The Benefits of Performing Regular Exfoliation on Your Skin
A good skincare routine is built on three pillars: nourishment, hydration, and exfoliation. Of these three, many overlook exfoliation for several reasons:
It has a bad rep for being too harsh on the skin.
It makes morning showers longer.
Its only purpose us to cleanse the skin.
These views couldn’t be more wrong. Exfoliation is a mechanical skincare practice that’s only as effective as the materials used and the force with which they are applied. In other words, exfoliation can only hurt your skin if you use the wrong products and scrub your skin with more force and intensity than necessary. And while many women enjoy making a ritual out of it, i.e., soaking in the bathtub and enjoying a scented bubble bath, all of these aren’t necessary. A scrubber and body scrub is all you need, plus three to five minutes more shower time to exfoliate your skin.
As for the perception that exfoliation is only suitable for removing skin impurities, the rest of this article will prove it wrong.
Below are the benefits you can get from regular exfoliation (and you’ll find that some of them do reach beneath the surface):
- Prevents acne and irregular oil production
Dirt, dust, excess oil, traces of makeup or skin creams, and dead skin cells – all of these are washed off when you exfoliate. These impurities can block your pores and provide a breeding ground for bacteria, which in turn can lead to acne. Regular exfoliation can nip this in the bud.
- Regulates oil production.
Commercial body soaps do an excellent job of removing dirt and skin products that cling on the skin. Unfortunately, they also remove moisture and natural oil, which can leave the skin feeling dry and tight. That can lead to a chicken-and-egg scenario wherein you wash your skin because it feels oily, but doing so triggers your skin to produce more oil. The best solution is to use a body scrub formulated for dry skin, if you have this problem, to avoid triggering an irregularity in the skin’s oil production.
- Boosts blood circulation
When you use an exfoliating scrub on your skin, you have to press down on your fingertips or gently scrub with a loofah or cotton towel using circular motions. These massage-like movements stimulate the nerves and help keep the blood vessels dilated. As a result, blood can circulate more freely and deliver oxygen and nourishment to the cells and tissues in the body.
- Boosts collagen production
In the same way that exfoliation triggers vascular dilation, it also stimulates collagen production. The microbeads in body scrubs inflict minor injury on the skin – just enough to boost its natural response to produce more collagen and elastin, among other things. Collagen production ramps up when the fibroblasts in the dermis are stimulated into action.
- Evens out skin tone and improves its texture
Exfoliation smoothens and evens skin tone in two ways. First, it rejuvenates and stimulates the skin to generate young, healthy cells at a faster rate. Second, it helps detoxify the skin. When you use body scrubs infused with gentle, detoxifying ingredients like papaya enzymes, your skin gets extra nourishment and other benefits.
Exfoliation is more than a means to cleanse your skin thoroughly. By adding it to your weekly skincare routine, you can have healthy, beautiful-looking skin no matter your age.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
