As you grow older, the rate of cell turnover slows down dramatically, meaning that dead cells on your skin’s surface hang around much longer. When skin cells no longer naturally replenish every few days, like they did when you were younger, fine lines and wrinkles are more easily accentuated making your complexion look dull. By removing these dead skin cells, exfoliating your skin—whether physically with scrubs or chemically using acids or enzymes—helps make up for the gradual slowing down of your natural skin-renewal process, improving the tone and texture of your skin. Exfoliation is anything that helps your skin shed its older outer cells, leaving soft, fresh skin cells as the new topmost layer. Here are some of the reasons why you need to exfoliate your skin regularly:
- Fade age spots by removing old skin cells that contain extra pigment.
- Open up pores to release natural skin oils.
- Shrink pores and scars.
- Hide fine lines and wrinkles.
- Allow your skin to better absorb all kinds of skin products.
- Dermaplaning, which uses a tiny scalpel to gently and thoroughly remove a single layer of dead skin cells and facial hair.
- Microdermabrasion, which uses a crystal or diamond tip to reduce acne scars, age spots, aging lines, hyperpigmentation, and sun-damaged skin, as well as extract blackheads and whiteheads, and rejuvenate overall skin health.
- Chemical peels, like glycolic acid peels, beta hydroxy peels, the VI peel (a synergistic formula of acids), and the TCA or trichloroacetic acid peel, each of which penetrates to a different depth to specially target various skin issues such as acne inflammations, skin discolorations, and wrinkles.