Everything You Need to Know About Exfoliation
Did you know that, much like a snake, your skin is continuously shedding? The process is just a lot slower (and less satisfying) in humans. Exfoliation is really all about accelerating this process and ensuring it happens evenly across the skin.
Most products/procedures that help you remove excess skin layers are a type of controlled damage, which stimulates the skin into repairing itself. It sounds a bit dramatic, but it’s similar to the way exercising your muscles causes the fibres to break apart and knit themselves together again stronger than they were before. And just like exercise, you can overdo it – moderation and controlled progression is key.
When it comes to products, there are a couple of key types and ingredients to be aware of. Firstly, we have manual or chemical exfoliators. If you made your skin red raw with the St Ives Apricot scrub back in the day, that’s a classic example of old-school manual exfoliation. The particles in the products roll across the skin to help buff away the surface layers. Even though manual exfoliators have come a long way since then, they have really been outrun by the new chemical exfoliators.
You might have across the terms “AHA”, or “BHA”, perhaps even “PHA”. These are all classifications of different slightly-scary-sounding types of exfoliating ingredients. It is a confusing ecosystem – let’s try and make sense of it all.
Five Reasons to ExfoliatE
First, why actually bother exfoliating if your skin is doing it on its own already? There are five good reasons I can think of, which your skin will need a helping hand to achieve.
1. Combatting fine lines & wrinkles
As we age, the natural regeneration of our skin slows down. Left to its own devices, the skin will start losing luminosity and start letting the fine lines settle in. This makes exfoliation a much more important step as you leave your 20s behind, if you want to keep a dewy/youthful complexion. Typically skin dries out as it matures. While you might think dry skin just needs more and more moisture, regular exfoliation is critical to avoid the build up of random dry patches and to improve the impact your moisturisers can have.
2. Managing BLackheads & blemishes
As the skin cycles, we oily fellows might find debris gets stuck that even a double cleanse can’t quite solve. Gently removing surface layers of skin helps keep pores clear – and can even minimise their appearance. Products with BHAs are specifically designed for this purpose and will clear out oily areas. More on them later.
3. Levelling out pigmentation
Disclaimer: this does not mean scrubbing at your face to get rid of any discolouration. Red marks, uneven skin tone and sun spots are (usually) surface-level skin problems. Regular exfoliation will help you get down to those layers, speed up your skin’s regular cycle, and then buff them away.
4. Boosting the impact of skincare/make up
Exfoliating the skin improves the absorption of the skincare you layer on top of it. That’s because you won’t be wasting any product on dead skin, which will just soak up the product and block it from reaching where it’s actually needed.
It’s the same reason you need to exfoliate your body before applying fake tan: the dry patches absorb the product faster, creating darker areas of tan if you haven’t buffed the skin in advance. Same logic for make up too. Applying concealer/foundation to an even texture will get you a better end result.
5. A smoother shave
This applies to anywhere you want to shave, but is very important for the face. Exfoliation will make the razor glide more easily over the skin, protecting against cuts and reducing irritation. Removing dead skin also makes it easier for the hair to grow back. No more annoying/painful ingrown hairs.
Risks & considerations
Exfoliation can benefit everyone but you need to adjust it to your individual situation. There are multiple factors to consider: strength of product, skin concern, and skin sensitivity levels.
For example, you might want to exfoliate regularly to reduce some fine lines you can now see. If you’ve also got very sensitive skin, active acne breakouts or rosacea, you need to proceed carefully. I mentioned in this post that I was recommended very frequent exfoliation despite having mild rosacea symptoms by a professional facialist. She had very extensive knowledge of the products she was recommending and it worked. Left to my own devices, I had previously given myself dermatitis twice by over-exfoliating. You do need to play it safe.
IMPORTANT: You must remember to use adequate SPF protection after exfoliating. Removing layers of skin makes it more sensitive to the sun. There is literally no point exfoliating to get rid of wrinkles, only to subject your skin to more sun damage.
How often should you exfoliate?
As per above, frequency will depend on your unique situation and also on the product(s) you are using. Manual exfoliants (cleansing brushes, facial scrubs etc) are much harsher on the skin and need to be used sparingly – if at all. Chemical exfoliants, again depending on strength, are usually designed for regular use. I personally use exfoliating pads almost every day, alongside a manual scrub twice per week before shaving.
Manual vs Chemical Exofoliants
It can be very tempting to want to scrub dirt or spots away, which is why I think manual exfoliators are so popular. Your face is not a car though – it doesn’t need elbow grease to shine. If you are manually exfoliating use very gentle pressure, rigorously clean brushes/towels, and give your skin a break once in a while.
Chemical exfoliators work very differently. Instead of needing friction to remove dead skin, the active ingredients can dissolve the dead skin or excess oil. Let’s go into more detail.
AHAS, BHAS & PHAS
There are three types of chemical exfoliant: AHAs, BHAs and PHAs.
The most common AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) are glycolic acid and lactic acid. AHAs exfoliate by gently dissolving the superficial layers of skin. They are water soluble which prevents them from going too deep. You’ll commonly find them in watery toners for use after cleansing.
BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids) are your best bet for tackling spot-prone skin. Compared to AHAs, BHAs are oil soluble — allowing them to travel deeper into the skin to annihilate blackheads and keep your oil production under control. Top tip: you can use BHAs to spot treat specific areas. If you’ve got combination skin, you could apply BHA products only to the places that get more oily if you wanted to. Salicylic acid is the main BHA ingredient you’re likely to come across. Again, you’ll commonly find them formulated into toners.
Less frequently you might come across PHAs. These are an even gentler alternative to AHAs. The most common PHAs are gluconolactone, galactose, and lactobionic acid. They don’t come up frequently in the products I use, but they’re worth investigating if your skin gets upset easily.
If you’re wondering whether you can mix AHAs and BHAs (and PHAs), the answer is yes. Cautiously. Instead of combining two different products though, it’s best to just buy one product that is formulated to include more than one active ingredient. The product formulators will have accounted for mixing the ingredients in the safest way possible. Don’t do what I did and turn your skincare regime into a multi-product chemistry experiment, it’s a surefire way to end up with a rash.
At-home vs in-clinic exfoliation
While there are so many in-clinic exfoliation options like microdermabrasion, laser resurfacing, and chemical peels, they all do the same thing: control damage to the skin in order to trigger a repair response. It is exactly the same thing you’ll be doing at home when you exfoliate, just with stronger ingredients and faster results. I’ve had all of those things and they do work well, but you could easily save your money here and opt for a consistent, affordable, at-home exfoliation regimen.
Product recommendations
Exfoliation doesn’t really need to be an expensive step in your routine. Most products are very affordable. I’ve included one really expensive one if you do feel like being unnecessarily bougie.
AHAs — for removing surface layers of skin
All much of a muchness really — just find one that works for you and stick to it. The Ordinary’s toner is lactic acid which is gentler than the glycolic acid used in the others. It’s also available in a 5% strength if you want to be extra cautious.
Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic | REN | £24, Sephora
Lactic Acid 10% | The Ordinary | £9, Cult Beauty
Glow Tonic | Pixi | £18 at Boots
BHAS — for removing oil & shrinking pores
Again these all pretty much do the same thing, so don’t overthink it. I started out with CosRX, though Paula’s Choice is a fan favourite and what I normally recommend to most people. You can find the Paula’s Choice one in a travel size if you don’t want to commit to the full bottle.
BHA Blackhead Power Liquid | CosRX | £26, Cult Beauty
2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant | Paula's Choice | £35, Sephora
BHA Liquid Exfoliant 2% | NATURIUM | £19, SpaceNK
AHA + BHAS — Best of both worlds
Mixing AHAs and BHAs risks twice the irritation. And offers twice the benefits! Be honest with what your skin can handle. I use the Complexion Renewal Pads every day without trouble. The Miracle Toner also includes PHAs but is overall still quite gentle. Lotion P50 on the other hand is serious business and should be used cautiously.
Miracle Toner | Some By Mi | £15, Amazon
Lotion P50 | Biologique Recherche | £94, Liberty
Complexion Renewal Pads | ZO Skin Health | About £44 but you'll need a consultation first
How to apply chemical exfoliators
How do you then actually apply these products effectively? The exfoliation step of your skincare routine should happen directly after cleansing, and before applying any other products. Wash-off products (i.e cleansers) that include AHA and BHAs are straightforward: lather them onto the face then rinse away. Leave-on products like toners should be applied to clean, dry skin. Applying AHAs and BHAs to wet skin can cause the product to be absorbed too deeply which can cause irritation. You can pour some into your hand and press into the face, or use a cotton pad. Pre-soaked pads make it even easier.
Typically I use AHAs or BHAs in the morning so if I want to use retinol in the evening I can do so more safely. Final reminder to wear SPF if you exfoliate in the AM.
