Exfoliation 101: Mechanical vs. Chemical

A while ago, I was working on a list of blog ideas that I plan to write about – and after I reviewed the St. Ives apricot scrub, I think my first skin topic should be EXFOLIATION!  Even though I didn’t share this publically because I wasn’t really sure what it would mean for my business (but now I do know! Stay posted!), I’ve been - or I am - a graduate of Cinta Aveda Institute for Esthiology and a licensed Esthetician.  A makeup artist does not need a license to practice, but I feel…that right now, armed with expertise/knowledge (and a license!) of the skin, I definitely feel more confident touching someone’s skin, and I remember when I first started, I was reliant on the information the model/client told me about their skin and just glancing at it, but now that information is important reference but I can just touch and know! A wonderful feeling!  I just wanted to put a disclaimer out there that I’m not trying to sell one product or another and specifically did not mention any specific product, but to help you choose your proper exfoliation!  This is my professional recommendation – what I share here is what I would also tell my clients. 

Exfoliation is interchangeable with refinement or desquamation, and basically the goal is to remove dead skin cells on the surface of your skin.  How often you exfoliate depends on your skin type and condition, but as a general rule, 1-2 times a week is a safe frequency. 

The Benefits of Exfoliation:

+  Improves skin texture (smoother & softer, helps maintain hydration level of the epidermis – definitely a huge help to makeup application!!)

+ Eases deep pore cleansing, extractions, product penetration, and more effective delivery of ingredients into the skin.

+ Increases cell turnover rate – and brings new cells to the surface faster.

+ Stimulates blood flow and circulation

+ Exfoliating the body can prevent ingrown hairs that happen during shaving or waxing

+Exfoliating the side of the arms can improve Keratosis Pilaris

Everyone can benefit from exfoliation! But conditions that can really be improved with regular exfoliations include: oily, congested skin (blackheads/whiteheads/minor acne breakouts), and dry, dehydrated skin with cell buildup, flaking, tight dry surface that often looks dull, grey, and lifeless.  Exfoliation can also alleviate surface hyperpigmentation in a way that evens and brightens the skin.  For acneic skin (like my skin!!!), taking care of dead skin cells is essential as they can trap sebum, dirt and bacteria and cause an infection/breakout. However, over exfoliation can deplete the acid mantle – the protective lipid barrier of our skin – and allow bacteria to flourish, and escort free radicals from environmental dangers into our skin - and hello, hyper pigmentation and DNA damage and collagen loss! lol...


Click "Read More" to read more about Mechanical vs. Chemical exfoliation...! 

There are two types of exfoliation: Mechanical and Chemical.  Mechanical involves physically sloughing off dead skin cells from the skin’s surface.  Ingredients like jojoba beads, crushed nuts or plant material, or even plastic are added into skincare products to achieve the results (Yes…including the St. Ives apricot scrub I’ve marked as “hell-no!”).  Using a wash cloth, or a rotary/pulsating brush like Clarisonic, is also considered mechanical exfoliation.  One word of caution – mechanical is great for normal, combination to dry skin, but not ideal for congested skin, especially not for skin with active breakout or infection.  The risk of the rougher material can open the infection, and then as you are scrubbing, you can spread the bacteria all over your face.  If you have your heart set on using the clarisonic brush, choose the gentlest brush and lowest setting, but I wouldn’t recommend using it every day...Microdermabrasion also falls into the mechanical exfoliation category.

Chemical exfoliation, on the other hand, achieves the goal through chemical action by acids (alpha hydroxy/AHA and beta hydroxy/BHA acids) or enzymes, like papain (papaya extract) or bromelain (pineapple extract).  Enzymes break down the lipids that act like glue/cement that holds the dead skin cells together, and thus help exfoliation.  Other ingredients like resorcinol, retinol/Retin-A/Retinoic Acid etc.  flakes and thins the skin, promoting cell turn-over and also the flaking of the dead skin cells on the outer most layer of your skin.  Chemical peels - medical grade or the kinds I'm licensed & certified to perform, usually involves a blend of AHA/BHAs/TCAs (trichloroacetic acids).

Many exfoliating products on the market are also chemical and mechanical, meaning it contains chemical ingredients like acids or enzymes that will help loosen the bonds between dead skin cells, as well as granulated beads or even buffing pads!   One word of caution though: if using a rotary brush like Clarisonic or the neutrogena/garnier pulse pads, you still gotta clean them afterwards with antibacterial soap, and then store in a cool, dry, sterile place (ie: Not in your bathroom!!!) or else it will get mold and mildew and bacteria and then you are rubbing it all over your face the next day! ewe!  ;P

The key is to choose the RIGHT type of exfoliation for YOUR skin. These are just some examples: Salicylic Acid, a BHA is a great chemical exfoliant for acneic skin (unless you are allergic to aspirin and salicylates - but you would probably know if you are allergic to aspirin or not! ^^).  A reason not to go with an AHA if you have acneic or sensitive skin is they are more sensitizing - and if the chemical is too active or strong for your skin, you can have an adverse reaction (like Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation)! Mechanical exfoliation is ideal for normal/dry skin types while chemical exfoliation - having a broad range of ingredients, can be customized to target ALL skin types and skin conditions.  Please consult your esthetician or dermatologist to recommend the right exfoliation for your skin!  It's easy to read reviews and recommendations from others or see an advertisement from skin care companies and become easily convinced that you need to run to the store to grab that one product you were thinking about or considering.  I want to do the same thing too! It's just natural!! When I read it in beauty forums, I get sooo nervous about those threads! But without looking at your skin type, it's really hard to decide what's best for YOU - and isn't the most crucial part?

The Dangers of Exfoliation
There's a reason why an average consumer should not take home a microdermabrasion machine or professional-grade chemical peel products or try to buy them online...You can seriously hurt yourself.  Did you know that you can actually injure your skin by just exfoliating too much/too roughly? If you use products too harsh for your skin type, or chemicals inappropriate for your skin color/Fitzpatrick scale, you can EASILY cause hyperpigmentation - which can a type of skin injury.  Sorry for the bold face, but I can't emphasize this enough!  Your dermatologist probably tells you how important is to wear sunscreen with UVA/UVB Protection (Look for "Broad Spectrum Protection" on the label, or SPF30+ AND PA+++)

After Exfoliation: 
1) Replenish your lipids and nourishment that will help rebuild the acid mantle with toner+serum+moisturizer
2) Wear sun screen during the day time & replenish during noon-time if possible. For women, use makeup with SPF and when you touch-up you get some replenishment for your sunscreen.

Let's face it - we all have a budget!!! But when it comes to skin care, reaching for your favorite drugstore brand for the majority of the time is not a good idea BECAUSE they contain filler ingredients and fragrances that are just not good for your skin or your health.  Doesn't mean all of them are bad!  Before deciding that you cannot afford quality products and need to resort to...oil of oxxx products...., please check out your local Trader Joes and Wholefoods. At Whole foods, I discovered a LOCAL brand I LOVE called EO (Essential Oil!!) Love love..! Actually - I first used the hand sanitizer with lavender essential oil that Liz Yu brought at the Yaby IMATS 2010 booth - and when I saw it I became an instant fan! I'll be writing about Certified Organics during my next skincare topic so stay tuned~ ! So stay tuned!