If done properly, exfoliation can make your skin as youthful as it looked in your teen years. The key here is that it has to be done properly. Just as beneficial as it can be, it can be damaging. The purpose of exfoliation is to remove dead skin cells that prevent your skin from being as smooth and soft as possible. Doing this too rough or too often though can leave your skin feeling very raw, and can even be counterproductive.
According to a cosmetic anesthesiologist and medical director of Blush Med Institute in Bethesda, MD, “If you have skin that tends to be oily, be careful not to overdo it, as this may have the opposite effect and cause your sebaceous glands to produce even more oil.”
Here are a few tips to make sure you are doing it right:
1. Use the right product.
There are plenty of options out there as far as exfoliants are concerned, but which is the right one for you? The first step here is to make sure you are using exfoliants that are crated for the part of the body you intend to use it on. Your feet, legs and face all have different levels of skin sensitivity. What you would scrub your feet with you certainly don’t want to rub on your face.
2. Wet your skin first.
It is important to always dampen the skin before you begin to rub it with an exfoliator. This not only allows the product to really clean deep into the pores, but ensures that the skin is softened before application.
3. Use a circular motion during application.
The application is just as important as the product. Make sure to apply the exfoliator in circular motions all over the face (avoiding the eye area). Not only will it feel great – almost like a mini-massage – but it will help to really work the product in.
4. Be gentle.
Specific areas need more pressure and more TLC than others. The bottom of your feet are going to have thicker skin than your bikini, neck and face. It is important to be gentle on areas where the skin is thin and super soft. Being too rough can cause redness, and in some cases permanent damage. No worries if you make a mistake and rub a bit too hard, according to NYC dermatologist Dennis Gross M.D. “To calm your complexion once it’s red, use products that contain green-tea extract.”
5. Apply lotion afterward.
It is important to follow up your exfoliation treatment with a bit of moisture, as the exfoliation process can sometimes leave your skin parched. A facial cream can be used on both the face, skin and hands after an exfoliation. For other parts of the body, you may need something a bit heavier like a body butter.
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