What Is Skin Exfoliation?
Exfoliation is the removal of surface dry skin cells. Along with the dead skin, exfoliation removes dirt and grime to clean pores and help your skin breath. The process of exfoliation can be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians, and in Asia it’s been in use for hundreds of years.
How Do I Know If I Need To Exfoliate?
A simple test you can do at home to see if you have surface dry skin cells on your skin is to take a piece of clear tape and apply it to the forehead. Rub it gently and remove. Look at the tape, and if there are little pieces of flaky skin, then you need to exfoliate.
Regular face exfoliation is the best way to keep your skin clear and healthy looking.
Do I need to exfoliate my body?
Yes. Just as you face does, the skin of the body builds up a certain amount of dead cell tissue. This is best removed with an exfoliator, particularly on areas where the circulation is slower and weaker. For instance, on the backs of the upper arms, and the thighs from the hip joint down to the knee, where the circulation is slower. There is more of a build-up of dead cells to a certain extent on the lower leg and certainly on the feet.
Both your limbs and your upper back area benefits from exfoliation, and the chest to a certain extent. You might exfoliate the upper arms twice a week, but you might only exfoliate the chest once a week. Exfoliation does help skin feel smoother and softer and the body lotion, the moisturizer, will be better absorbed after exfoliation.
Why Is Exfoliation Important?
Proper skin exfoliation is the most important step in skin care. It is through the process of exfoliation that your body rids itself of dull surface layers of skin, allowing the youthful and vibrant skin below to break through. As a result, skin looks and feels healthier, smoother and softer.
What Skin Care Problems Does Exfoliation Resolve?
Blemished Skin
Exfoliation should be the main focus of a home care program. So often, we are told to dry out the skin with harsh acne products. Although this will destroy acne-causing bacteria, it tends to dry out the skin, and this usually results in not only irritated skin but also in future breakouts. Why? Because as you over-dry the skin, you create surface dry skin cell buildup. This then acts as a barrier to trap oil in the skin, thereby starting a cycle of new breakouts.
Post Breakout Red/Dark Marks
Often, the real concern is not so much the actual blemishes, but rather the red, dark marks that remain on the skin long after the breakout has healed. The key to fading those post-breakout marks is to increase your exfoliation. The more you remove the surface damaged skin tissue, the more you are ridding the skin of the dark marks and encouraging the formation of new healthy (non-scarred) skin tissue. The result is more even-toned skin with less scarring.
Clogged Pores
Clogged pores aren’t infected blemishes, but rather blackheads, small whiteheads, and little clogged bumps on the skin, often on the forehead. The same rules apply as with blemished skins. The more you remove surface dry skin cells (usually caused by using harsh, drying products), the less oil will stay trapped and congested in the pores.
Hyperpigmentation
These are the brown spots that come from age, pregnancy, hormonal changes, and genetics. These spots tend to become more apparent and darker as the skin ages. Exfoliation is beneficial for breaking up the pigmented cells to allow them to fade. Combined with a skin lightening agent, such as Vitamin C or Hydroquinone, exfoliation will help accelerate the fading process.
Dry Skin
Especially in the winter, exfoliation is very important. So often when the skin is dry, we tend to load up on heavier creams to compensate for the dryness. But dry skin means you have dry skin cell buildup. And the more you layer on the heavier creams, the more you are trying to re-hydrate dry skin cells, which makes no sense! Instead, increase your exfoliation to remove the dry skin cells, and then moisturize the new skin cells, resulting in a moister skin.
Those Who Desire Smoother Skin
One way to instantly smooth the skin is to exfoliate! When you rid the skin of the surface dry skin cells, you create a smoother appearance.
Those Concerned About Anti-Aging
The skin’s natural exfoliation process slows as the skin ages, resulting in an accumulation of dry skin cells. As you increase your exfoliation, you are tricking the skin into acting young again.
How Often Should One Exfoliate?
While some people like to exfoliate with Le Edge on a daily basis, we recommend 2-3 times per week. If you are not sure, you might want to start by exfoliating once per week and then add more sessions if you feel the need.
How Does A Person Know If They Are Getting Too Much Exfoliation?
While it is natural for you skin to turn red for a short time due to increased blood circulation to your skin, if the redness persists for more than several minutes after using Le Edge andy feels irritated afterwards, it probably means that you can increase the time between exfoliating.
We suggest avoiding natural scrubs, such as those with apricot pits or walnut husks. These grains have sharp edges that can lacerate the skin.
Here’s The Bottom Line
The goal with your skin is to exfoliate as much as possible, with minimal irritation. The skin likes little boosts but not on an everyday basis. Le Edge makes exfoliating your whole body simple and easy. Gentle enough for your face, strong enough for you feet, and perfect for everything else.