How To Exfoliate Skin

Introduction

Skincare is probably one of the most confusing things to do, especially for beginners. If you’re just starting out your skincare journey, you will definitely understand what I’m talking about and can relate to all of what I said and what I’m about to say. For instance, any search you could ever do to wipe a certain question mark from above your head about a certain topic will lead you to a ton of different opinions, ideas, tips, and tricks that could be more than overwhelming for you as a beginner because not only they confuse the hell out of you because you can’t know for sure who to trust and what words to believe, they just add another question mark next to the old one instead of getting rid of it. And what makes everything even more difficult for you is that skin isn’t a thing you could mess up with because the slightest mistake could cause you more harm than anything. And that’s exactly what makes the start of your skincare journey a very stressful thing and that stress won’t go away until you build the required experience that keeps you away from being fooled or from making some deadly mistakes. Speaking of which,  I think that one of the most important things not to do wrong at the beginning of your journey is skin exfoliation. Involving a few chemicals, this process could lead to some serious skin issues if done wrong. But you don’t have to worry about that because I’m going to walk you through the process of skin exfoliation and talk about everything that is related to it in detail to guarantee your place in the safe zone. Buckle up and stay focused for this quick read that will provide you with all the information that you need to know.

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What Is Skin Exfoliation And What Good Does It Do?

Because new is always better, your skin renews itself constantly every thirty days or so. It gets rid of dead skin cells to make room for new ones. But sometimes, your skin doesn’t do a pretty good job in doing so. Therefore, some of the dead skin keeps hanging off your skin causing you flakiness, dry patches, and clogged pores like you had a bunch of snowballs thrown at you. And here comes the exfoliation part. So to answer the question that everybody always asks about whether skin exfoliating itself is true or false, the answer is yes it does but you just have to help complement that job often because sometimes your skin is going to need an extra hand in that process.

But still, knowing that alone isn’t enough right? Do we have to know what good do we get from exfoliating? Like, what are the benefits of this procedure?
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● Unclogs Pores:

As I’ve mentioned above, the accumulation of dead skin cells can clog your pores and close its gates for good until you do something about it. When your pores close their gates, the sebum (natural skin oil) gets stuck inside because there’s nowhere for it to go. This thing causes breakouts, whiteheads, blackheads, acne, and most importantly, it stops the good skincare products from penetrating deep within your skin which would basically make them useless no matter how much you use them.
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● It Evens Out Your Skin Tone:

By removing the dead skin cells constantly in the right way, you are actually doing your skin a huge favor and after a certain amount of time and some patience, of course, you will eventually start noticing that your skin is getting unified and evened out.
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● It Increases Cell Radiance & Turnover:

By constantly having fresh, young, and healthy skin cells, your skin will always be glowing with beauty and will gain its glamouring radiance back and the process of its automatic renewal will become much healthier and easier for it.
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● Exfoliating Stimulates Collagen Synthesis:

Regular exfoliation can actually improve the process of natural collagen production in the skin which makes it a great anti-aging method for you to use.

Now that we have a full understanding and production of what exfoliation is and how we can benefit from it, let’s get down to business and see how it’s done, shall we?

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How To Accurately Exfoliate

Before you do anything, for the love of skincare, KNOW YOUR SKIN TYPE FIRST. This is a rookie mistake that everyone keeps making and it couldn’t be more harmful to your skin because one minor mistake can destroy the benefits of your entire skincare routine. After you figure out what your skin type is, it’s time to know how to exfoliate according to your type and what ingredients suit your skin best.
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● Dry Skin:

People with dry skin should pay extra attention to moisturizing ingredients and for ingredients that won’t strip their skin from its natural oils. AHAs and Glycolic acid can both be super effective for dry skin as they help with skin turnover and because they have moisturizing properties. But make sure to follow up with an SPF in case of using Glycolic acid because it can make your skin a bit more prone to UV damage.
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● Sensitive Skin:

In the case of sensitive skin, the perfect option would be lactic acid. It’s a mild chemical exfoliant that doesn’t penetrate the skin deeply and therefore, it doesn’t cause any kind of irritation. Salicylic acid would be a good option too.
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● Oily Skin:

For people with oily skin, salicylic acid can be very helpful to use as it regulates sebum production and helps clear out excess oil on the surface of your skin.
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● Normal Skin:

People with normal skin types rarely face any sort of problem with their skin. Their skin issues are almost nonexistent so in case you were one of the lucky few with this skin type, using AHA would be a great option.
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● Combination Skin:

For the T-zone/dry community I would recommend an ingredient that can benefit both parts without doing any harm to any of them. My best option would be lactic acid because it has a sebum regulation property along with a moisturizing effect. In addition to that, it smoothes, brightens, and evens out the skin.

After you find your one and only ingredient from this list or any other list, find the right product and then start applying it as your dermatologist or skincare expert would recommend because everybody has a different type of skin condition therefore you have to know when and when not to exfoliate. It’s a double-edged sword so be careful with it.

Well, then what about males? Have you completely forgotten about them you sexist?! Chill… chill. Of course, I haven’t.

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Pro-Tip For The Dudes

If you’re a male who’s holding on to his beard, first of all, I salute you because I do too! Second of all, you should exfoliate more regularly than you’re already doing, but not too regularly so you won’t mess up your face. You see having a beard gets in the way of the skin in the process of getting rid of the dead skin cells, so you have to make it a bit easier for your skin by helping it out by exfoliating your face twice or thrice a week. You have to keep your skin clean and you should always keep your pores unclogged because God knows how difficult it is to have a breakout happening under a beard. Believe me, bro, you want to have nothing to do with an issue like that.

And there you have it. The ultimate introduction to the skin exfoliating world is at your service and command. Use it wisely, read it thoroughly, take notes, and most importantly, make sure not to rely on online information all the time. Always ask for the trusted opinion of your dermatologist or skin expert because no one will know more than the pro. And if you think that this is too overwhelming for you to do on your own, you can always go to the nearest clinic and seek professional exfoliation that is designed especially for your skin condition and that will provide you with the perfect results that you’re looking for.

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