How exfoliation can erase years off your face

In with the new, out with the old

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them at? Well lately – NOT ME!

With the list of menopause symptoms getting longer each month, now my make-up is making me look older. The one time in my life that I want to “hide” behind a full face of make-up hoping age won’t find me, just isn’t working any more. The fine lines on my face and neck are just getting deeper, no thanks to the lower levels of estrogen in my body. Applying make-up and light powder just makes the lines just look worse. It has gotten so bad that my husband suggested I not wear make-up at all. This story has a happy ending, and it doesn’t involve going to a plastic surgeon. Theresa, a dear friend and beauty consultant, suggested exfoliation. Once I started a weekly program of exfoliation, I immediately looked years younger.

Every 28 days skin renews itself leaving your skin with a fresh layer of baby cells. As we get older this shedding process, called desquamation, slows down leaving us with fine lines, dry areas and an uneven skin texture. Make-up can really accentuate this dilemma.

Exfoliation stimulates new cell growth by removing the cells your body is no longer shedding. It helps your body with the desquamation process by stripping the dead epidermal cells on the outer surface of your skin and exposing a fresher layer of living cells. It takes a few days for a noticeable amount of dead cells to accumulate. It is best to exfoliate once or twice a week. You don’t want to irritate your skin or remove healthy living cells by doing it daily.

Benefits of Exfoliation

• Removes the top layer of dead cells, so the cells turn over at a faster rate revealing softer, smoother skin
• Improves the texture of your skin
• Helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles
• Un-clogs pores
• Makes your skin look healthier, fresher and more radiant
• Gives your skin a good base to absorb moisturizers and other skin products
• Boosts your circulation from the friction

Exfoliation can benefit the skin on your face, around your lips, neck, elbows, knees and feet. Lately I have noticed the skin on my heels starting to crack and the skin on my elbows seems thicker. This dilemma has improved as a result of exfoliating. For those of you who love self-tanning, exfoliation will be your new best friend. It is a great technique to blend around the feet, elbows and knees.

There are three different exfoliating methods.

Manual
Chemical
Enzyme

Manual exfoliation is moved across your skin’s surface using your fingers or buff puff. You are removing the dead cells by scraping off the top surface with physical friction. Many manufacturers use natural products such as seeds, apricot pits, or crushed oyster shells as the ingredient that causing friction. Some products use round beads or poly spheres that can be easier on the skin.

Chemical exfoliates are a topical bio engineered ingredient that can dissolve the glue like substance that holds the dead cells together. Most chemical exfoliates use either Alpha Hydroxy Acids or Beta Hydroxy Acids. This type of exfoliation is applied to the skin then rinsed off. You do not “scrub” to enjoy the benefits. The “chemical” does the work.

Enzymes work by dissolving the dead tissue. The enzymes are molecules that catalyze chemical reactions of other substances. The product is applied then washed off. You do not manually “scrub” your skin. The enzyme does the work for you.
You have three choices: manually scrub off the dead cells, dissolve the glue like substance that holds the dead cells together with chemicals or dissolve the dead tissue with enzymes. They all work equally well. I prefer to exfoliate manually because it feels good to scrub my face.

I was absolutely amazed at the results of such an inexpensive and simple process. Not only is my facial skin benefiting, but my elbows and feet are too. Exfoliation is my new anti-aging weapon.