Over-exfoliation can strip away the skin's natural oils, triggering the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum as overcompensation. This overproduction can lead to clogged pores and unwanted breakouts.
While getting rid of skin impurities on a regular basis is good, doing it too much can aggravate the skin. Over-exfoliation can lead to redness, irritation, and may leave the skin inworse condition than what you started with. To achieve clearer, brighter skin, exfoliation on a consistent basis is what works well.
Over-exfoliation may have the opposite effect of beautifying your skin. This can come from either exfoliating too often or scrubbing too hard. This can remove too much skin, causing dryness or irritation. Exfoliating creams should be kept away from children.
Expert Tips for Gentle Exfoliation
There are two main methods of exfoliation used in CeraVe products: chemical exfoliation (such as salicylic acid) and physical exfoliation (such as jojoba beads). Over-exfoliating or exfoliating incorrectly can disrupt the skin barrier and result in redness, flaking, or irritation.
Signs of a Damaged Skin Barrier
Frequent inflammation or swelling of skin. Skin redness and discoloration that occurs frequently. Dry, itchy, or generally irritated skin. Flaky, thick patches of skin.
Severe over-exfoliation can lead to permanent scarring and speed up the signs of aging. Be sure to research your skin type to learn how often you should be exfoliating your skin.
And don't use exfoliants if you have acne, open sores or a sunburn. “Your skin is already injured, and exfoliation may lead to further irritation, darkening or lightening of the skin, and even scarring,” he says.
Interestingly, over-exfoliation can cause breakouts. This is because your skin is sensitive and irritated, but also because it can cause your skin to dry out.
But if you've overdone it, your skin will look shiny and artificial instead. Over-exfoliating will smooth your skin's natural texture too much, creating more of a waxy appearance. Removing skin cells and natural oils and exposing the underlying skin before that new skin is ready can cause the skin to look waxy.
The Risks of Over-Exfoliation
Too much exfoliation can also be harmful. Over-exfoliating can lead to skin irritation, redness, and sensitivity. It can worsen pigmentation issues or even cause new ones. Hence, it's essential to find the right balance in your exfoliation routine, tailored to your skin's needs.
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.
Your recovery routine should include a gentle cleanser, moisturizing creams, SPF, and repair creams that help to treat the skin barrier. Seek ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalene, zinc oxide, shea butter, and glycerin. These ingredients are all hydrating and calming.
Unless your exfoliator is very gentle and specially formulated for daily application, limit use to once or twice weekly to prevent irritation and redness. (A powerful cleanser can control debris buildup on the days you don't exfoliate.)
If your skincare regime is overloaded with AHA's and BHA's, like Glycolic Acid, Malic Acid or Salicylic Acid, then over-exfoliation is likely to occur (if it hasn't happened yet!) Harsh physical exfoliators that contain salt, sugar or husks can also lead to over-exfoliation.
The effectiveness of these treatments varies depending on the type of exfoliant used. For a scrub with granules, it is recommended to apply it on damp skin to fully benefit from its properties. As for chemical exfoliants such as peels, their effectiveness is generally optimal when applied to dry skin.
The “black stuff” when you rub your skin is nothing but dead cells, dirt and surface grime. It comes off due to friction caused by rubbing your 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.
Irregular or improper cleansing can prolong the presence of dead skin cells by leaving oils and cosmetics on the skin. Exfoliating only needs to be done either once or twice a week, not daily.
Over-exfoliation can cause several long-term problems, including: Compromised Skin Barrier: The skin's natural barrier, which protects it from environmental stressors and pathogens, becomes weakened. This can leave the skin more susceptible to bacteria, pollutants, and other irritants.
When your barrier is weak because you don't have enough lipids in your skin, Vaseline acts as a substitute for these lipids. Remember the brick-and-mortar analogy? Vaseline fills in the cracks in your skin's “mortar” so that your barrier starts to act in a healthy way again.