Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Foundation of skin care (Part 2)

Step 2: Exfoliate
Why do you need to exfoliate? Over time, more and more dead skin will accumulate on the top of your skin. This causes your skin to look dull and also hampers the absorption of nutrients from the applied skin products. So remember to exfoliate or you’ll just waste your money applying all the expensive skin product on your skin.

Exfoliating your skin should be done on weekly basis. With proper exfoliating, you can see almost an immediate effect on your skin. There are few ways of exfoliating your skin which are using microdermabrasion (scrub), chemical peels and retinoids. Below are more information on them:

The most common, microdermabrasion or scrubs which work by removing the top layer of dead skins that tend to dull your complexion. By doing so, this will reveal a much younger and refreshing looking skin that was hidden before. Be careful in choosing your scrub. Cheap scrub that contains big grains might tear skin and cause more harm than good. So, make sure choose gentle scrub with tiny grains. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant as shown here does the well.

Secondly, chemical peel which is also known as chemexfoliation or derma-peeling, is a technique used to improve the appearance of the skin. It uses chemical solution that causes the skin to blister and eventually peel off. The regenerated skin is usually smoother and less wrinkled than the old skin. Chemical peel is used to reduce fine lines under the eyes and around the mouth, treat wrinkles caused by sun damage, aging and hereditary factors, improve the appearance of mild scarring and reduce age spots, freckles and dark patches. Some types of chemical peels can be purchased(over-the-counter products) and administered without a medical license, however due to safely reason it is advised to seek professional help from a dermalotogist on a specific type of chemical peel before a procedure is performed.

Thirdly, Retinoids or Retin-A also work by removing the top layer of dead skin cells while also generating collagen in the skin. It is effective in removing whiteheads and blackheads and also wrinkles. However, retinoids effect of increased skin cell turnover can cause irritation and flaking. For this reason, many people stop using Retin-A after a couple of days to weeks, then think that it didn't work. Normally it take at least 6-8 week before noticeable effect on your skin. Fortunately, using wash cloth to remove the flaking skin and applying moisturizer will make the drying effect of the medicine more tolerable.

Ok, that all about exfoliating. I've listed a few choices that you can consider. But personally, I found that scrubs works for me just fine and it is the simplest. I'm using Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub and loving it because it is able to clean deep down into pores, non abrasive and does not dry my skin. It also has helped to control my pimples. But whichever product or scrub to use is up to you, as long as it works for you. So, remember to exfoliate...you don't want to hide your younger more radiant skin under the dull skin rite!

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