the importance of exfoliating, even dry skin

Skin never rests. It is constantly changing, growing, sloughing. One skin cells' life cycle is about 28 days from birth to shedding. As a skin cell makes it's way from the inner layers of skin to the outside of your body, it goes through a process of hardening. Once the skin cell is completely hardened, it has died, and serves it's role of protection for your body. Skin replaces the outer layers of dead cells with new cells to keep that safety barrier intact.

It is a constant process of regeneration. The rate at which the skin cells are moves to the surface and sloughed off is dependent on many factors, such as age, sun exposure, amount of exfoliation, treatments, skin conditions and others. Age causes cell turnover and metabolism to slow down. This lead to a decrease in lipids and moisture within the skin. This results in dead skin cells remaining on the surface longer. If the dead skin cells don't slough off, the new cells won't grow as fast, either.

To speed up the process of new cell generation, we can help our skin by exfoliating. There are chemical and mechanical means of exfoliation. Which you choose is up to you, but make sure you know what is happening to determine if you are satisfied with the ingredients that are being used.
Mechanical means of exfoliation is achieved by using a mildly abrasive substance, such as sugar, salt, pumice, oatmeal, etc, to gently scrub the dead skin cells off. This generally means that fewer or no chemicals are involved, so you don't need to worry about ingredients being absorbed into your body. You do have to use caution so that you choose an appropriate exfoliant so that you don't use something too harsh for your skin. Sugar and oatmeal are very gentle, if a small sized particle is used. These are usually in a base of lotion or oil to soothe and soften the skin during the process.

Chemical means of exfoliation is just that, a chemical that literally digests the dead skin cells. Substances such as alpha hydroxy acids, enzymes and other ingredients can be natural or artificial, but they all do the same thing. There are many different strengths available, and many treatments, like chemical peels, require you to slowly work up to using them. These chemical exfoliants generally leave skin feeling softer, though you may not really notice the difference between a chemical and a mechanical exfoliant's results.

In either case, exfoliation is vital to healthy skin. It not only softens and increases your skin's protection of your body, but it also enhances nerve stimulation and skin respiration. Exfoliation is important to your skin and overall health.

Book a facial with Pam K in Appleton at The Salon Professional Academy for a thorough skin evaluation, facial, exfoliating treatment, and a complementary service. Mention this blog DURING YOUR FACIAL consultation, and you will get a coupon for $5 off your first service making the basic facial cost only $17! Call Pam today at 920-420-2450 to book an appointment. Don't wait, call today to reserve your spot since space is limited and this offer only lasts for a few months. You won't believe the difference in your skin, and you will learn secrets to better skin health.