Use Soothing Moisturizers "Things that are anti-inflammatory, hydrating, or that help repair the barrier of your skin are necessary." The best thing you can do for your skin is to cut back on extensive routines and stick to the basics—cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection.
In fact, it may take several weeks for your skin to bounce back from the wear and tear of over-exfoliation. During this healing phase, your best bet is to pamper the affected area with a gentle, restorative skin care product.
Apply a gentle skincare routine
Over-exfoliated skin is very sensitive, which is why it's important to implement a gentle, mild skin care routine to help the skin recover. Given that over-exfoliation can dry the skin out, moisturisers, serums and cleansers formulated for dry skin are usually your best bet.
Exfoliating too often or too harshly can cause inflammation and irritation in the skin. This can lead to redness, dryness, flaking, and even breakouts. Additionally, when you scrub away at your skin you are removing its natural oils which can leave it feeling parched and vulnerable to infection.
Stop exfoliating the over exfoliated areas, first of all, and just baby them as much as possible - cleanse once or twice a day with the mildest gentlest cleanser (like a milk cleanser) and apply moisturizer to the over exfoliated areas and top with vaseline.
Can over-exfoliation cause permanent damage? 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.
Healing Over-Exfoliated Skin
Soothe your skin by applying a cool compress or aloe gel and taking an anti-inflammatory pain reliever. Treat your skin by washing your face with a gentle cleanser and patting your skin dry. Apply a moisturizer and hydrocortisone cream twice a day.
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.
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.
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.
Just take a break from exfoliating and harsh ingredients for 1/2 weeks and see how your skin is feeling, use soothing serums/ moisturizers and use sunscreen daily. It's just going to take time for your skin to recover, so don't do anything harsh to it and give it time to recover.
Skin purging is said to last 4-6 weeks, however, everyone's skin is different (2). This is only temporary and will eventually subside as your skin adjusts to the new treatment. In the meantime, it is important to cleanse gently and avoid picking at your skin, as this can cause further irritation.
Scrubbing too hard or using an exfoliator that is too harsh for your skin can cause micro-abrasions, causing breakouts.
Vaseline can be used as a body scrub to remove dead skin cells. Mix the petroleum jelly with either sugar or salt before applying it to the skin.
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.
Aggressive scrubbing with harsh facial exfoliants can micro-tear the skin and exacerbate issues like acne and irritation. Choose formulas with gentle ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids or fruit enzymes to avoid over-sensitizing the skin.
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.
Cover broken skin with a thin layer of a topical steroid then a thick layer of a cream or ointment. Then, put a wet bandage over the ointment and cover that with a dry bandage. The bandage will help your skin absorb the cream and stay moist. Ask your doctor to show you how to wrap your skin.