Animals shed fur. Reptiles shed entire layers of skin. But — what about humans? How do we get rid of dead, useless skin cells in order to reveal the soft skin underneath?
It’s called exfoliation and it involves the removal of the oldest dead skin cells from the skin’s outermost surface. And everyone needs it. A regular routine of exfoliation can help us achieve the kind of baby soft skin we and everyone else loves to touch, gaze upon and feel against us as we kiss a cheek. Speaking of babies, the youngest among us turn over skin cells about every 30 days. But as we age, the process slows down so that by the time we are 60, it takes a full two months for the skin to turn over. To stimulate that turnover, we exfoliate.
Explaining exfoliation…
Although it’s optimum to exfoliate all our skin – both face and body — the type of exfoliation we do to the face is gentler, since the skin is more tender. Exfoliants can be made up of salts, scrubs, chemicals or the procedure may include use of a machine (micordermabrasion). While it may be safe to use ground fruit pits on elbows and knees, they can cause microscopic cuts on face. So faces are treated with blueberries, pomegranate, pumpkin, pineapple, oats, and chemical peels, all of which have heavenly aromas as they are applied.
So how about you? Do you routinely cover up your skin anomalies instead of seeking treatment? A visit with a skin care professional at The Healing Station can make you aware of body-specific products and treatments that are available, including those available for the treatment of acne, hyper-pigmentation, keratosis, pilaris and atopic dermatitis (eczema).
The sun is not always our friend …
Don’t let all those pictures of a smiling sun lull you into the idea that the sun’s rays are all good for you. Apart from a small dose of vitamin D, the news about sun exposure is not good. UV exposure causes hyper-pigmentation that can affect the hands, the arms and the chest as well as the face without proper protection. While many of us wear makeup foundations with some SPF thrown in, these other areas are often neglected when it comes to sunscreen use. A combination of professionally applied treatments with home-use products is the best way to achieve even pigmentation and help lessen wrinkling later on.
Going to great lengths for smoother skin …
First developed as a medical procedure to improve the appearance of scarred skin, dermabrasion as a technique of skin resurfacing has been in use for nearly 100 years. Its core principle involves the use of various abrasive instruments to remove superficial layers of skin using appropriate anesthesia, most often with high-speed rotary instruments with abrasive end pieces. Although the results of dermabrasion can be rejuvenated skin that is smoother and firmer than before, it can be both a costly and somewhat painful procedure, requiring the use of topical anesthetics and a degree of recovery time.
A kinder gentler way …
Here at The Healing Station, we can achieve similar results without all the hoopla and certainly at a more cost-effective level employing much gentler methods over a slightly longer period of time and using less invasive methods. For more information about exfoliation and skin care, please give us a call at (916) 294-9980. Your skin will thank you.
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