Exfoliation: The Vital Skin Prep Step for Summer-Ready Skin

Have you ever applied fake tan without exfoliating and ended up with all your dry areas sticking out like sore thumbs?! If you haven’t, I’m sure you’ve seen someone who has!

But whether you use fake tan or not, exfoliation is THE most important step in creating summer skin you’re proud to show off. Let’s find out why and how you should exfoliate your skin before you prepare to bare all (or maybe just a little) this summer. Plus, the essential post-exfoliation skincare steps not to miss!

The Skin

The skin is made up of three layers that have different functions. The top layer of skin is called the

epidermis, and it:

contains melanin which determines the colour of your skin
produces new skin cells
keeps the body hydrated by preventing water loss
protects us from the environment.

The epidermis actually has five layers within it. New skin cells are produced in the deepest layer of the epidermis, and make their way to the outermost layer as they age and die. The outermost layer is the stratum corneum, which is made up of dead skin cells.

Skin cell turnover is the time from a new skin cell is produced to shedding, and it takes around 28-40 days, but this increases as we age.

Why Exfoliate?

When we don’t help our skin shed these dead cells, they continue to build up on the surface of the

skin. The result? Dry, rough, dull skin, with patchy and uneven tone, and blocked pores. Ew, right?

Removing some of the dead skin cells evens out dry patches, allows moisture to penetrate better, and reveals newer cells underneath.

Exfoliating benefits:

creates smooth, touchable, brighter skin
evens out skin tone
aids the absorption of serums, oils, and moisturisers
provides a better base for fake tan
helps prevent blackheads
helps banish “strawberry skin” on arms and legs (strawberry skin is the common term
for keratosis pilaris which is a blockage of the hair follicle, and results in small, red
bumps on the skin)
gives you confidence to show off your skin

How to Exfoliate

There are two ways of exfoliating dead skin cells – physical and chemical.

Physical exfoliation involves rubbing the skin with an abrasive material to manually slough away the cells. Chemical exfoliation means applying mild chemicals to melt the “glue” that holds skin cells together so they can be wiped away.

Our range of physical exfoliators will help you get summer-ready skin while keeping control of the level of exfoliation you require. We even cater for those with sensitive skin.

(Read on to find out more!)

How Often Should I Exfoliate?

Ideally, exfoliate your skin 1-3 times a week, depending on your skin type and how well you tolerate exfoliation. Once a week may be enough for those with dry or sensitive skin, whereas if you have normal to oily skin, you can exfoliate up to 3 times a week.

Over-exfoliation causes irritation, dryness, and sensitivity, as when you remove too many dead skin cells, the stratum corneum can’t prevent the cells underneath from losing water, or protect them from the environment.

Essential Exfoliating Aftercare

Always moisturise you skin after exfoliating to help keep the skin cells hydrated and moisturised. And more importantly, you must apply SPF after exfoliating as the newer skin cells that will be nearer the surface of the skin are more susceptible to damage from the sun’s UV rays.