SkinMD patients have heard this from Dr. Balogun and her expert medical aestheticians at least once during visits. However, with fall approaching and the need to brighten and even skin tone increasing, we wanted to remind everyone about the ideal way to get the most out of exfoliating.
It is well known that regular exfoliation is beneficial for skin health. What to exfoliate with and when to exfoliate appear to be a source of confusion. Added to this, there are many products out there that have the word “exfoliating” in their title, but that do not effectively do the job.
As we get older, skin cell turnover stutters and slows down, contributing to an uneven skin surface, rough texture, dull appearance, blackheads, blemishes and skin discoloration. Maintaining the normal skin shedding cycle by exfoliating help reveal brighter, smoother and younger-looking skin by removing surface dead skin cells.
The most effective way to exfoliate is to use an enzyme or chemical -based exfoliant. Unlike manual exfoliation with a scrub, enzyme or chemical exfoliants do not tear the skin and increase skin inflammation, redness and infection, nor potentially aggravate acne or sensitivity.
Enzyme-based exfoliants are typically derived from plants like pumpkin, papaya and pineapple, while chemical-based exfoliants (lactic, malic, glycolic, alphahydroxy, betahydroxy and retinoic acids) are derived from milk, fruit and nuts.
