Without doubt, Facial Exfoliation is an indispensable step in women’s skin care routine. In other ways, our skin always needs to stay fresh and healthy and that is the main function of exfoliation.

(Exfoliate periodically to keep you young and beautiful)

That is the most basic step in preventing the aging process on your skin. Let’s find out what you have missed!

1. Why does facial skin need to be exfoliated?

In fact, the skin’s surface is covered with a layer of horny cells. After a 28-day cycle for normal skin, the keratinocytes peel off and they would be replaced by a new cell layer. The cells that do not get off the skin’s surface are called dead skin cells.

The skin renewal cycle can take place naturally, but due to many factors such as weather, age, habitat, air pollution, lack of nutrients,… make it slower. Consequently, the skin is clogged with dead cells and dirt. This is the good conditions for acne bacteria to develop, and also sebum to accumulate in the pores. Therefore, regular exfoliation is essential to maintain healthy skin.

(Exfoliate to remove dead skin, dirt, excess oil,… on the skin)

Facial exfoliation has many effects as follows:

• Removes dead skin layers, dirt, excess oil,… on the skin.
• Reduces acne.
• Reduces clogged pores, thereby reducing the amount of oil on the face.
• Helps skin absorb nutrients better, optimize the effectiveness of skin care.

2. How many types of exfoliation? In which step of the skin care routine to use?

Exfoliation products are divided into two basic categories: physical exfoliation and chemical exfoliation.

Physical exfoliation

Physical exfoliation uses the compressive and frictional forces of specialized products, or self-made products to peel dead skin on the surface. Metallic crystals, silica or crystalline elements that are friendly to the skin are often used in products of this type. Actuation force should be adjusted to fit with each skin type, avoiding the risk of skin irritation.

Exfoliate by physical method used after removing make up layer and cleansing step, take a small amount (about half to 1 knuckle for the whole face), gently massage for a few minutes to let dead cells peel off, then rinse with water. For a week, remember to use about 1 or 2 times and only at night.

Chemical exfoliation

Chemical exfoliation based on the action of AHAs and BHAs softens the adhesion of dead cells to each other and to the new skin underneath.
This method not only helps to remove dead cells, but also minimizes blackheads, whiteheads, and excessive sebum production of the skin. Chemical exfoliation has the ability to act deeply and bring optimal results compared to physical methods.

After cleansing, use toner to balance the skin’s pH, take a pea-sized chemical exfoliant, rub it all over the face, wait for about 20-30 minutes then continue with the rest of the skin care steps. Remember not to rinse with water.

3. Choose the right exfoliator for each skin type

Choosing to exfoliate dead skin cells affects the effectiveness of skin care and skin health with long-term use. Find your skin type to choose the most suitable and effective products.

DRY SKIN

When choosing an exfoliator for dry skin, prioritize those that provide moisture. Using a physical exfoliant that contains natural jojoba oil or a moisturizing product like AHA’s are great to your skin.

COMBINATION SKIN

Combination skin can have excessively stretched pores, greasy skin and blackheads in the T-zone, or along the center of the face and forehead, sometimes dry on the cheeks. To deal with this type of skin, you should have on hand both strong and mild exfoliators. Depending on the weather, combination skin will be more oily or more dry, and so choose the right one for that period.

SENSITIVE SKIN

Exfoliation products with gentle ingredients extracted from nature such as chamomile, aloe,… should be given priority, avoid using products containing fragrances. The best solution is to choose a chemical exfoliator containing Lactic Acid because of its superior moisturizing and hydrating ability compared to other acids. Note to use up to 2 times per week and to test the product on hand before applying to the face in case any skin irritation.

SKIN WITH ACNE PROBLEMS

Unlike normal skin, with acne skin you should only conduct exfoliation once you have checked the skin condition and acne condition on the skin. For acne skin with basic problems such as blackheads, whiteheads, or hidden pimples, use ingredients with charcoal to remove sebum, or contain salicylic acid to help clean holes pores.

As for other cases such as acne skin with inflammation, swelling, redness, pus covered, absolutely should not perform exfoliation for the skin. At this time, the skin is severely damaged, exfoliating the oily skin of acne will have many risks of causing inflammation.

4. The difference between Exfoliation and Peeling.

Peeling means peeling off the old layers of skin, epidermis to push away the dirt, sebum on the skin.

(Peeling cleans both above and below the skin’s surface)

Peeling is a method of applying active chemicals to remove stubborn dead skin and regenerate a new, healthier skin layer. Although it also has the ability to exfoliate, there are many differences as follows:

5. Pay attention to following skin reactions when exfoliating

Improper or excessive exfoliation can all cause the skin to have undesirable reactions such as redness, itching, irritation, inflammation, dryness, flaking, excessive oiling, pimples,… In this case, we should stop exfoliation until the skin is completely healed while focusing on soothing and protective measures to accelerate the healing process.

(For youthful skin, exfoliation cannot be skipped)

Exfoliation is an extremely important step in skin care to keep skin young and beautiful. Understand your skin type and also skin condition to choose the most suitable and effective exfoliating products. Wish you have gorgeous skin!