Fact or Fiction: Exfoliating Every Day is Bad for your Skin

Many women tend to over-exfoliate the skin, in hopes of sloughing off dead skin, and thus achieving a fresh and renewed complexion. This is a misconception, since our skin is a very efficient organ, and doesn’t require exfoliation more than 2-3 times per week. In fact, exfoliating as often as daily, can strip the skin of its natural oils, which may cause break-outs.

What is cell turnover, and what are the average rates at which our body replaces skin cells? Cell turnover is the process by which our skin makes new skin cells, traveling from the lowest layer of the epidermis to the top layer and then shedding off. This process is what keeps dead cells from building up on the skin’s surface. Skin cells live about 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, skin cell turnover slows with age, so exfoliation is useful, but daily exfoliation is excessive. 

According to Milady’s Standard, Fundamentals For Estheticians below are the average rates of cell turnover by age group:

Babies: 14 Days

Teenagers: 21-28 Days

Middle Age Persons: 28-42 Days

Those 50 and Older: 42-84 Days

Sometimes clients are surprised that they still get acne, even though they exfoliate daily, what they don’t realize, is that the skin is compensating for the loss of oils, and is overproducing sebum. 

Clients with dry, sensitive, thin skin will benefit greatly if they reduce their exfoliation to 1-2 times per week, since the oils on our ski keep it moist and supple. Over-exfoliating will dry out their complexion, and make wrinkles more prominent. In addition to this, they may experience couperose, exacerbated rosacea and increased sun-sensitivity. 

For clients with dry skin, it’s recommended to exfoliate 1-2 times per week, and 2-3 times per week for those with oily skin. No one way of exfoliation is perfect for all skin types, so I would like to mention many possible alternatives in this article, in hopes to inspire you to select from all the possible options.

To make things as simple as possible - there are 2 types of exfoliators - physical and chemical. Everything that is used to mechanically slough off the dead skin is referred to as “physical exfoliation”. This includes methods such as a scrub, microdermabrasion, and a rotating sonic brush to scrape off the dead skin cells with friction. This is a very easy way to refresh the skin, and it appeals to both men and women. 

“Chemical exfoliation” refers to acids, peels and enzymes. Enzymes are a wonderful way to safely exfoliate the skin without breaking capillaries, and causing irritation. An enzymatic exfoliation is a good natural way to clean out the pores, get rid of excess oils, slough off the dry and dead skin for a healthy cell turnover. Fruit enzymes, such as Bromelain (from pineapple) and Papain (from papaya) eat away at the oils and dry skin, to expose a refreshed, clear complexion. Enzyme masks are generally more gentle and more safe than acids, and don’t thin the skin like Retin-A. Using these masks 2-3 times a week is plenty, and steaming them helps pull out impurities furthermore. 

Clients with these conditions should avoid peels and over-exfoliation: 

• Acne/ Cystic Acne 
• Couperose 
• Rosacea 
• Elderly Clientele 
• Tan or Sunburned / Using Tanning Bed 
• Hypopigmentation Sufferers 
• Type V and VI on the Fitzpatrick Scale

Determine your Skin Type and Choose the Best Daily Routine!

Our skin is in its most natural state upon waking in the morning. Take a look at your skin when you first wake up. If you see oils only on the tip of the nose, but overall dryness, then you have dry skin. Oils on the T-zone usually signify normal skin, oils all over the face, accompanied by blemishes often signify acneic skin.

Each client’s skin has unique needs, so selecting the right products is very important. There are many types of cleansers available on the market, and there is no one perfect product for all. Typically, older clients have dry skin and prefer milky cleansers because they don’t strip the skin of natural oils, and moisturize as they clean. Younger clients may prefer a foamy cleanser, which makes the face feel “squeaky clean” and tight. Different cleansers are made with ingredients added specifically to treat certain skin types. For example, aloe and chamomile are added to soothe sensitive skin, salicylic and AHA to treat oily, and acne-prone skin. 

Applying serum is essential if you want to target wrinkles, and deliver active ingredients deep into the skin. Serums have small water-based molecules that penetrate the skin, and go to work reducing fine lines, and crow's feet. For everyone over 30, select a serum with peptides if you are worried about wrinkles, a serum with alpha arbutin if you are trying to get rid of hyper pigmentation, and a serum with collagen boosting Trilogen, if you want to plump and firm inelastic skin. 

Applying moisturizer is essential after serum application. This step ensures that the serum doesn't evaporate, and provides a double layer of anti-aging peptides. Choose a light moisturizer to allow the skin to breathe, such as a hyaluronic peptide crème, or an antioxidant leave-on mask at night.

The most important step in the evening is washing the face thoroughly! My nighttime regimen is very simple - it doesn’t matter how tired I am at the end of the day, I always wash off my make-up, apply my hyaluronic acid/peptide serum (I use SAIAN Active renewal serum) to the face and neck, and tie back my hair to avoid breakouts caused by hair product residue touching the sides of the face.