But if you ask dermatologists, they’ll tell you that not only is exfoliation usually an unnecessary step, a lot of people overdo it.
“Our skin cells naturally exfoliate on their own,” said Caroline Robinson, a Chicago-based dermatologist. Skin cells migrate from the deeper layers to the outermost layers and break off about every 28 days, she added, although the process can take longer as we age. “The products and tools that help us exfoliate are designed to encourage healthy behavior that our skin naturally adopts.”
Exfoliators are either chemical, or manual (or physical), or a combination of the two. Chemical exfoliators typically use hydroxy acids to dissolve the bond between skin cells, loosening dead skin to be removed. Hydroxy acids fall into three categories:
● Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) can penetrate the deeper layers of the skin, depending on the acid and dosage, which is why stronger iterations are often used in a dermatologist’s office to exfoliate and stimulate collagen production. Office and home options in the correct dosage can improve the appearance of wrinkles and sun damage, and reduce acne and clogged pores, but they are often too strong for sensitive skin. Common AHAs are glycolic, lactic, mandelic, malic, tartaric, and citric acids.
● Beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) are traditionally used to treat acne and clogged pores. Salicylic acid is the most commonly used BHA, popular for its ability to calm inflammation.
● Polyhydroxy acids (PHA) are “second generation HAAs”; they’re best suited for sensitive and reactive skin, including rosacea, as they don’t penetrate as deeply as other hydroxy acids. PLWHA also provide additional antioxidant protection and hydration. Popular PLHIV are lactobionic acid, gluconolactone, and galactose.
There are also enzymatic exfoliators, which come from fruits like papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin. These tend to be milder than hydroxy acids and may have anti-inflammatory properties.
Manual exfoliation uses a product such as a facial scrub or a tool such as a mechanical facial brush to “scrub” and loosen dead skin cells. Microdermabrasion and dermaplaning are manual exfoliation treatments performed in an office.
Terms like hydroxy acids and microdermabrasion aside, exfoliation is nothing new. Queen Cleopatra bathed in sour milk to reap the benefits of natural lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid, and the Romans and Greeks were known to use corrosive agents such as limestone as a manual exfoliant.
But now the shelves of beauty retailers and drugstores are teeming with exfoliating options: exfoliating facial cleansers and toners, facial scrubs made with ingredients like rice-based enzyme powder, and body scrubs. body containing salt or sugar granules. (Body scrubs are also available in chemical, manual, and / or a combination of the two types of scrubs.)
There are over a million #exfoliate posts on Instagram, while #exfoliate videos have been viewed nearly 220 million times on TikTok. In 2020, sales of facial scrubs grew 9% year-over-year, said Larissa Jensen, vice president of beauty at NPD Group, a market research company, in a report. E-mail. “In fact, he [facial exfoliants] was the only segment to win among the larger facials category, which includes cleansers, face creams and face serums. “
“We live in a super-exfoliant society,” said Joshua Zeichner, New York-based dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical dermatology research at Mount Sinai Hospital. Consumers have unrealistic expectations, according to Zeichner: “People are trying to get the ‘shine and shine’ of the exfoliation they see in pictures and videos on social media, and unfortunately, we don’t. ‘have no objective way of measuring these terms. “
Atlanta-based dermatologist Tiffany Clay said she has seen an increase in facial overexfoliation in her patients over the past year. “Patients who follow these ‘skin influencers’ walk into my office with compromised skin barriers due to too frequent exfoliation and something too abrasive,” she said.
Clay added that she prefers chemical scrubs over manual facial scrubs because the chemical options give more control. “When it comes to manual exfoliation, it’s all about pressure.” If you grind a manual or physical exfoliant into your skin, you can create microtears in the skin and disrupt its barrier, she said.
Just because a product label tells you to exfoliate twice a day doesn’t mean you should, said Ranella Hirsch, a dermatologist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “If you exfoliate blindly, you risk breaking down your barrier, which is made up of skin cells that tightly regulate what goes into the body. ”
According to Hirsch, one of the most problematic myths is that you need to exfoliate dry, scaly skin. She likes to use the bricks and mortar analogy to explain why this is not the case. Scaling of the skin usually occurs because the mortar that holds the layers of skin cells together (made up of lipids and fats) is weak and the bricks (keratinocytes) fall off. “When we exfoliate, we use hydroxy acids and enzymes to Pause the bonds that hold cells together, which we don’t want. When you have dry, flaky skin, you need to moisturize it, not exfoliate it. ”
Damage from overexfoliation can present in a number of ways, including a feeling of tightness, shine, tingling, redness, and increased sensitivity, Hirsch said. “We tend to grossly overestimate what our skin can take.”
That’s why she recommends people new to facial exfoliation to “start slow” with a low-percentage exfoliant, “start small” with less irritating ingredients, and “slow down” starting with one night per week. then gradually adding more only if your skin tolerates it. One of Hirsch’s favorite homemade scrubs is Josh Rosebrook Daily Acid Toner, which she says is gentle enough for sensitive skin – even if you’re using retinoids. For acne-prone skin, Hirsch likes Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant.
While, again, exfoliating your body isn’t necessary, Hirsh said hands, feet, and sometimes arms and legs can benefit from regular exfoliation. You don’t have to be as careful with these body parts as you do with your face, neck, and chest, she says.
Clay recommends being careful with certain foot treatments. “Some people with very thick layers of skin on their feet may need a boost with a pedicure or chemical foot peel at home. These should be done in moderation, as although the soles of the feet may appear very thick, excessive exfoliation can make the skin too thin, leading to tears, cuts and infections. ”
After exfoliating your face or body, it’s important to always follow up with a moisturizer, said Zeichner, who typically pairs exfoliating products with moisturizers that contain skin-repairing ingredients such as niacinamide, ceramides and / or oatmeal. He recommended moisturizers from CeraVe, La Roche-Posay and Aveeno. And, according to experts, you should always apply sun protection when using exfoliators.
Because it’s easy to overexfoliate at home, some dermatologists prefer in-office treatments, seeing them as a controlled burn compared to a forest fire. New York-based dermatologist Macrene Alexiades said in an email that she recommends exfoliation as an option for people with oily skin, large pores and, in some cases, wrinkles. “Specifically, when it comes to sun damage and wrinkles, I use exfoliation [in-office] as an artist’s tool to resurface the skin and induce new collagen, ”she says.
She and Robinson both recommend chemical in-office peels – which use one or more exfoliating chemicals to create a wound of a specific skin depth in an effort to stimulate new skin growth and improve texture and longevity. appearance of the surface. “When I administer an in-office medical peel, I get a complete skin resurfacing and then we allow the skin to regenerate over a 28-day cycle,” Alexiades said.
“Chemical peels are one of my favorite in-office procedures because they are so easy to integrate and I can use them on all skin types,” said Robinson. They can speed up the results of your products, she added. “Sometimes if our skin cells aren’t transforming as quickly as they would naturally, then our skin care products don’t get where they need them to be.”
Finally, Zeichner emphasized patience when it comes to seeing the benefits of exfoliation. “To see improvement in texture, tone, hyperpigmentation or wrinkles, it can take several weeks to several months of regular use,” he said. He concluded, however, that there was only one way to achieve flawless skin: use a good social media filter.
Janna Mandell is a San Francisco-based journalist covering the beauty industry. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter.