It may seem obvious, but it's worth stating that the optimal time to apply moisturizer after exfoliation is usually immediately following the cleansing and exfoliating process. This ensures that the moisturizing skin care product can penetrate deep into the skin, providing maximum hydration and soothing effects.
After exfoliating or washing your face, it's generally recommended to wait about 10 to 20 minutes before applying moisturizer. This allows your skin to return to its normal pH level and ensures that the moisturizer can be absorbed effectively.
Here's a hot tip: the best time to moisturize is within the 'golden minute' after exfoliating. That's right – you don't need to wait for ages, twiddling your thumbs.
While you might want to have glowing, freshly-exfoliated skin every day, over-exfoliating can cause damage to your skin and its natural barrier. Exfoliation should only occur once or twice a week and always moisturize afterward! This provides your fresh new skin with moisture and protection from the elements.
After peeling, your skin is even more sensitive. Therefore, avoid direct sun exposure, which can lead to even more visible signs of aging. If you must expose yourself to the sun, use a broad spectrum physical sunscreen. Avoid strenuous workouts, dry saunas and steam baths.
Red, irritated skin is likely the first sign that you exfoliate too much. Immediately after any exfoliation, the skin will appear slightly red and puffy. However, if the redness and irritation linger for hours or into the next day, you can be sure that you've gone a bit too far.
Use Soothing Moisturizers
If you don't have acne-prone skin, Finney recommends using a thicker ointment like Aquaphor to help soothe and moisturize skin, especially in areas that are red or irritated. "Use a gentle cleanser (or just rinse with water!), use a thick moisturizing cream and sunscreen," suggests Finney.
“The best practice is to avoid over-scrubbing because you want to maintain a healthy and intact skin barrier,” Dr. Khalifian notes. Going too hard can leave your skin red and irritated. Use it after cleansing, and always follow with moisturizer to lock in hydration.
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Use Moisturizer Right After You Wash Your Face
We're starting with the most simple and well-known一moisturize your face right after you wash it. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the best time to apply moisturizer is when your skin is damp as this can help lock in hydration.
You can exfoliate wet skin, as many people do with a loofah or a scrub in the shower, but the friction level is different when the skin cells are moist, Karen said. The dry method will help you to more effectively exfoliate, plus it's less messy, Gohara noted.
“Skin purging” is a term some people use to describe an increase in acne after starting a new skin care product, such as a retinoid. However, there are no scientific studies on this topic. Dryness, flaking, or peeling are well-known side effects of some skin care ingredients, such as retinoids.
When it comes to morning versus night exfoliation, you're going to reap the best benefits from exfoliating in the morning time. This is due to the oils your skin produces overnight. You'll be able to more smoothly remove all impurities, dead skin, and oils, when you exfoliate in the morning, rather than at night.
You have certain skin conditions or other health issues
Several common skin problems cause dryness, flaking and peeling, including eczema, contact dermatitis and psoriasis. But even diseases you might not think affect the skin can leave it parched. These include diabetes, hypothyroidism, lymphoma and kidney failure.
Give Your Skin Enough Time to Heal From Over-Exfoliation
This varies depending on exactly how over-exfoliated your skin is. For some, it takes just a few days. For others, it can take weeks.
The grey stuff that comes off after rubbing your skin is a mixture of dead skin cells and dirt. The body sheds around 500 million particles of skin every day as the epidermis produces a new layer.
You should let peeling skin slough off naturally. The peeling is part of your skin's natural healing process. Picking at or pulling off peeling skin can create an opening that lets in bacteria. This increases your risk of infection.
You don't need to wait for your BHA or AHA to absorb or dry; you can apply any other product in your routine—moisturizer, serum, eye cream or sunscreen—immediately afterward. Experiment with different strength exfoliants to see which concentration gives you the best results.
As your over-exfoliation worsens, your skin can become dry and flaky. Dry skin builds up dead skin cells faster, so you're more likely to see a layer of dead skin over the surface of your skin. This layer of dead skin can cause dry skin to look very dull. You may also see more redness than usual with dry skin.
While one exfoliation won't completely strip your skin of all of its oil, it will remove most of it, leaving the surface dry. Therefore, exfoliating without applying a good moisturizer is guaranteed to leave the face drier than it was before exfoliation.
For people with acne, it may take up to 8 weeks to see an improvement in the condition of their skin. For anti-aging benefits, it may take even longer to see the results. In general, consistent and regular exfoliation is important for maintaining the benefits of exfoliation.
Those who don't regularly exfoliate can have skin that looks dull and patchy. You might notice this as you get older because aging, sun damage, and shifts in hormone levels can reduce the growth rate of new skin cells. When this is the case, you need exfoliating help more than ever.