| Skin Exfoliation
|
Untitled Document
|
Skin Exfoliation
Skin exfoliation means removal of dead skin cells. However skin exfoliation is a natural process in which new cells replace the dead skin cells. This process of exfoliation needs some external aid to get desired results. It gives radiant and healthy skin. On oily skin, dead skin cells get stuck due to skin’s greasiness and on dry skin they get accumulated to give dull appearance. You can very well remove dead cells by exfoliating with the help of some external agent. People with very sensitive skin, any disorder or with very mature skin, should not go for exfoliating themselves without medical advice.
Regular exfoliation helps reduce fine lines, increase the capacity of skin to absorb water and treating acne. It gives a fresh look and feel to the skin. People of all skin types get benefits from exfoliation. Before exfoliating, you have to find out your skin type. You should know the results of exfoliation and should not exfoliate your skin if you feel inflammation and irritation on skin. There are three ways to exfoliate your skin according to the product used. It can be manual or mechanical exfoliation, enzyme exfoliation and chemical exfoliation.
Manual Exfoliation: Dead cells on the skin are removed with pressure of hands. In manual exfoliation, a skin-exfoliating product is applied on the skin. It is scrubbed with fingers or washcloth or buff puff. But you should not these exfoliating agents if you are suffering with acne or any skin disorder. You can use paraffin or wax and mix it with water or oil. Spread it over the skin and in this process water will evaporate, leaving the dead cells to stick to the wax. This will form small balls of debris on the skin surface. Do not use very hard, irregular granules over the skin as they form fine lacerations on the skin. It will give you a tough feeling. Some of the things people use to exfoliate skin are powdered oyster shells, apricot peel etc. The best thing is to use round beads as using them you can give proper pressure over the skin without casing any damage.
Enzymes Exfoliation: The product used for this type of exfoliation dissolves the dead cells. These are topical exfoliating products and have proteolytic enzymes in them, which help in dissolving the dead cells. Enzymes catalyze the chemical reaction going on in other substances. This activity of enzymes is used to accelerate the removal of dead cells of skin. The product used should have optimum quantity of the enzyme because if strength of enzyme is less, it will not give desired results and if it is high; it will cause irritation.
These exfoliating products need not be rubbed over the skin and can be used daily in some cases. This type is perfect for the people with acne, pimples, and other skin conditions where you cannot use friction over the skin. Two natural enzymes are Papain in Papaya and Bromelin in pineapple.
Chemical Exfoliation: Exfoliating agent used in this process is also a topical application. It dissolves the adhesive substance due to which dead cells get accumulated. It has the bio-engineered ingredient in it. These chemical substances are called Alpha Hydroxy acids (AHA) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA). Generally it is used in lower strength and should not be rubbed over the skin. A mere thorough application of the product over the skin gives desired results. This product can be used for all skin types and for all skin conditions, as it need not be rubbed over the skin. Some example of AHA is malic acid from apple, lactic acid from sour milk, tartaric acid from grapes and glycolic acid from sugar cane. Example of BHA is salicylic acid from wintergreen and sweet birch.
Procedure of Exfoliating:-
- Try to exfoliate your entire body once or twice a week.
- Start exfoliating from feet, legs arms, shoulders to back, face etc.
- Use circular motions upwards and outwards to scrub.
- This massage will reduce stress and decrease the blood pressure.
- Rinse with cold water to wash away the trace of exfoliating agents.
- Gently dry your skin by patting and apply a moisturizer to keep it soft.
- You can do a five-minute quick exfoliating process daily with the help of natural bristled soft brush.
|
|
