How Much Exfoliating is Too Much Exfoliating?
Alright, I have to admit, i’m a huge fan of exfoliating because it helps with my acne and my hyperpigmentation. I do a weekly physical exfoliation and I use acids throughout the week that help remove dead skin. When my skin has been exfoliated it’s able to release dirt and oil more easily causing me to have fewer break outs and less congestion in my pores. But lately i’ve been worried that I exfoliate too much!
Our skin exfoliates naturally over at 28 day period. It’s our skin’s life-cycle of being born, growing, maturing, and dying (exfoliating). But sometimes this cycle doesn’t work properly because you may live in a more polluted area (hello my fellow city dwellers) or if you happen to spend a lot of your days in the sun. Over time, this causes pre-mature aging and possibly more acne because your pores are getting suffocated by dirt, oil, pollution, or bacteria. Because of the benefits, exfoliating is such a big part of my routine, but I wanted to do a bit of research into the signs of over exfoliation. So, here we go…
Quick guide
Does exfoliating damage my skin?
It possible that you can over exfoliate your face. You have to strike a balance between under exfoliated skin to where your products cannot penetrate vs over exfoliated where you’ve damaged your skin barrier. What does it mean to have a damaged skin barrier? It means your skin can’t naturally protect itself anymore, causing more irritations or dryness.
What are signs of over exfoliated skin?
Typically you see a lot of redness or inflammation, your skin seems to be a bit more sensitive, could possibly be getting itching or burning sensations. But here are some specifics:
Shiny plastic looking skin. This could be any part of your face really. We are all trying to achieve smooth skin but this is a sign that it’s gone too far removing too much skin revealing very young skin cells.
Sensitivity including itchy or burning sensations. This would be a very obvious sign that your skin may be a bit too raw.
Tightness in your skin. If you’ve exfoliated too much you could have removed elastin and collagen, making your skin lose it’s flexibility.
Puffiness. If your exfoliator is polishing off too much of your skin, it can damage the lipid barrier causing your face to look red or swollen. If you’re noticing this, it can mean the deeper layer of skin is more exposed to the elements and becoming more irritated/sensitive.
Acne. While exfoliating can help clear up acne, over exfoliating can cause more of it! So if you’re noticing that you’re getting more acne flare-ups this could be why.
Over production of oil. If you’ve gone too far with your exfoliation, your body may be trying to fix the issue by pumping out more oil to help soothe your skin. If you feel like your face has turned into an oil slick, your skin is desperately trying to re-hydrate itself.
Peeling. If you get too dry your skin could start flaking like a croissant. You don’t want that. Basically what happened is you’ve exfoliated too much to where your skins super vulnerable and unable to naturally lock in moisture.
Looking aged. If all of a sudden your skin is looking very dehydrated or crepey, or you’re seeing stronger fine lines and wrinkles you need more hydration back into your skin.
How can I prevent over exfoliation?
Just stop going hard. There isn’t a correct number of how often you should exfoliate, but less is more. Younger folks could probably exfoliate less than people who struggle with acne, dry skin or dullness. You should probably only exfoliate 1-5 times a week depending on what you’re trying to achieve/who you are/age/etc.
I over exfoliated, what next?
First put down the exfoliators! Take a break from your AHA/BHAs. And take a deep breath, you didn’t create any long term damage (just for 28 days). Start using products and ingredients that are soothing or help with dry and sensitive skin. Rosehip oil, CBD, and chamomile are great ingredients to help calm the skin. You want to infuse hydration and balance back into your skin for the next month. Once your skin’s cycle rounds out, slowly start incorporating your physical or chemical exfoliators back into your routine but with a lighter touch.
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