WHAT IS EXFOLIATION

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF SAFE CLEAN LIVING?

Since we live on a farm, we have our fair share of reptiles.  And our fair share of shed skin.  It is part of God’s design, and it does point to the fact that skin is meant to slough off.  With humans it happens as a slow take-over rather than an overnight slip off as with reptiles.  

Our epidermis, the top layer of our skin, usually takes about 45-60 days for a complete change over, skin cell turnover or also called skin cell rejuvenation.  “Skin cell turnover is the process of producing new skin cells to replace existing skin cells.  It’s a vital aspect of keeping your skin smooth and healthy.  Like many biological processes, it’s also something that can slow down and become less effective as we age.  The skin cell turnover process affects everything from your skin’s overall health to conditions like acne.  It also affects the visible ‘age’ of your skin, causing (or if kept optimal, preventing) things like wrinkles, age spots and other visible signs of aging,”(Written by the editorial team, medically reviewed by Hall, Kristin, FNP. How Skin Cell Turnover Works and Why it Matters for Acne and Aging, forhims.com, August 22, 2020).

There are many factors that attribute to dull looking skin, slow skin cell rejuvenation and over all appearance of the skin.  For example, it takes longer for our bodies to replace existing skin cells with new ones and as we age the turnover takes longer to occur as well.  Slower rejuvenation also can cause bacteria to become trapped resulting in visible blemishes (acne), as well as more visible signs of aging, including dull skin, age spots, wrinkles and fine lines.

With this being said, it sounds like we need to help things along, right?  Well, yes and no.  Exfoliating (the process of removing aging, dead skin cells) is a good thing, but too much of a good thing can lead to even more problems.  Over exfoliating can cause redness, irritation, and leave your skin worse than when you started, so a word of caution is in order, and what is right for one person may not be right for another.  To address some of these skin concerns there are a plethora of products on the market – peels, skincare lines specially formulated for acne-prone skin or fine lines/wrinkles, exfoliators, heavy duty moisturizers to aid in combatting dryness, to name a few.  For this article the focus will be exfoliation.

There are chemical exfoliators as well as physical ones.  Chemical exfoliators contain a range of different acids – either (alpha hydroxy acid) AHAs or (beta hydroxy acid) BHAs.  AHAs are derived from sugar cane or other plant sources, are recommended for normal to oily skin including sun-damaged skin; they help stimulate collagen which reduces the appearance of fine lines and exfoliate the top layer of skin thereby letting the new skin underneath emerge.  AHAs also target all areas of the skin benefitting both the outer layer (epidermis) by exfoliation and the deep layer (dermis) by collagen production.  AHAs work well on their own or in tandem with BHAs.   

BHAs are oil-soluble so are often recommended for normal to oily skin that is prone to bumps, enlarged pores, acne and blemishes.  A common BHA is salicylic acid which is found in many acne care products.  “BHAs are organic carboxylic acids that work on the skin’s surface and deep inside the pore,” Orit Markowitz, a New York-based board-certified dermatologist at OptSkin.  A unique and special benefit of BHA is its ability to calm sensitive skin making it helpful for those with rosacea or those prone to redness.  

In choosing a chemical exfoliating product, one could choose either AHA, BHA or a combination of both.  For dry skin, AHA might be best.  When exfoliating just the top layer of skin is desired, use an AHA based product.  If you want to address exfoliating the top epidermis as well as the dermis layer because of clogged pores, for example, use a combination of AHA and BHA to reap the benefits of both types of acids.  Markowitz warns that BHAs are strong humectants (a substance used to keep things moist) that have a peeling effect because they draw moisture from within and can cause the skin to dry out if overused.  For this reason, they should be used when you want your skin to glow a few times a week as opposed to every day, (Noble, Audrey.  AHA vs. BHA: What’s the Difference, and Why Should You Use Them?, birdie.com, March 1, 2022).

Another type of exfoliation is physical exfoliation.  Typically these are products containing small particles suspended in a cream base to physically exfoliate the skin, removing the dead epidermis, and revealing the soft new skin underneath.  One drawback of a physical exfoliator is micro abrasions resulting from the actual particles as they could to be too abrasive for sensitive skin.    Dr. Markowitz, explains, “…exfoliating particles (the shells and pits of apricots or walnuts) are too abrasive for skin and can actually cause small injuries or micro-tears, as well as inflammation and infection.  I don’t recommend exfoliating with scrubs as they actually do more damage to your skin.  There is a misconception that when you use exfoliating scrubs you are combatting dry, flaky skin because the immediate result from exfoliating skin is that it is smoother.  However, this smooth effect is just temporary and you are actually damaging your skin even more with more exfoliation over time” (Shatzman, Celia. Are Apricots and Walnut Scrubs Really that Bad for your Skin? birdie.com, June 7, 2021).   A softer approach in physical exfoliators and one that many find beneficial is jojoba beads and bamboo powder as the actual ‘scrubbers’.

Jojoba oil, liquid wax extracted from the jojoba shrub, is often referred to as an oil because of how similar it is in composition to the sebum found in human skin, and they make an excellent moisturizer for the skin.  Jojoba esters are the natural waxy by-product when jojoba oil meets hydrogen through the process of hydrogenation, transesterification or interesterification.  Fully hydrogenated jojoba esters are most often small beads used to exfoliate the skin and they remove dead skin cells effectively while still allowing the skin underneath to breath.   They have been proven time and again to be a safe and effective option for skin conditions such as rosacea, acne, psoriasis, to name a few. (Diaz, Paola.  What are Jojoba Esters? – Everything You Need to Know, kryzuy.com, August 27, 2021).

 Another physical exfoliate is bamboo powder – the result of milling offshoots from the bamboo stalk, and it has a variety of uses in the skincare industry.  “The benefits of bamboo don’t end with it being a great exfoliant.  Bamboo is also naturally rich in silica.  Silica can boost collagen production, the protein that gives your skin fullness but naturally reduces as you age.  As well as exfoliating your face, bamboo can leave your skin looking fuller and younger,” (Bamboo Powder: Benefits for Men’s Skin, vitamin.com) It is considered hypoallergenic, but a quick patch test might be in order if you have grass allergies.  Bamboo powder along with jojoba esters offer safe and effective exfoliation with many products available to use at home and on a regular basis to get that glowing, brighter and healthy skin.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Sloughing off the old to make way for the new is not only for our skin!  God’s design as we read for our skin is also His design for our lives as believers.  Exfoliating our skin does bring out the best, new unblemished skin from underneath – not unlike the sanctification process of dying to self, learning patience, following Jesus and trusting in Him completely – the beauty of Jesus in us shines forth.  As we exfoliate our skin, let us thank God for this rejuvenating process not only for our bodies but our lives as well.