Exfoliation, the new buzzword in the beauty industry is redefining the world of skincare and wellness with the power of ingredients like never before. It is one of the most vital steps in skincare routine promoting the health of skin and improving its radiance. Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin to give it a smoother and rejuvenated complexion.
Exfoliation and cell turnover:
Exfoliation helps slough off the waste skin cells and promotes new cell formation. It unclogs pores enhancing absorption and consequently better results from the application of skincare products. It is done either through physical means for instance by using any abrasive materials like salt or microbeads or by chemical exfoliation using some acids.
Key exfoliating ingredients and their benefits:
Physical exfoliators utilize abrasive particles to manually scrub away dead skin, while chemical exfoliators employ acids or enzymes to remove dead skin cells. The following are some of the major elements present in exfoliators, as well as their skin benefits.
Physical exfoliators:
Bamboo extract: Works well for mild exfoliation with its fine particles. Its silica component helps brighten the skin.
Sugar/Salt: This is one of the most preferred natural exfoliants that dissolve easily in water and provide gentle physical exfoliation. These natural exfoliants are suitable for a variety of skin types.
Jojoba beads: It ensures a gentle approach to physical exfoliation without causing any micro-tears in the skin. These are best for sensitive skin.
Apricot or walnut shells: For moderate exfoliation, you can use seeds of Apricot or shells of walnuts. However, in the case of sensitive skin, it is preferred to avoid this exfoliation.
Chemical exfoliators:
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs): These are water-soluble acids obtained from sugary fruits. Kojic acid, Aldelic acid, lactic acid, and glycolic acid are a few examples of AHAs, the most popular chemical ingredients used for exfoliation. It increases cell turnover as well as works for uneven skin tone, sun damage, and fine lines.
BHA (Beta hydroxy acids): They are oil-soluble ingredients that penetrate to the depths of the skin to remove dead cells and dry our excess sebum. Salicylic acid and Trethocanic acid are some examples of BHAs used for skincare. They are particularly effective for oily skin where they work by dissolving the sebum that clogs pores and cause acne. BHAs also work well against sunburn and reduce inflammation.
Enzyme: Some enzymes including Papain (obtained from papaya) and Bromelain (from pineapple) are considered effective exfoliation agent for their gentle action on the skin. These agents can gently digest dead cells to renew the skin. Enzymes break down keratin in the skin’s top layers, thereby lifting off anything dead. However, it won’t over-exfoliate your complexion meaning that anyone with sensitive skin can also benefit.
Polyhydroxy acids (PHAs): Exfoliating acids such as Gluconolactone and lactobionic acid possess larger molecular structures making them less likely to penetrate too deep into the skin or cause inflammation or irritation. They help improve the tone and texture of the skin by removing dead skin cells and promoting cell turnover and are gentler to apply on the skin than AHAs and BHAs. These agents work by dissolving bonds that bind dead skin cells together, enabling their easy removal from the surface.
Retinoids: A class of Vitamin A derivatives, Retinoids accelerate cell turnover, and stimulate collagen production to improve skin texture. They unclog pores and exfoliate the skin to give it a fresher and plump complexion. The compound also addresses the symptoms of aging like the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin C: Known as Ascorbic Acid, this vitamin stimulates collagen production and evens out skin tone by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase. It also acts as an effective agent against signs of aging like skin sagging and wrinkles. Vitamin C sloughs off dead cells accumulated on the skin a e enhances the skin’s natural renewal process encouraging the growth of fresh healthy cells to give the skin a more smooth and luminous look.
Hyaluronic acid: Unlike a true exfoliator, Hyaluronic acid helps promote skin cell regeneration ensuring extra hydration and barrier protection to skin cells.
Benefits of exfoliation:
One of the primary benefits of exfoliators is targeting roughness to promote softer, smoother skin texture. Similarly, they help keep accelerated aging at bay by reducing visible appearances of wrinkles, skin sagging, etc. Moreover, regular exfoliation will even skin tone and enhance the radiance you deserve apart from addressing issues of black spots and hyperpigmentation. Another benefit of exfoliation is augmenting collagen production and epidermal renewal to give firm and elastic skin devoid of fine lines, wrinkles or skin sagging.
Essentially, exfoliation can be considered as a primer for the application of the rest of the beauty regimen. Exfoliants unclog pores and dissolve bonds between healthy and dead skin cells to allow ingredients for easy absorption into skin layers. Just like massage, exfoliation stimulates blood flow to the skin improving its health and appearance. It also aids in detoxifying the body with better flushing of waste products.
Conclusion:
Regular exfoliation is important for maintaining healthy, beautiful skin. You should incorporate exfoliation into your skincare regimen. By doing so, you can achieve a healthier, more radiant skin complexion that not only looks better but also feels its best.