If you’re like me and you
like a bit of self-pampering, you’re probably used to exfoliating your skin
once or twice a week. Some people do it before applying a mask, some people do
it randomly, and most people use abrasive scrubs. In the past couple of years
however, there has been quite a fuss about chemical exfoliation. I thought I’d
write a post about the difference between using a manual exfoliator and a
chemical one, just to make kind of an ‘overview’…
Let’s start with the basics:
what is exfoliation and why is it so important? Exfoliation is the process of
removing dead skin cells. Our skin exists out of three layers: the epidermis,
the dermis and the subcutaneous layer. The epidermis however, als consist out
of five tiny layers. The bottom layer of the epidermis, the stratum basale,
gets oxygen and ‘food’ from the dermis, which means the cells that live in
there are alive. The more you go up, the more cells die, which means that the
top layer of the epidermis called the stratum corneum, consists out of
cornified and dead skin cells. These cells need to be removed in order to
stimulate the underlying skin layers to create new skin cells more rapidly.
This means brighter, smoother and clearer skin, but it also allows products
applied after the exfoliation to penetrate more deeply thus becoming more
effective.
There are two ways to
exfoliate: manual and chemical. Manual exfoliation is the most common, simply
because it has been around for so long and people are used to using abrasive
scrubs. When manually exfoliation, a product containing a grainy substance is
used to remove the dead skin cells. The cells get literally ‘polished off’ the
skin, revealing softer and brighter looking skin afterwards. The grains used in
these products can be natural of plastic and can sometimes feel scratching or
irritating.
Chemical exfoliation is a
little bit more complicated though. Chemical exfoliants can exist in the form
of toners, serums or moisturisers and use mostly enzymes or alpha hydroxy acids
(AHA). These chemical exfoliants can penetrate the skin deeper than manual
ones; how depper it penetrates the skin and thus affects more layers of the
skin, the more rapid the cell renewal takes place. There are very strong
chemical exfoliants, which can only be used around once a week, but there are
also less strong exfoliants which can be used everyday or even twice a day.
So here’s the overview:
manual exfoliants only remove the top layer of the skin, whilst chemical
exfoliants penetrate the skin deeper. I wouldn’t recommend using a manual
exfoliant when you suffer from active acne, as it can spread the bacteria and
cause even more acne. In this case,
chemical exfoliants are way more effective and can even help clear up the acne.
With chemical exfoliants, the skin cells get dissolved and you don’t have to
scratch and irritate the skin. After all, it’s up to you what you prefer and
one isn’t necessarily better than the other. One last thing: it doesn’t matter
what form of exfoliation you use, but you do really need to wear sunscreen the
day after you exfoliate!
