Your Skin Care Secret Weapon!

One of skin care's best secret weapons is exfoliation. While many people know what exfoliation is on a basic level, or that it is something they “should” be doing, to many of them don't. Men often believe skin care treatments are for women only, and women often put it off as too time consuming to fit into their already too-busy schedule. This is too bad too since exfoliation can help lead them to having the smooth, clear, healthy skin they're looking for.

Your skin continuously undergoes a natural renewal process. When we are young, it takes approximately 25 – 28 days for our skin to completely renew itself. As we age, this renewal process slows down. The key to younger looking skin is to keep that renewal process in motion. This is where exfoliation comes in! Exfoliation oxygenates, brightens and refines the skin by revving up the skin’s metabolism, sloughing off excess dead skin, and ultimately helping to maintain cell turnover as you age.

Many people develop dull, lifeless looking skin because their stratum corneum (top-most layer consisting of dead cells) becomes too thick. Men and women should exfoliate once a week to remove the dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin. Accumulated dead skin cells make your face look bumpy, coarse, and even extremely dry. They also clog pores, trapping dirt and oils that become blackheads, pimples, and other facial blemishes.

Microdermabrasion

Exfoliation can be performed chemically or mechanically. Microdermabrasion, dermaplaning and salt scrubs are forms of mechanical exfoliation. Chemical peels, and quality home care products, such as Skin Scripts Glycolic and Retinol Pads with Kojic and Arbutin (available at Body Beautiful Spa in Phoenix) exfoliate chemically. Both chemical and mechanical exfoliation remove the top-most layer of skin, in order to remove all the fine hairs and dead skin cells and are excellent treatments for freshening and revitalizing skin.

Many don't think to do so, but did you know that you can and should exfoliate your scalp? It cleanses product build up away, relieves itchiness and flakes, and helps with dry skin. In order to exfoliate the scalp you can create a mixture of 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of conditioner, and 1 table spoon of olive oil. Mix that together then apply in sections to your wet scalp and massage well with your finger tips. Follow with shampoo and conditioner! Mmmm, didn't that feel good?