Are You Exfoliating Too Much?

Exfoliating is one of the most important parts of skin care because it helps with removing dead skin cells, dirt and bacteria, and improving your overall complexion. It is however a double-edged sword, as it does come with a few caveats. There is such a thing as over-exfoliating your skin (which is very common), and it does reflect physically. Here are three symptoms of over-exfoliating:

• Tiny cracks in the skin barrier – This is not visible to the naked eye but can be confirmed by your dermatologist. Having small cuts in the skin barrier from either exfoliating too rough or with chemicals that are too harsh allows for harmful bacteria to enter the deeper layers and create imbalance to the natural biome. This then leads to higher chances of acne breakouts. 
• Pain and itchiness – When you wash your face with lukewarm water or when you apply products and feel a bit of a sting, you might be exfoliating too much. The same goes for feeling a slight itchiness on the parts of the skin where you do exfoliate.
• Dry and flaky skin – Over-exfoliating strips your skin off its natural hydration in the form of the oil that is naturally produced by your body. What happens then is your skin loses its elasticity and ends up appearing dry, rough and flaky. It can even develop rashes or eczema on the surface.

If you are looking for exfoliating products, we offer a variety of dermatologist-approved exfoliators from our catalog.