What You Need To Know About Physical Exfoliation

Physically removing dead skin

Skincare | November 17, 2021

Are physical exfoliators still worth it if you want clear and healthy skin? The answer is yes, even though it may seem unlikely considering that many prefer chemical exfoliators instead. With physical exfoliators, you have the option of how you want to exfoliate your face.

No matter how you choose to physically exfoliate your skin, the main focus is to do it safely to ensure you receive good, healthy results. Certain skin types may benefit from doing this more than others, but it is up to you to find out what works for your skin.

What Is Physical Exfoliation
Types Of Physical Exfoliation
How Can Physical Exfoliation Help Your Skin
How To Use A Physical Exfoliate For Your Skin Type
Tips On Using Physical Exfoliators
Takeaways

What Is Physical Exfoliation

You may be already familiar with the idea of what physical exfoliation is, but to clarify, it is when you are physically or manually removing dead skin cells. When physically exfoliating your skin, you would use a face scrub or a tool to remove the dead skin on the outermost layer of your skin.

Physical exfoliation should not be confused with chemical exfoliation, as that is when you use acids (AHAs, BHAs, or PHAs) to remove dead skin and brighten skin complexion.

Types Of Physical Exfoliation

When describing physical exfoliation, I stated that you can use a face scrub or a tool to exfoliate your skin. These two options are what you can choose between when exfoliating. Within those options, there are many types of face scrubs and tools.

There are face scrubs that use many different types of physical exfoliating agents, and the size or roughness varies depending on the exfoliating agent.

Some examples:

Coffee Grounds
Finely Ground Nuts
Jojoba Beads
Finely Ground Sea Salt
Pumice Crystals
Oatmeal
Grains

As for tools, most people wouldn’t think they are physical exfoliators because they are only seen as just a cleansing tool. So, products that you would use on your face like motorized dermabrasion sponges or brushes or any cleansing tool other than your hands are physically exfoliating your skin.

How Can Physical Exfoliation Help Your Skin

There is this misconception that physical exfoliation is terrible for your skin which is untrue. Your skin can benefit from physical exfoliation because the granules in face scrubs will remove dead skin cells, pollution, makeup residue, and grime from your skin.

After using a physical exfoliator for a while, your skin will appear brighter and feel smoother. It can also help with minimizing the appearance of your pores and getting rid of blackheads. An added bonus to physically exfoliating your face is that it helps other products in your routine (serums, treatments, and moisturizers) penetrate deeper into your skin.

This will allow the products to work even better and possibly see results more quickly.

How To Use A Physical Exfoliate For Your Skin Type

Everybody’s skin is not the same, that is why it is crucial to know what works best for each skin type, and physical exfoliation will be no different. When it comes to this skin treatment, certain skin types can exfoliate more frequently than others.

Normal or Combination Skin

For either of these skin types you should consider microdermabrasion as your physical exfoliator. This treatment is minimally invasive and it gently removes the outermost layer of your skin. Also, regular exfoliation will help with reducing excess oil, unclog pores, and remove dry, dead skin.

When it comes to how often you should exfoliate it is best to do it once or twice a month.

Oily Skin

This skin type can benefit from physical exfoliators the most compared to other skin types, specifically mechanical ones such as exfoliating brushes and scrubs.

Using these facial cleansing tools helps remove dead skin cells and temporarily minimizes the appearance of large pores. Also, since it is the least prone to dryness and irritation, this skin type should exfoliate three to five times a week.

Sensitive Skin

It is best to use products that are fine-grained and gentle. If you want to use a scrub with small grains or particles, make sure you avoid products with fruit pits or nutshells. These types of face scrubs can irritate the skin.

As for how often you should physically exfoliate your skin, it is recommended that sensitive skin opts for once or twice a month.

Tips On Using Physical Exfoliators

Here are a few tips you can take with you when shopping for your physical exfoliator or while using them.

Choose exfoliating products that contain small grains or particles at first
Test out different grain textures to see what works
Beware of some physical exfoliating scrubs that are not best for the environment (ex. microbeads)
Stick to the recommended frequency use listed on a product
Gradually increase how often you will use a product until you find that sweet spot, which is before your skin starts to feel irritated or stripped

A Tip For Dark Skin

Darker skin tones or melanin-rich skin should be a little bit more careful when exfoliating because over-exfoliation can lead to hyperpigmentation. Also, it is more prone to dryness, so based on your skin type, start at the lowest recommended usage and slowly increase the frequency. Use this time to assess how your skin is reacting to this treatment.

Takeaways

With all this information, are you considering adding physical exfoliation to your skincare routine? With the option between a face scrub or a tool which one do you think you should incorporate into your regimen?

At the end of the day, to achieve healthier and clearer skin, you will need to remove the dead skin and impurities so that healthier skin can grow in its place. So, be careful with any new product you choose to use and I hope that you will now be closer to your ideal skin.