Exfoliating Your Face the Right Way

Clear skin is a goal for a lot of people. One of the steps that most skincare gurus swear by is exfoliating. You can sluff off skin all over your body in the shower, but where you want to pay careful attention is around the face. This is a delicate area and exfoliating your face the right way is important. It’s easy to overdo or get wrong.  In this article, we are unpacking how to safely remove dead skin cells and keep your skin smooth and soothed.

Exfoliate Your Face with Facial scrubs

Facial scrubs are a basic method of exfoliating the epidermis and smoothing the skin. You can also try drugstore and home remedies. There are great options available, if you know what to look for.

One method is by creating a simple tomato scrub by using a tomato and some sugar. Simply cut a tomato in half and spread a teaspoon of sugar on it. After cleansing, massage your face with the tomato in circular movements. You can use a brush or sponge to work it further into the skin—but your fingers will do too. After a few minutes, wash your face thoroughly. If you use this method regularly, you’ll notice results after a short time.

Chemical peels

An exfoliation method with more power is a chemical peel. Young people with acne issues or mature people with wrinkles are great candidates for this type of treatment. This is why it’s so important to only perform this type of treatment in a professional salon setting.

Before treatment, the skin must be thoroughly cleansed. Then, a serum will be spread over the face, neck, and decolletage and will be left on for a few minutes. Afterward, your specialist will wash the serum off and rinse the face with an alkaline neutralizer.

It is recommended to use chemical peels in a series of 6 to 10 treatments for best results (with downtime in between of course). After a chemical peel, the skin needs time to regenerate itself. There is a great article here that goes into detail about a DIY chemical peel. Getting a chemical peel treatment too frequently is not recommended as it can cause skin irritation and damage.

Cavitation

Exfoliation doesn’t need to be rough. For an alternative method of pain-free, deep cleansing of the skin, give cavitation a go. Unlike chemical peels, it doesn’t have any side effects. Special ultrasound vibrations accelerate epidermal cell turnover.

The advantage of the treatment is also the elimination of wrinkles. Additionally, it’s a great basis for other cosmetic services, since the post-cavitation skin will absorb product much better. This treatment is primarily for people with sensitive skin that’s prone to irritation, as well as those with acne. This is certainly key because exfoliating the face can cause irritation.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic treatment that involves the abrasion of the outermost layers of the skin through a stream of microcrystals. The unquestionable advantage is its immediate effects and minimal risk of irritation.

This treatment has become so popular in the fight against aging skin for several reasons. It can increase elasticity and accelerate skin cell turnover (you get new skin faster). Virtually anyone can undergo microdermabrasion—including people with extremely sensitive skin.

The way it works is, your specialist will apply the microdermabrasion device’s head onto your face and move it across the surface of your skin. The whole process only takes around 20 minutes. As a result, the skin becomes smooth, free from discoloration and imperfections, and wrinkles are much less visible.

     | We put together a whole post devoted to microdermabrasion. Dig in deeper here.

Laser

It consists of separating the upper layers of the skin from the deeper layers through the use of a cosmetic laser. The degree of invasiveness can vary—it all depends on the type of skin you have and the desired effects.

The most delicate one will simply smooth the epidermis and even out skin tone, reducing wrinkles and narrowing pores. The laser itself does not cause any damage to the skin and helps with the production of collagen.

Microdermabrasion reaches the deep layers of the epidermis and is less invasive than chemical peels. The fractional laser will remove the epidermis in layers, causing purposeful damage to the skin to stimulate the repair process.

Enzyme peel

Recommended for people with couperose, sensitive, and dry skin, the enzyme peel is a good way to exfoliate the skin on the face. Plant enzymes exfoliate with no abrasive particles. Clients see little to no irritation. The topmost layer of skin simply dissolves.

As a result of the treatment, the skin becomes smooth and gains a healthy color. Enzyme peels resemble a regular face mask, so you only need to apply it then wash it off after a specified period of time. If your skin shows signs of mild irritation, don’t worry. After a few hours, the side effects will disappear, and your skin will be exceptionally beautiful and clean.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a treatment involving exfoliation with liquid nitrogen by freezing the epidermis. This is a unique method because it is not intended to improve the overall condition of the skin, but rather to eliminate a specific problem (e.g. discoloration, warts, tattoos, scars).

A special cotton swab is dipped in liquid nitrogen and a fragment of the skin is frozen. The skin in the treated area starts to peel and takes about a week to heal. Consult with your doctor before booking a cryotherapy treatment. Remember cryotherapy is for targeting a specific problem and not for regular exfoliation treatments.

Professional skin treatments should always be performed at a beauty salon or spa. An experienced cosmetologist will be able to choose the right treatment for your skin and its needs. To find a great salon in your city, check out your options on Booksy.