EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EXFOLIATION, PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL , WHICH IS BETTER?

Everything you need to know about  physical and chemical exfoliation; Which is better??

what is exfoliation?

The skin consists of basically 3 layers; the epidermis , dermis and hypodermis in the order respectively . The epidermis in itself is divided into several layers ; stratum corneum is the outer most layer and the exposed to the environment, this layer is made of dead tissues and keratinocytes . As new cells grow from the lower layers older cells gets pushed off to the top and wither off eventually, this simply implies that the more healthy and new cells are embedded within this layer.The cells in the outer most layer are dead and accumulate sweat , dirt, oil and harbors numerous bacteria  causing acne and several other skin issues.
Exfoliation or scrubbing off these dead cells from the skin make them more brighter and more receptive to any kind of skincare applied on top of it.

what are the best ways of exfoliating the skin?

The most popular are the physical exfoliators and the chemical expoliators. Ranging from natural homemade DIYs and commercially available products out in the market.

Physical exfoliation

Physical exfoliators physically scrub off the dead skin layers from the skin using scrubs , microdermabrasion. They are usually gel or cream based products with finely ground ingredients which has a gritty texture to it. Scrubs: these products contain small granules which are massaged on the skin gently .There are scrubs present in the market or home made packs could be used as well

Suggestions:

• Commercial- biotique bio papaya revitalizing tan-removal scrub .

              www.nykaa.com/biotique-bio-papaya-smoothing-revitalizing-scrub

• coco soul face scrub with extra virgin coconut oil.

               www.nykaa.com/coco-soul-face-scrub/p/409090?

DIYs -

• take chickpea powder and yogurt in a bowl and mix well, apply the mixture onto the desired area ( face , hand or legs) massaging the mixture onto the skin , allow it to dry and wash off with Luke warm water.

• take a spoon of powdered sugar and mix it with honey and follow the same procedure of massaging in circular motion and leave it on for about 15 minutes and wash off. The mixture can be used on the lips to remove any flakiness or cracks on the lips.

It is very important to be very gentle on the skin while using any sort of  physical scrubs, they can not only irritate the skin when used harshly but also causes micro tears in the skin which does make the skin more susceptible to a lot of bacteria and UV rays of the sun.

Note : always avoid apricot and walnut based scrubs as the exfoliating particles are not circular and tend to scratch on the skin.

Chemical exfoliation

Chemical exfoliators do not contain any gritty particles in them ,but instead use chemical exfoliators or acids to remove the dead skin layer . Acids like AHAs ( alpha hydroxy acids ) and BHA ( beta hydroxy acids) are used . These acids  peel off the dead skin layer ,they leave the skin squeaky clean and in the course of time does clean acne scars and  improves texture on the skin.

Suggestions:

• revolution skincare mild skin exfoliator.

         www.nykaa.com/makeup-revolution-skincare-mild-skin-exfoliator-5-lactic-acid-hyaluronic-acid

It is very important to do chemical peels during the night and wear a sunscreen in the morning. For sensitive  and irritated skin it is always advised to get chemical peels done from a dermatologist only.Always follow the directions provided on the product.

which is better?

there are quite a lot of cons in each category

• physical exfoliation is always prone to manual errors - the intensity of scrubing and the grittiness of the scrubbing granules can cause a lot of damage to the skin.
• chemical exfoliators do make the skin sensitive to the sunlight but this can be counteracted by using a broad spectrum sunscreen . Although the acids such as glycolic acid, salicyclic acid, lactic acid or mandelic acid used not to exfoliate the skin , also help to dry out pimples and is really good to treat acne scars and to obtain a even and flawless skin.

Many influencers personally choose chemical exfoliation over using conventional scrubs for the face as they give a lot more benefits to the skin. when it comes to exfoliating your body physical scrubs are the way to go.

I hope this provided you with enough information and helped you out.You are always welcome to give any sort of constructive feedback and suggestions. Do let me know what you would want to know next.

Thank you, And see ya soon xoxo.