Your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells to make room for new cells every 30 days or so. Sometimes, dead cells don’t shed completely. This can result in dry, flaky patches and clogged pores. Exfoliating can help prevent this. I have been exfoliating my skin for over 40 years and I can highly recommend it if you have never done so, or if you have stopped – get back into the habit!
I talk about the importance of exfoliating for skin, lymphatic, circulatory and immune health in this video. If you are not sure how to go about exfoliating, I share my simple routine (including my products of choice!) in the video.
Some of the many reasons to exfoliate include:
- It promotes skin cell turnover – laughter lines are inevitable as we age, but you can still enjoy youthful, glowing skin with regular exfoliation, which actively promotes skin cell turnover and collagen synthesis, leaving you with brighter, clearer, younger-looking skin. To exfoliate my face, I don’t use the Calypso sponge as that is only for the body. For my face I use this facial scrub. I talk more about it in the video! I’ve been using this very effective face scrub for many years (and it won’t break the bank).
- It improves and evens skin tone and texture – exfoliation can help if you have dry, pigmented, or blotchy bits. Sloughing away old skin cells and allowing fresh ones to peep through gives your complexion a new lease of life.
- Exfoliation is excellent at sloughing off a build-up of keratin – a hard protein that protects skin from harmful substances and infection. Keratin can block the opening of hair follicles, causing patches of rough, bumpy skin, known as Keratosis pilaris. It’s a harmless skin condition that is usually found on the backs of the upper arms, thighs, or bottom. The skin can also be dry and rough. After exfoliating, you can apply a light, natural moisturiser. I use Jane Scrivner’s Cleanse Body Splash oil. It’s light, absorbs quickly, leaves the skin feeling silky smooth, doesn’t contain any nasties and smells beautiful.
- Skin brushing can help prevent a build-up of age spots – as we age, we can get age spots on the face and body. These can be brown, grey or black flattish areas of varying sizes. They are caused by overactive pigment cells, usually as a result of skin damage, although they can appear on the back, an area that rarely or never sees the sun! They are sometimes referred to as liver spots because a congested liver can have an impact on skin health.
- Exfoliation boosts circulation – regular exfoliation benefits skin all year round, but it’s especially beneficial during the winter months. Cold weather and central heating can dry out your skin and make it look tired and dull. Scrub well to improve blood flow and lymphatic drainage to revitalise your skin.
- It makes your lotions and potions more effective – there’s little point splurging on fancy face creams and skincare products if they sit on the clogged pores of your dead skin; ingredients only work if they can get deep down to the skin underneath.
- It stimulates lymphatic drainage – this is great for internal cleansing and stimulation of oxygen-rich blood to feed and nourish the skin’s surface. The touch and motion used during exfoliation activates the lymphatic system. This is important because the lymphatic system and its series of vessels, similar to veins, work to eradicate invaders that are in the bloodstream, tissues, and cells of our bodies. In addition, this system works to maintain fluid levels, absorb fat in the digestive tract, and remove waste products.
- When you exfoliate regularly, it’s not as necessary to use a body moisturiser as the exfoliation removes lots of dry, dead skin cells and encourages new moist skin to regenerate.
If you have any questions about the video, please get in touch.
