In every square centimetre of our skin, there are 6 million skin cells. With each skin cell existing for 28 days, we are shedding millions and millions of skin cells each and every day. By the time we reach 30, this number begins to slow down, and by the time we are 50 the rate can reduce to skin cells lasting 48 days. With old skin cells being that much more persistent, it is important to exfoliate the skin in order to remove those excess cells. By including exfoliation in your skin care routine, you can reach the fresh, new skin cells underneath, and give your skin a new glow. But is there such a thing as too much exfoliating?
There is a fine line between exfoliating your skin, and aggravating your skin. This is why you should only use a mild exfoliant once or twice a week. Anything more abrasive than this and you could cause microscopic tears in the skin. When you are next at the beauty counter, stay clear of anything abrasive and look for a product that uses a form of enzyme or a mild chemical exfoliant for the very best results.
Ever heard of the Hayflick limit? This is a theory that claims that every skin cell has a shelf life and a programmed number of divisions. Could it be the case that exfoliating our skin is an unnatural way of causing these divisions that could actually cause premature ageing?
Most forms of exfoliation are only going to take away the outer layer of dead skin, leaving you with fresh, plump, new skin – and this is good news. But if you experiment with other beauty regimens such as skin peels or microdermabrasion, you could find that it’s not only that dead layer that is being removed, and in this case, you could be nearing Hayflick limit. It is important to keep in mind that an exfoliating procedure on the surface of your skin can still affect those layers underneath, and when you exfoliate you only want to remove the dead skin sitting on top.
If you want our advice, exfoliate with a mild exfoliant a maximum of twice a week, and use extreme exfoliants such as peels with caution. This should boost the vitality of your skin, ensuring that it glows at all times. Our samskrta skin polish is a mild exfoliant that uses micro jojoba beads to gently remove your dead skin, helping the new skin to regenerate without harming any deeper skin cells.
As always, we welcome any comments or questions on this topic, so please feel free to join the conversation!