My first advice in keeping your skin young is to exfoliate on a regular basis. Here are some basic principles of exfoliation.
First off, what is exfoliation?
It is a process of removing the top layer of the epidermis (dead cells) to improve the skin elasticity, texture and clarity. This helps correct many skin conditions like signs of aging that include fine lines and wrinkles and sagging. Also dehydration, acne, enlarged pores, rosacea, scaring and hyper-pigmentation, exema to name a few.
The purpose of professional exfoliating treatment is to create a controlled trauma to outer layers of the skin. Doing so will bring the skin from a resting state to a survival mode, and that will stimulate many beneficial skin functions like healing, rejuvenating, metabolic processes that will rid old cells and reveal healthier and younger looking skin.
All skin and condition will benefit from a suitable exfoliating method. The key is finding right one that increase skin benefits without over-exfoliating that could lead to chronic skin irritation and post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.
Here are some top methods of exfoliation:
· Mechanical exfoliating: dead cells are physically rubbed off the skin with the appropriate ingredients (do not use apricot scrub for the face) used in your scrub at home or a more aggressive but effective professional treatment like Microdermabrasion (more info about this, click here).
Chemical exfoliation: the application of a selection of chemical solutions to gently dissolve the glue between the dead cells in your serums, weekly exfoliants and creams or a more aggressive but effective professional treatment like Chemical Peels (more info about this, click here).
Enzyme exfoliation: tend to be a gentler alternative with its digestive properties to dissolve the topmost layer of epidermis. Can be found in your everyday home care products or the more stimulating and effective professional treatments available with Enzyme action (more info about this, click here).
· Retinoids: are representatives of the vitamin A family, they are natural exfoliators that speed up cell turn over to help manage acne, discoloration and wrinkles.
There are two forms of retinoid: (1) non prescription like Retinol, Retinol palmitate, Retinol acetate and Retinoldehyde available in creams and serums. (2) Prescription only like Tretinoin (Rretin-A, Renova), Adapalene (Differin), Tazarotine are more effective but much more aggressive and can be the most irritating.
Any of the above methods are very beneficial for your skin by themselves and can boost each other in combination. During my organic paprika facial treatment or microdermabrasions, I am layering the mechanical with an enzyme exfoliation followed by organic AHA & BHA detoxifying and firming treatment (all from Eminence) that gives the best penetration and actions of the followings masks, serums and creams.
During chemical peels I am layering the mechanical (microdermabrasion) with an enzyme exfoliation (Enzyme peel) which is followed by a Chemical treatment from PCA, customized for individual clients needs to achieve the best result with long lasting effect.