It’s Peel Season! Elevate your Skin with Exfoliation! Part 1…
It’s Peel Season! Elevate your Skin with Exfoliation!
Happy Fall! After spending the last official week of summer on the stunning white, sandy beaches of the gulf in Northwest Florida, I’m sad to bid farewell to a beautiful summer. But, that doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to fall!
To celebrate the kick off to fall, over the course of this week, I will be sharing my exfoliation best practices, my favorite at-home skin care tips. Plus, I’ll introduce the different types of exfoliations. This is part 1 of a 4 part series!
And, I’m running a special promotion that you won’t want to miss!
What does Autumn Mean for Your Skin?
Estheticians affectionately call the fall season “peel season.” Just as the trees are beginning to shed their leaves, it’s time for us to shed sun damage, lines and wrinkles! Naturally, that means this is the perfect time to repair and renew skin with Exfoliation!
Exfoliation by definition loosens and sloughs away dead skin cells from the epidermis. This prepares the skin for the best outcomes from topical ingredients because they can penetrate deeper without any barrier to their absorption.
Understanding cell renewal is key to understanding proper exfoliation. Cell renewal is a natural process that our skin knows how to do without our help. However, sometimes, we can gently nudge the process along when it needs it. For example, when leaves accumulate on our sidewalk or lawn, it not only looks bad, but it’s damaging to the grass underneath. So, we reach for the broom or rake, right? Similarly, exfoliants brush away and remove the dead skin cells.
Without exfoliation, our skin’s epidermal barrier can become clogged and dull. By removing the dead skin cells, we allow the skin to function properly. Although I’d dearly love to expand into cell renewal and the barrier function of the skin, it’s a whole other expansion topic for another day, but I will explain it in your consultation!
Don’t Make These Exfoliation Mistakes
Unfortunately, there is lots of misinformation out there about Exfoliation. And, since my number one promise and priority is to protect your skin, educating you, my dear client, is an essential part of what I do!
Most often, I find that people either OVER-exfoliate or they don’t do it at all. Those who do exfoliate often don’t know how to choose the best combination of ingredients for their skin or aren’t exfoliating correctly. If you do exfoliate, please avoid these common mistakes for the sake of your precious skin.
Stop…
- Using a harsh scrub on your skin.
- Applying over-the-counter skin products twice a day/every day that contain chemical exfoliants and harsh ingredients.
- Using a buzzy bristle brush device every day. (I know, I know…the box says to do it, but trust me. It’s not good for your skin.)
Now, when it comes to proper exfoliation, I have a few important beliefs:
- For the safety of your skin, a good skin consultation or skin assessment is the first step!
- The right custom blend of home care, proper habits, ingredients, and professional treatments are key.
- Less is more.
Why Does a Professional Consultation Matter?
I know what you’re thinking… “Oh, c’mon, Sara, can’t you just message me or tell me over the phone what I need? Do I really need an actual consultation?”
Okay, I’ll humor you. Let’s say I do offer my best guesses over a quick phone call or message exchange. Then, my best guesses don’t give you the results you were hoping for—or worse, what if your skin reacts badly? No one is happy in that situation, not to mention the loss of money on products you’ve purchased. That’s hard-earned money that you could have saved by taking advantage of an inexpensive consultation with yours truly!
A professional consultation allows me to learn about your daily habits, any external factors, medical conditions, medicines, diet, vitamin and mineral intake and products you are currently using.
I will also get an understanding of your skin goals. The purpose of the consultation is for both of us to move forward in a way that ensures the safety of your skin and helps you achieve a truly healthy glow.
A consultation can also help me determine who isn’t a good candidate for exfoliation, including mechanical and some types of chemical exfoliations. For example, you generally won’t be a good candidate if you have rosacea, acne, cystic acne, or are a darker Fitzpatrick skin type. If you use tanning beds or recently suffered a sunburn, you also aren’t a candidate. Mechanical exfoliation is especially a bad idea for clients with acne because it can spread bacteria.
*Don’t worry! I have solutions for those of you who are compromised, which I will get to in upcoming posts this week!*
The bottom line is many factors play into your skin assessment. Each person is unique and deserves a custom prescription for how to care for their skin. A proper skin consultation is invaluable.
Why Choose an Esthetician for Your Exfoliation?
Estheticians are trained to repair, restore and maintain the healthy pH of your skin’s delicate protective barrier, which is known as the acid mantle.
A proper skin care routine will ensure that you protect this delicate acid mantle through safe cleansing, exfoliation, hydration and moisturizing practices. Because we know how to work with your specific factors, we can prescribe the ingredients that will work best for your skin. We can also advise you about the correct order of use of the products and how often you should integrate these products into your skin care regime.
To assist in anti-aging and repair efforts, we can also introduce an exfoliation technique that is right for you.
Coming up tomorrow, part 2 in a 4 part series… learn about mechanical exfoliation and the common mistakes that could be damaging your skin.