The skin is an important physical part of your body as it covers and protects from external elements. As it is the main protector, it contains multiple layers that perform different tasks on the skin. The epidermis is the topmost layer that protects the skin from environmental elements, injury, infections, and more. Cells in the skin keep regenerating now and then to replace the older and dead cells. To create space for new cells, the older ones are pushed to the outermost part of the skin, hence covering it with dead cells.
Oftentimes, the lifeless cells naturally remove themselves. However, factors like age and skin type may slow down this process, thus leaving your skin with a layer of dead cells. These cells bring about dry and dull skin, which can cause marks and red spots. This inhibits skin nourishment. To ensure healthy and beautiful skin, you should remove the destructive layer through a process called exfoliation. What does exfoliating do? Read on to find out this and more.
What is Exfoliation and What does it do?
We have mentioned that dead cell removal on the skin is a natural process. When various factors slow the process down, the skin loses its beauty and radiance. That is why it is important to exfoliate. Exfoliation is a method of removing dead cells from the uppermost layer of your skin using an abrasive. The dead cells give way to the new ones to ensure a healthy start on the skin. This is important as the skin becomes receptive to moisture and other skincare products.
Like many cosmetic products, exfoliants come in different types, two of which are the most common. These include mechanical and chemical exfoliants.
Mechanical Exfoliants
This process of exfoliation involves applying friction on the skin to remove the dead cells. Items like sponges, brushes, or loofahs are ideal for the process when rubbed into the skin circularly to generate friction. These tools are ideal for hard-to-reach areas on the skin. Sugar and salt scrubs are popularly used as exfoliants as they contain more ingredients. Some are easy to make at home. The particles of these body scrubs are fairly coarse. When rubbed against the skin, they remove the dead cells.
Organic Exfoliants
This entails the use of enzymes and acids to disintegrate the dead cells from the skin. You can find them in several skincare products including, antiseptic face washes, peels, sprays, and more.
Benefits of Exfoliating
We have discussed how important it is to keep healthy skin. Here are ways that exfoliation positively impacts the skin.
· Unblocks pores: After exfoliating, the dead cells disappear along with other dirt that may have accumulated on the face. The dirt clogs the pores creating whiteheads and blackheads. Once gone, the pores open up to moisture, therefore, inhibiting the appearance of acne.
· The skin opens up to skincare products: Dead cells and dirt prevent moisture and skincare products from penetrating the skin. This inhibits the effectiveness of moisturizers, serums, and more, thus costing you a ton of money.
· Evens the tone: having a rough texture, dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation is frustrating enough. A few days of exfoliating will aid in eradicating them, leaving you with a moisturized, supple skin tone to die for. The removal of dead cells makes the skin produce more cells to remain glowing and radiant.
· Improves flow and lymphatic drainage: With nothing threatening the health of your skin, oxygenated blood nourishes its surface. Also, by exfoliating, the lymphatic organs open up to remove the extra fluids from tissues in the body.
Conclusion
Taking care of your skin has its benefits. You have to ensure your skin is healthy to reap these benefits. Whichever method you choose for exfoliating, make it a routine for better results.
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