Them!
Exfoliation is what we need to do to keep our skin in tip top condition and allow it to perform its protective and functions.
The Benefits of Exfoliation
Many think that we need to call upon an esthetician to perform an expensive exfoliation procedure. Nope, we can do it regularly and in the comfort of our home.
Exfoliation is a simple process of removing dead skin and dirt from the surface of the skin. This way, we give a chance for the new skin cells to shine and take over all the good functions our skin performs for us. Exfoliation is one of the ways of rejuvenating our skin cycle.
The How-To’s of Exfoliation
There are several ways we can help our skin to get rid of old, dead skin cells and allow the young cells to reveal themselves.
#1 Use Gentle Scrubs, Loofas, Special Gloves
Go after those product that are super soft, yet do their job. One of the best products is the Dew Puff Sponge. Look into this exfoliation tool and see if it works for you. The company has developed different “dews” for different skin types: normal, dry, mature skin, acne-prone and more. You will get benefits from the actives that each sponge contains while you are cleansing and exfoliating your skin.
#2 Use Exfoliating Soap
Soaps can come in all shapes and consistencies. Liquid ones are the way to do it. Look for products that contain camomile, oatmeal and other soothing agents to bring calm and peace to the skin surface as it is being cleaned.
#3 Use Chemical Exfoliation
One of the popular ingredients is the Alpha-hydroxy Acids: Glycolic acid, Lactic Acid, Salicylic acid. The products containing these ingredients are applied to the skin and then washed off, without rubbing and adding additional trauma to the skin surface.
Using chemical exfoliation can be done sparingly. The frequent use of the products can turn your skin into more sensitive and damage the protective barrier it has.
Those exfoliation procedures done in a professional environment usually use higher concentration of the active ingredients to peel off dead skin and improve the appearance of the visible skin.
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