Exfoliation: What you need to know about scrubs, enzymes, and chemicals

skincare, stratia, ole hendrikson, boscia, tatcha, perricone, sunday riley, peter thomas roth, drunk elephan

Exfoliation is your BEST FRIEND! It is going to help you with the majority of your skin concerns. I cannot reiterate this enough. When client’s express concerns about texture, breakouts, clogged pores, uneven skin tone etc. my first question is always "Do you exfoliate" and 90% of the time the answer is "no". BUT WHY?! Everyone should have a well-formulated exfoliant in their skincare routine. Or they tell me "My cleanser has beads in it," NOT GOOD ENOUGH SUSAN!

However, what I find is there is a TON of misconceptions and confusion behind exfoliating. So, here we go...a simplified breakdown of exfoliation. 

So why is Susan's scrubbing cleanser not good enough? Listen, if you are 14 years old this is a great start. However, if you have real skin concerns this is absolutely not enough. You need a chemical exfoliant, something that is going to penetrate through the dead skin. Think about it, a scrub is only going to address the outer most layer of the skin, it will slough away superficial dry dead flaky skin, at most. You have clogged pores? Think about those granules for a second...Do you really think they are capable of penetrating your pores to remove dirt and solidified oil? Look at those granules and look at your pore size...it is NEVER going to work Susan. A chemical exfoliant is the only thing that is capable of penetrating a pore. Let me repeat this, a chemical exfoliant is the ONLY thing that will penetrate a pore. 

If you are suffering from breakouts and/or blackheads you need a BHA exfoliant. What is a BHA? It stands for beta hydroxy acid, you will see it listed as salicylic acid. This is an oil soluble exfoliant. What does this mean? Well, oil is in your pores and lies on the surface of your skin. Salicylic will penetrate through this oil to remove debris from the pores. Clear pores mean fewer breakouts and reduced blackheads. Yay exfoliation!

There are a number of other chemical exfoliants out there. This can get a little confusing so I do not want to go into too much detail. If you want to know more please leave a comment and I will absolutely explain with more detail.

The other chemical exfoliants you will come across are AHAs, alpha hydroxy acids. The most common of which are glycolic acid and lactic acid. Glycolic will be in the majority of exfoliants marketed as anti-aging. However, I think the biggest misconception here is that it is ONLY for aging skin. This is false, most anyone will benefit from glycolic acid. It works beautifully to smooth textured skin, speed cell turnover and will ensure your serums are not wastefully sitting on top of dead skin. The maximum percentage of glycolic over the counter is a 10%. If you find a product with 10% you will feel the glycolic. It feels a bit tingly or itchy but it subsides and this is normal, do not panic! 

If you are suffering from breakouts I would highly recommend finding a product with both AHAs and BHAs this will ensure your skin is getting the benefits of both types of acids.

Finally, I want to talk about what type of product to look for. Just skip the exfoliating cleansers, please. Invest in a product that spends time on the skin such as a serum or mask. A cleanser only stays on the skin for approximately 30 seconds. This is simply not long enough to allow chemical exfoliants to do their job and is a complete waste. I highly recommend investing in an exfoliating serum. A serum is going to remain on the skin indefinitely and thus have plenty of time to work its magic. I like to apply my exfoliating serum first, then I apply a targeted treatment serum such as a dark spot corrector, a vitamin C, or a hydrating serum. This method will ensure my treatment serum is not sitting on top of dead skin and allows it will go where it needs to be. 

Another option is a mask that stays on the skin 15-20 minutes. These are typically a bit stronger and are only needed a couple of times a week. HOWEVER, consistency is key with these. If you are someone who will forget to use a mask or cannot find the time to let a mask sit for 20 minutes, then invest in the serum option. 

I could go on for days about this topic but my goal is to keep it simple. I plan to go into further detail in future posts about Ph, more AHA’s, and specific products. However, if you have specific questions please comment below.