Acne and Exfoliation
How Much Exfoliation is Too Much for Acne Sufferers?
Acne sufferers usually know that exfoliating their skin is a very important part of their skin care ritual. What they often fail to realize is that exfoliating too much can irritate their skin and actually make acne worse. If you don’t want to exfoliate yourself to the point of an acne explosion, you’d better read this.
Why Exfoliate At All?
Exfoliating skin can help improve acne because it helps to slough off dead skin cells which can clog pores. Acne sufferers are often prone to overdoing a beneficial treatment in the hopes that more is better. They are often desperately seeking a miracle cure for their acne, so when they find something that is beneficial they are inclined to overdo it. With exfoliation, however, it is important to remember that more is less.
Exfoliating too frequently can lead to the very condition you are trying to avoid. If you exfoliate too much, you run the risk of irritating your skin which will close your pores and can lead to more blemishes instead of fewer.
Rules to Live By
You might be wondering how you can tell if you are exfoliating too much. If you’re exfoliating every day, then you are definitely exfoliating too much and you run the risk of making your acne worse. Limit your exfoliation to about twice a week, after washing with your usual facial cleanser. Don’t rub too vigorously or your skin will irritate and your pores will become inflamed. Also make sure you don’t rub a regular washcloth against your face too often and simply pat your face dry instead of rubbing a towel all over it.
It is generally best to exfoliate your skin at night, especially if you are female. This way your skin has a chance to rest before you apply any makeup to it. If you notice that your acne is getting worse or your skin is red and irritated, try exfoliating just once a week or take a break from it entirely for a few weeks and take it from there.