3 Signs You're Over Exfoliating

As we age, metabolism slows which means the rate in which we replace our skin cells also slows down. Because of this shift, our skin is much more vulnerable to the signs of aging such as creases and wrinkles in the skin. A common way to trigger the skin to replace the old cells with new ones is to stimulate/imitate the natural process of desquamation or shedding of skin cells.  There are several ways to imitate shedding skin cells, but the most common and usually daily way is through Exfoliation. Exfoliation is the manual process by which dead skin cells are removed from the surface of the skin. Exfoliation is a wonderful tool for treating aging skin, however, too much can cause severe damage. 

In this post, I will discuss the signs of over exfoliation and recommend some products that can help resolve the effects. This post does contain affiliate links.

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1-Redness 

Erythema or consistent redness is usually a sign of irritated or sensitive skin. Redness can be traced to some form of over stimulation or inflammation under the surface of the skin. When the skin is over exfoliated, inflammation can build under the skin.  At first, the skin can appear more full or plump however, with continued over exfoliation the irritation will go from being filing to inflamed. 

2-Flaky & Dry Skin

Alipidic skin or skin that lacks oil can also be a sign of over exfoliation. The skin has a natural barrier function called the acid mantle. The Acid mantle is made up of sweat, oil and water,  when the skin has too many layers of dead skin cells removed, the natural barrier is impaired. Without the barrier intact, there is nothing on the skin to hold in moisture and block irritants from entering the skin's surface and therefore causing inflammation.

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3- Easy Irritation

Do you find that you can no longer use a certain product that was once your favorite? Many times over exfoliation can lead to sensitized skin or skin that has been made more vulnerable to irritation and inflammation over time.  Along with the sensitivity to products if your skin has been over exfoliated, you may experience a greater sensitivity to the sun or easily get sunburns.

Tips to Fix the issues

• Look for product lines that do not have an acids that run through the entire regimen. ​A lot of skincare lines have AHAs that run through all their entire line including the cleanser, moisturizer, and serum. AHA are great for exfoliating the skin and stimulating cell turnover, however over use can cause inflammation that can lead to redness, dry & flackyness and leave the skin vulnerable to irritating particles. 

• Use products that help build and protect the skin. Typically, a great skin serum will do the trick. Likely a skin serum that contains Vitamin C. Vitamin C not only is a great skin protector from Free Radicals, but the body also uses it in the production of Fibroblast cells which produce collagen and elastin.

Let me know if there are any questions on this topic.