Your skin renews itself about every 28 days on average.
However this process slows as you age.
Regular Exfoliation gives your skin a fresh look and increases circulation.
Use a body mitt or scrub to massage damp skin.
Work over your body in circular motions.
You should exfoliate your skin at least once a week.
Chemical Exfoliation:
Involves the use of producets that contain alphahydroxy acids (AHAs), betahydroxy acids (BHAS) or enzymes that act to loosen the glue-like substance that holds the cells together which allowing them to ease away.
Mechanical Exfoliation:
This is where dead skin cells are rubbed off with a type of abrasive.
Exfoliation involves the removal of the oldest dead skin cells along the skin's outermost surface.
Exfoliation is involved in the process of a facial and during body treatments at spas.
People of non-caucasian descent generally see better results from exfoliation, due to their faster skin production.
It is a process recommended to maintain healthy skin at least twice a week, with a daily regimen recommended during the winter months.
Some credit ancient Egyptians for beginning the practice of dermabrasion, a form of exfoliation.
In the Middle Ages, wine was used as a chemical exfoliant, with the tartaric acid as the active agent.
In Asia, the practice of exfoliation started hundreds of years ago.
New skins cells are generated within the skins lower layer, the dermis. Over time, cells rise to the surface of the skin and become more acidic.
As they do so, over their 30 day journey, they die and become saturated with keratin.
Keratin is important because the substance protects the skin from outside elements.
During aging, and after menopause, the natural process of skin erosion becomes uneven, which gives skin a dry and rough character.
Exfoliation removes the rougher outer layer to reveal the newer skin that lies beneath. This shedding of the outer skin layer unclogs pores, keeps skin clean, and helps reduce acne breakouts.
It is considered the first step in cleaning your face, followed up by washing your face with a hypoallergenic soap, then moisturizing. Exfoliation is considered important for men as it exposes the face's hair follicles, allowing for a better shave.
It is possible to overly exfoliate, which dries and irritates the skin. The face is the part of the body most sensitive to exfoliation.
Dry skin on the face can lead to wrinkle development.
Exfoliation is achieved through either mechanical or chemical means.
Mechanical process involves phyiscially scrubbing the skin off with an abrasive.
Mechanical exfoliants include microfiber cloths, micro-bead facial scrubs, crushed apricot kernel or almond shells, sugar or salt crystals, pumice, and abrasive materials such as sponges, loofahs, and brushes.
Facial scrubs are generally available in over-the-counter products and applied by the user.
People with dry skin should avoid exfoliants which include a significant portion of pumice, or crushed volcanic rock.
Pumice is considered to good material to use to exfoliate the skin of the feet.
Chemical exfoliants include scrubs containing salicylic acid, glycolic acid, fruit enzymes, citric acid, or malic acid which may be applied in high concentrations by a dermatologist, or in lower concentrations in over-the-counter products.
Chemical exfoliation may involve the use of products that contain alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), or enzymes that act to loosen the glue-like substance that holds the cells together, allowing them to ease away.
This type of exfoliation is recommended for people treating acne.
In popular media, exfoliants are advertised as treatments which promote beauty, youthful appearance, or health.
The greatest disadvantage to exfoliation is the high price of some of the products and methods used to achieve its goal.
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