Is Exfoliation the Anti-Aging Secret You’ve Been Looking for?

Is Exfoliation the Anti-Aging Secret You’ve Been Looking for?

Is Exfoliation the Anti-Aging Secret You’ve Been Looking for?

Before we get started on how important exfoliation is, here are some facts about skin ageing that you may not know:

  • Your skin starts to age at 25 – Collagen is the protein that holds your skin together, but as time goes on and we get older, our bodies stop producing as much collagen, which leads to wrinkles and sagging skin. While the effects of skin ageing may only start to show in your thirties, the ageing process actually starts in your mid-twenties, which makes 25 the best age to begin using anti-ageing products.
  • Facial movements like smiling, frowning or squinting could lead to wrinkles and facial lines – Every time you use the muscles in your face, a groove forms beneath the surface of your skin. As you get older, your skin starts to lose some of its flexibility; it does not stay as capable of bouncing back as it was before and so it starts turning those grooves into permanent wrinkles or lines.
  • Sleeping on your side causes wrinkles on your cheeks and chin and sleeping on your face causes furrowed brows – So how are we supposed to sleep? A dermatologist can tell you exactly what your preferred sleeping position is, just from one look at your face. They say that the best position to sleep in, if you can and want to minimize any of those wrinkles, is on your back, you can even find special pillows that will assist in stopping you from laying on your side. If you still cannot get it right, you can also try investing in a satin or silk pillowcase, as this can cause less friction against your face, and prevents wrinkles from forming.
  • You may be causing your face to lose moisture if you are washing it more than twice a day – Our skin produces natural oil, this oil creates a barrier on the outer layer of your skin, which traps the moisture inside and protects your skin from any harm. While ensure your face is clean is important, with each time you wash your face, you are stripping your skin of those natural oils, and over-cleansing can often leave your skin looking and feeling dry.
  • When compared to non-smokers, smokers are much more likely to develop leathery skin and wrinkles – Smoking can drastically speed up your skins ageing process, which is why smokers tend t get wrinkles faster than non-smokers do. Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, and each of these chemicals damages the collagen and elastin in your skin, this means that second-hand smoke can also cause damage to your skin.
  • You can reduce skin ageing by 24% by using sunscreen every day – The leading cause of skin ageing is the sun, yet we always seem to forget to apply sunscreen every day. Even if you spend most of your day indoors, the UV rays responsible for skin ageing can penetrate through glass, and can still affect your skin on a cloudy day, which makes applying sunscreen every day extremely important.
  • Soda has a high level of phosphate, which can prematurely age your skin – Phosphates are added to soda to give it that fizz we all love, and acting as a preservative as well. However, drinking two sodas in a week is enough to upset the balance of phosphates, which can lead to an acceleration in your ageing process, as well as other health issues, from brittle bones to skin atrophy to kidney disease.
  • Once you understand what the causes of skin ageing are, it gets a little easier to take those necessary measures that are needed to prevent this from happening before it should. Whether it is as simple as changing the position you sleep in or making a change in your lifestyle where you no longer smoke and drink fizzy drinks, it will not be long before you start to notice the effects and advantages, which will make your efforts worthwhile.

Need to know more about exfoliation? Then the below is a must-read for you. When it comes to anti-ageing, regular exfoliation is one of the most common and effective ways to promote younger-looking skin. In addition to exfoliations the main purpose of getting rid of dead skin cells and promoting smoother and softer skin, it can also get rid of cellulite, increase circulation and unbelievably, it can even assist your body with its natural regeneration process. All of the above result in firmer, brighter and healthier-looking skin.

Curious to find out more? Great, because below are many more ways to exfoliate:

Exfoliating aids in cellular turnover

As we get older, our body’s natural ability to sked skin cells slows down. Younger skin will generally regenerate every 28 days, however, as time passes, the natural turnover rate also declines. According to Kevin Dooley, who is the Lead Esthetician at True Botanicals, this can lead to many different changes and cause a change in texture, clogged pores and overall dull-looking skin.

Fortunately, for us, by exfoliating on a regular basis, we can help speed things up by trying to unclog our pores and improve your overall cellular turnover. This will then allow the skin to properly operate and leave you with softer, smoother and healthier-looking skin.

Exfoliation will enhance absorption of topical skincare products

Along with aiding in your body’s natural regeneration process and getting rid of dead skin cells, exfoliating on a regular basis will help you to enhance absorption of topical skincare products. This will also ensure maximum delivery of the potent nutrients in your everyday products in order to penetrate to the deep layers of the skin, which is where the ageing process initiates.

Exfoliating can stimulate collagen and elastin production

Because of exfoliation’s ability to stimulate the overall cellular turnover, it can also help produce collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are absolutely crucial when it comes to anti-ageing and youthful-looking skin. This is because both collagen and elastin work together to improve its ability to stretch and bounce back and strengthen the skin’s structure. As we get older, our elastin and collagen levels decrease, so having that boost in production can get rid of wrinkles and leave your skin looking younger and more refreshed.

It can boosts circulation and support your body’s natural detoxification process

According to Katherine Tomasso, Yon-Kaa Paris’ National Director of Education, the stimulating action of exfoliation is able to boost your circulation as well as support your body’s natural detoxifying process. In addition, this will help get rid of cellulite, fade the look of stretch marks and more. In addition to smoother, more supple-looking and softer skin, regular exfoliation allows for healthier, newer skin cells to develop. As stated before, sloughing off those already dead skin cells can promote cellular regeneration, enhance the body’s detoxification process and boost circulation – all of which contribute to healthier, newer skin cells.

It can brighten your skin and help with moisture loss

Dead skin cells are not the only cause of dry, rough skin; they are also the cause of dull skin. Exfoliation does not only help with getting rid of the dullness and promotion of a more illuminated and brighter complexion, but you may also start to see an increase in moisture levels if you are using an exfoliant formulated with Alpha Hydroxy Acid. Alpha Hydroxy Acid has been proven to stimulate the production of natural hyaluronic acid and ceramides to prevent moisture loss. It can also help with hyperpigmentation by inhibiting melanin-triggering enzymes.

Types of Exfoliation

Before talking about the most common forms of exfoliation, let us talk about the different types of exfoliation. There are two ways to get rid of dead skin, namely; Physical exfoliation and chemical exfoliation.

With physical exfoliation, this means that something is physically sloughing off the dead skin, for example, a brush, grains, even a scalpel. Then we get chemical exfoliation, where chemical and acids are used to remove dead skin and help with cell turnover. Both of these types of exfoliation are effective and can promote smoother, brighter and softer skin. It all depends on your preferences.

The Most Popular Ways to Exfoliate

Now that the exfoliation basics have been covered, below are some of the most popular ways to exfoliate your skin:

  • Salt & Sugar Scrubs: This is perhaps one of the most common ways to exfoliate the skin. The physical exfoliant is often formulated with an oil that nourishes the skin, such as coconut oil. They help to get rid of the dead skin cells and nourish your skin at the same time.
  • Dry Brushing: Dry brushing is another way you can exfoliate your skin. With dry brushing, you make use of a dry, natural-bristle brush to slough off the dead skin cells and promote circulation within your skin. In addition, there is more, using a dry brush to exfoliate your skin can also help you firm and tighten your skin, get rid of cellulite and help reduce the look of stretch marks.
  • Peels: Peels are one of the most popular ways to chemically exfoliate your skin. Facial peels that you can use at home usually utilise Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Beta Hydroxy Acids in order to penetrate your skin and get rid of the dead skin cell build-up.

Some Interesting Facts about Chemical Peels:

How are chemical peels different from other forms of exfoliation?

Chemical peeps are generally composed of acids, and some of these acids may vary in their PH value. (The lower the PH value is, the stronger the actual acid will be.) Acids are quite effective when it comes to exfoliation of the skin, however, because of how strong they are, certain acid-based peels that have more than 10% total acid and also have a PH that is below 3.5, should always be done under the guidance of a professional.

While most chemical peels are usually based on a particular type of acid, the exfoliators that you can use in the comfort of your own home may contain granular ingredients like rice bran wax or almonds. Even though these methods are not as strong as acid exfoliators, they are still great ways to exfoliate your skin regularly, and they should be used anywhere from 2 to 3 times a week or as recommended by your doctor or skincare professional if you are going to a professional for your skin.

What types of peels do you get?

Chemical peels are generally categorised into 3 different categories:

  • Deep Peels: These types of peels are usually the most invasive and riskiest. Carbonic Acid is a solution which is classically used to do a deep peel, But it can be quite painful to your skin. This method is usually performed under medical supervision. After receiving a Phenol Peel, your face will be quite swollen and it can take up to 4 weeks to fully recover from it.

Below are some of the downsides to having a deep peel:

  • Redness
  • Peeling
  • Blistering
  • Irritation
  • Burning
  • Swelling
  • Infection
  • Scarring
  • Bleeding
  • Solar Sensitivity
  • Medium Peels: When getting a medium peel, they will commonly use a chemical called Trichloroacetic Acid. TCA peels are usually done on an outpatient basis, but it can also require mild sedation, it all depends on the concentration of Trichloroacetic that is used. A higher concentration of the acid will penetrate your skin more deeply, which will result in a much more dramatic improvement, nut it can also cause you to have more discomfort and need longer recovery time. Even though a TCA chemical peel will be applied in the exact same way as a milder chemical peel, the acid used in a TCA peel will be much stronger, causing a more significant burn to your skin. After having a TCA peel, a superficial crust will form over your skin, and within 3 to 7 days, it will start to peels off.
  • Superficial Peels: A superficial peel is the mildest chemical peel you get, and thus the safest peel for your skin. These peels can contain lactic acid, glycolic acid, papaya enzymes or fruit acids. Unlike medium or deeps peels, a superficial peel usually does not require medical attention. The purpose of superficial peels is also to avoid those harsh side effects that may occur when having a medium or deep chemical peel done.

At Aurora Wellness Spa, we offer a wide range of beauty and skincare products and treatments including chemical peels. Visit our website on www.auroraspa.co.za for more information.

BOOK NOW