How Does Exfoliation Fit Into Your Skincare Routine?

Getting rid of the dirt and impurities from your skin on a daily basis is very important. Washing your face twice daily with a cleanser ensures your skin is clean. But your cleanser cannot clean deep into your pores or stimulate collagen production.

So what should you do? The answer is exfoliation! Cleansing and exfoliation are both methods to get rid of dirt and impurities from your skin, but is one more effective than the other? Let’s take a look at the benefits of cleansing and exfoliation and how it fits into your skincare routine.

Exfoliation

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead cells from the outer layer of skin. There are many ways to exfoliate the skin. You can use a granular scrub or a tool or a chemical.

Your skin sheds dead skin cells every day. A single cell only survives for 30 days and then it has to be replaced with a new one. The protein that helps with producing and replacing these dead skin cells is called collagen.

The more collagen in your body, the faster is the cell turnover leaving you looking young and radiant.

round cotton pads in a tray
Exfoliation has many benefits. Image Source: Pexels/Tara Winstead

Benefits Of Exfoliation

Exfoliation has many benefits. Your skin will feel extremely clean after exfoliation. The reason why you feel this is because the outer layer of skin cells is removed leaving the new young cells underneath. This enables your other skincare products to penetrate more easily into the skin and leave a more even smooth finish.

Another benefit of exfoliation is that it reduces the size of pores. Exfoliation can eliminate the outer barrier that traps impurities in your pores, which together with a daily cleanser, allows the dirt and oil to be removed reducing pore size and acne breakouts. It also helps lessen discoloration in your skin as those skin cells are removed. The discoloration is exacerbated as you grow older because dead skin cells remain on your skin for longer as you age.  Collagen production is reduced as well.

Exfoliation also helps your make-up stay on longer, stimulates collagen production and makes your skin glow. Click here to learn more about these advantages.

Cleansing

Cleansers remove dirt and impurities from the top layer of your skin. It doesn’t necessarily get rid of debris that is trapped in your pores or address issues of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.  But cleansing is an essential step in your daily skincare routine.  Lets a take a look at the benefits of cleansing.

Benefits Of Cleansing

Cleansers are more gentle and cannot damage the upper layer of your skin even if used harshly. Damage to the upper layer of your skin can lead to oversensitivity which can cause skin problems.

Cleansing keeps your skin hydrated, soft, supple, and youthful. Daily cleansing is important to maintain your skin health.

 

A black woman rubbing LASPA Foaming Facial Cleanser on her hands
Daily use of a gentle cleanser is highly recommended

When Should I Exfoliate?

Using harsh scrubs could damage your skin and make your skin vulnerable to skin damage. Daily exfoliation thins your skin over time and could lead to wrinkles. Over-exfoliation makes your skin super sensitive and worsens acne breakouts. 

Using the right exfoliant for treating specific problems, and knowing the right routine is the key to proper exfoliation.  Depending on the sensitivity of your skin, and the strength of the exfoliant, the schedule for using exfoliants will be different.  Follow your skincare practitioner’s advice and always follow the label instructions.

Chemical exfoliants are acids that get rid of dead skin cells. There are 2 kinds of acids AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) and BHA( Beta Hydroxy Acid). Learn more about which one you should use here

We recommend using chemical peels for your exfoliation.  A pure glycolic acid at maximum strength (10%)  is the most effective AHA ingredient on the market to deeply exfoliate the skin and remove surface skin cells.   LASPA’s glycolic peel is 100% Bio-based pure Glycolic Acid combined with Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate the skin during exfoliation. The perfect solution for at-home maintenance and event preparation.

LASPA glycolic peel for Chemical Exfoliation with its packaging,pads and its awards
LASPA’s Award-winning Intensive Anti-aging Glycolic Peel

You can get a faster and deeper exfoliation using our Glycolic Professional Series by visiting one of our spa partners near you.

For a daily cleanse use our gentle foaming cleanser daily twice a day. Our cleanser is hypoallergenic and made from natural and certified ingredients. It contains aloe vera which is used for treating dry skin. Aloe vera is also known for its anti-inflammatory effects and soothes sunburns.  You won’t worry about sunburns as LASPA SPF30 will be a much-needed follow-up to exfoliation to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful rays. 

Cleansing and exfoliation are necessary for everyone! it is important to balance cleansing and exfoliation in your skincare. Avoid over-exfoliation and be gentle with your skin!