Beauty
by
Karley
Ziegler Mott
Exfoliation is one of the most overlooked steps on
people’s skincare regimens. It is also one of the
most important. People seem to be aware of the
fact that using an exfoliant is crucial, but they are
often unsure of why it’s necessary.
EXFOLIATION 101
The skin that you are seeing right now is actually
dead skin cells. It sounds far-fetched, but your skin
sheds approximately 35,000 skin cells per minute. It is
part of a 28-cycle where our skin is constantly exfoliating itself. This process slows down around the age of
35 and skin may appear bumpy or uneven and dull as if
it has lost its glow.
These skin symptoms are caused by an accumulation
of dead skin cells on the sratum corneum, or the top
most layer of the skin. When we exfoliate the skin, we
are speeding up cell turnover by sloughing off the accumulated dead skin cells. The result? A fresher, more
radiant complexion with a smoother texture.
Exfoliation also helps your other skincare products
work better. Picture an old door that you would like to
repaint. The door is peeling, with layers of paint and
environmental debris. If you attempted to paint over the
door, the door would still be peeling and worn. It would
be uneven and the painted would not be smooth and flat.
Instead, what would you do first? To get a smooth paint
finish, chances are you would scrape off the old paint,
sand it down, and prep it for the rest of your painting.
This concept can be applied to your skin. If your skin
is dull and uneven with an accumulation of dead skin
cells, your other skincare products will not work as efficiently. Once you have exfoliated, however, the active
ingredients in your skincare treatments will penetrate
more deeply and reach the pores. Another perk? Your
skin will look younger with regular exfoliation.
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COSMOBIZ SALON NOVEMBER 2015
MECHANICAL VS. CHEMICAL:
WHICH ONE IS BEST?
There are two main varieties of exfoliation, each with
its own advantages. It’s a matter of finding the best
treatment for your skin’s needs.
We talked to board-certified dermatologist Dr. R. Sonia Batra of Batra Dermatology in Santa Monica, CA
to get the scoop on skin sloughing. She broke down the
two key types of exfoliation -- mechanical and chemical -- and explained the benefits of each.
MECHANICAL EXFOLIATION
Mechanical exoliation, or physical exfoliation, uses
scrubs, sponges, microdermabrasion and brushes to
buff off dead skin cells. Dr. Batra recommends this
form of exfoliation to older people whose skin is becoming dry or showing signs of dullness, as opposed to
those with oily and acne prone skin.
What to look for in a manual exfoliatiant:
• When choosing a facial scrub, be sure it is free of
nut shells, as they can scratch the skin and do more
harm
• Avoid scrubs with polyethelene beads, as these are