Signs and Risks of Too Much Exfoliation

Yes, we have certainly discussed the importance of exfoliating your skin so that your serums and moisturizers can really get to work.  But just for a moment, let’s talk about the signs and risks of over-exfoliation.  This can include any type of exfoliation from the manual type with a washcloth, to a physical scrub, to a chemical type like an AHA.

Signs

• If you find that you have uncharacteristic dryness or redness, you might have committed the crime of over-exfoliating your poor skin.
• Flakiness and new sensitivities can also be signs of too much of a good thing.
• A new flare-up of breakouts or inflammation may mean that you have exfoliated too much and your skin is trying to overcompensate and protect itself.

Risks

• Ultimately, if you exfoliate too much at any given time, you can expose your skin to further damage.
• The outer layer of skin provides protects against environmental aggressors as well as pathogens that can lead to infections.
• When you remove too much of that protective layer, you are also opening your skin up to more intrusive sun damage which will not benefit your complexion in the short or long term.

Remedies

• Your first step is to step away from all exfoliators immediately, to give your skin time to heal.
• Make certain you are using your sunscreen to protect that raw and delicate skin.
• Certain ingredients such as green tea, aloe, chamomile, and cucumber can help soothe your skin.

So while exfoliation is a key step in caring for your complexion, like anything, too much can be counter-productive in the long run.  The best advice is to listen to your skin.  Don’t exfoliate simply because it’s Wednesday night; make sure that is what your skin is telling you it needs.