How To Exfoliate Skin
How Exfoliation Works
Your skin naturally sheds millions of skin cells every day, but this shedding process can come to a screeching halt due to sun damage, genetics, or various skin disorders. The not-too-pretty results are unmistakable: dull, dry, or flaky skin; clogged, enlarged pores; blackheads; white bumps (milia); wrinkles; loss of firmness; and uneven skin tone.
When you finally gently get rid of the built up skin cells, you can unclog pores, stop breakouts and smooth wrinkles. That's where AHA (alpha hydroxy acid, such as glycolic and lactic acids) and BHA (beta hydroxy acid, also known as salicylic acid) exfoliants come into play.
The Difference Between AHA and BHA Exfoliants
When properly formulated, AHA and BHA exfoliants have a lot in common in regards to their potential for improving hydration, reducing wrinkles, stimulating collagen production, and firming skin. Both can also reduce discolorations from sun damage and the visible marks left after a breakout is gone.
However, each also has unique qulities you'll want to consider when deciding which one to use.
- AHA's are preferred for those whose chief concerns is sun damage because they primarily exfoliate skin's uppermost layers.
- BHA is ideal for treating acne-prone skin, blackheads, enlarged pores, and milia due to its ability to penetrate the oil that's clogging your pores.
- BHA has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action. That's two more reasons to use a BHA exfoliant if you have acne or sensitive, reddened skin.
Tips on Getting The MOst From Your AHA Or BHA Exfoliant
- AHA and BHA exfoliants work best when applied on clean skin.
- You do not need to wait for your AHA or BHA to dry -you can apply any other product in your routine, such as moisturizer, serum, eye cream, sunscreen, immediately afterwards.
- Experiment with different stregths of AHA and BHA to see which concentration gives you the best results.
- Apply your AHA or BHA exfoliant around the eye area, but not on the eyelid or directly under the eye (along the lower lash line). This can help soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as enhance the penetration of anti-aging ingredients you apply after your AHA or BHA.
Why Not Just Use A Scrub Or Cleansing Brush?
Scrubs and clensing brushes are certainly an option for exfoliating your skin, but they only deal with the very top, superficial layer of skin. Most of the unhealthy, built-up skin cells are beyond the reach of a scrub, so you can see how they can come up short. What's even more concerning in the case of scrubs is that most have a rough, coarse, uneven texture that can cause tiny micro-tears in skin.
If you can find a gentle scrub, it's the best of as an extra-cleansing step (much like using a soft washcloth or Clarisonic brush) to boost the results from your cleanser.
Is It Possible To Exfoliate Too Often?
Exfoliating your skin is great, but it is possible to overdo it, and your skin will tell you if you've gone too far. For some people, once or twice a day works best; for others every other day, or even once a week-experiment to see what works best for you.
The important thing to understand is that exfoliating with an AHA or BHA does not negatively affect how healthy skin cells are generated in the lower layers of the skin. That's because AHA and BHA ingredients do not penetrate that deep below the surface layers of skin or beyond the inside lining of the pore.
How To Find The Best Exfoliant
Now that you know the many ways an AHA or BHA exfoliant can improve your skin, all that's left to do is find the one that works best for you.
KAREN