Exfoliation is an integral part of any skincare regime. Not only is it essential for increasing your skin cell turnover (and therefore smoother and brighter-looking skin) but a solid exfoliation routine will allow your supporting skincare products, particularly serums, to work harder for you.

Unfortunately, its one of the main steps in an at-home skincare routine where things go wrong. From selecting the wrong type of exfoliant for your skin to using it way too much (or too little), exfoliating errors can leave the skin not looking or feeling its best.

Today, we wanted to share with you the top four exfoliating mistakes we see during our new client consultations, why they occur and what you can do to brighten up your at-home routine. 

You’re exfoliating too frequently (or not enough!)

How often you exfoliate can be a real make or break in your skincare routine. Whilst it’s an important step, it is a delicate one so it’s important to find the sweet spot for your type of exfoliant and your skin.

You dont need to exfoliate every day. In fact, if you are, you are likely exfoliating too much. Exfoliating every day can lead to the skin’s barrier becoming disrupted and results in dry, irritated, red, and even sensitised skin arising. Additionally, unexplained breakouts could be a sign of too  much exfoliation as the skin is overproducing oil to correct the sudden dryness.

On the flip side, a lack of exfoliation results in a build-up of dead skin cells on the skin, leading to the likes of clogged pores, an uneven or flakey texture, dull-looking skin, and products, like skincare and makeup, struggle to effectively absorb into the skin. 

We recommend exfoliating one to three times per week to encourage regular cell turnover that doesn’t compromise your complexion. 

Your exfoliant stops at your face

Your skin doesn’t stop at your face, so why should your skincare? Skincare used on your face, at all steps, from cleansing to serums, should be applied to the face, neck, and decolletage (unless otherwise stated) to renew and rejuvenate that entire area.

Nobody wants a smooth, youthful-looking face and a neck that looks completely ignored, right?

The skin on your body requires exfoliation too to avoid the same concerns your face experiences – congestion, dryness and dullness. Exfoliation of the body is particularly important if you apply fake tan or makeup to promote regular cell turnover and provide you with smooth canvas for reapplication. 

You’re using the wrong exfoliant for your skin’s needs

If you’re brand-new to establishing a skincare routine, we recomment booking in for one of our professional consultation services to ensure you have the right products for your specific skin needs. As much as we’d love to write individual blogs about everyone’s unique skin, we have amazing results to acheive in-clinic so today, we’ll share the three main exfolaition categories you can expect to learn about during that consultation and how they can best support the skin. 

The first is the OG – a physical exfoliant. Many of us would be familair with this for bothgood and bad reasons, particularly if you were a beauty product user in the 90’s and 00’s. Physical exfoliants aren’t all harsh scrubs though and they still have a solid place in the skincare world. As the name suggests, physical exfoliants require you to manually slough away dead skin cells with your hands or cleansing tool. They work on the surface of the skin and result in immediately smoother and brighter-looking skin.

The second is a chemical exfoiant. These are a more sophisticated form of exfoliant that uses a cocktail of ingredients to work on both the epidermal and deeper layers of the skin. If you’re wanting to treat specific skin concerns, a chemical exfoliant could be an excellent addition to your routine. 

Chemical exfoliants are made up of two main types of acids. Either alpha hydroxy acid (aha) or beta hydroxy acid (bha). AHA treat surface-level concerns such as the signs of ageing, hyperpigmentation, and pore size by loosening dead skin cells and breaking down the protein that keeps them atta ched to your skin. If you see words such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, or mandelic acid on your exfoliant, you’ve got yourself an alpha hydroxy acid. 

BHA’s penetrate deeper than AHA’s which makes them ideal for those that experience acne, congestion, and excess oil production. They can penetrate the pores to remove dead skin cell build-up at the source. This supports the removal of excess oil production and supports clearer and more balanced skin in the long run. If your exfoliant features salicylic acid, you’ve got youtself a beta hydroxy acid. 

The third type of exfoliant is an enzymatic exfoliant, which like a chemical exfoliant, requires no scrubbing. It is a much milder approach to exfoliation, using natural fruit enzymes to dissolve dead skin cells of the outer layer of the skin. Enzymes such as papaya, pineapple and pumpkin are some of the most popular ingredients in this exfoliant and thanks to their gentle nature, make them suitable for more sensitive skin types and leave little room for over-exfoliation to occur.

In advanced, medical grade skincare brands like the ones used in our clinic, you may find that your recomended exfoliant features a combination of the above exfoliation methods to provide you with a well-rounded treatment that addresses the outer and deeper layers of the skin. .

Your post-exfoliation skincare isn’t up to scratch

Targeted serums and moisturisers used following exfoliation are going to penetrate deeper and be able to maximise all their ingredient goodness to its fullest potential. That’s why after all that hard work exfoliating, it’s time to reap the benefits! Ensure that your entire skincare routine is supporting your overall skin goals so that following an exfoliation, you can put your products to work and start seeing the results you deserve sooner.