Exfoliation: Are You Doing It Right?

“A dermatologist gives pro tips on proper exfoliation for smooth, glowing skin“

So you’ve got the cleanser-toner-moisturizer routine down. Great: your skin loves you for it. But there’s one more important step in your facial care that shouldn’t be missed: exfoliation. Simply put, exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the topmost layer of your skin.

Why do you need to do this? Because while it’s true that your skin already naturally sheds dead skin cells, as you get older, this turnover process starts to slow down. So the dead skin cells start to build up, clogging your pores, making your skin dry and flaky, and diminishing your glow. 

To find out more about exfoliation, we talked to FCC’s Dr. Shyla Valdez. She explains that exfoliating can help improve the appearance of your skin in many ways. “This process will help brighten your complexion, it will increase your blood circulation, and allow your skin care products to penetrate better into your skin,” she says.

But when done improperly, it can irritate your skin or worse, damage your skin’s natural barrier. So what’s the right way to do it? According to Dr. Valdez, “To properly exfoliate your dead skin, first you have to wash the area with soap and water to remove excess oil and dirt.”

And then, you need to find out which type of exfoliation best suits your skin. Dr. Valdez says, “There are two types of exfoliation. One is mechanical exfoliation, an example of which is microdermabrasion. This physically removes the dead skin.” 

A great treatment that uses this type of exfoliation is Diamond Peel. It uses microdermabrasion via a special diamond dust-coated wand to thoroughly but gently slough off dead skin.

Another is the Honey Almond Facial, which uses a scrub infused with honey, almond, and oatmeal. It also physically sloughs off dead skin cells and removes impurities to reveal smooth, rejuvenated, fresh, glowing skin.

“The other type is chemical exfoliation,” Dr. Valdez continues. “This makes use of chemical products like glycolic acid.” You might be thinking, yikes the word ‘acid’ does not sound so skin-friendly. But actually, chemical exfoliators use gentle acids to break the bonds that hold dead cells together. As those bonds are broken down, the skin cells start to shed.

Now here’s a tricky one: when should you exfoliate? Dr. Valdez says, “How often you should exfoliate will depend on whether you have dry, oily, or normal skin.” So it’s best to consult skin professionals, like our team at Facial Care Centre. They will thoroughly analyze your skin and recommend the best facial care routine for you. She adds, “The goal here is to gently help your body’s natural exfoliation process so that you achieve glowing skin.”

Ready to get back that youthful, fresh glow? For a gentle but thorough exfoliation, leave it to the skin pros at Facial Care Centre! Call 8892-SKIN to book an appointment.