Exfoliate the right way

Exfoliation is an important part of your skincare regimen but is commonly done incorrectly.  If you over exfoliate your skin with scrubbing washes, cleaning wands or brushes you will cause a few problems.  Over exfoliation will stimulate extra oil production and break down the top mantle layer of the skin that is the barrier to bacteria.  Mechanically scrubbing too much will actually cause breakouts and excessive oil on the skin.  You can use a daily acidic wash (alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acid) to gently exfoliate dead skin cells without causing these problems.  More aggressive exfoliation with scrubbing washes or brushes should be limited to once a week.   Chemical peels and cleansing facials with your esthetician once a month are helpful to keep your skin bright and beautiful without over doing it. So daily exfoliation with acidic cleansers, weekly scrubs and monthly facials or peels are the way to go.

Tip from Carmen A. Traywick, MD co-owner of LUX~ A Medical Spa