Exfoliating forms the foundation of most facial skincare treatments & with good reason. It helps increase skin cell turnover, brightens the skin, helps prevent & treat acne, it’s anti-ageing, improves skin texture & helps to even out your skin tone.
It is the one step everyone should include in their skincare routine. Exfoliators can be chemical or physical & chemical exfoliators can come in different strengths depending on what your skin is ready for or what your skin can tolerate.
As great as exfoliating is, there are times when you really should avoid it. There are times when it can ruin your skin & create a lot of damage
When To Avoid Exfoliating - Cortisone Creams
If you are currently using a topical corticosteroid don't exfoliate, ever!! These are normally prescribed for eczema, dermatitis or rashes on your skin
Cortisone creams thin the skin so exfoliating the skin will end up making it sensitive & it will irritate. Ideally, you have to wait 3 months from when you stop using the cortisone cream before you can start exfoliating again.
You cannot do any chemical peels or advanced treatments if you've used a cortisone cream in the past 3 months
I used to have really bad environmental allergies when I was living in Cape Town & my GP would always give me a cortisone injection which would work like a charm!! The cortisone injection would always thin my skin out so I couldn't exfoliate.
The only option for exfoliation you would have if you've been on cortisone is to use polyhydroxy acids. These are exfoliating but are suitable for sensitive/sensitized skin.
When To Avoid Exfoliating - Skin Rashes
If you develop a rash on your skin for whatever reason, avoid exfoliating up until the rash has healed.
A rash is an indication of irritation on your skin and is usually accompanied by inflammation whether you see it or not. A rash is also an indication of your skin's barrier being impaired.
If your skin's barrier is impaired, this means that your skin can be easily irritated & you don't want to irritate the skin further by exfoliating it.
Rather wait until the rash has cleared, then you can resume with your regular exfoliation.
When To Avoid Exfoliating - Sensitive skin
If your skin is sensitive or your skin has been sensitized, you have to be very careful with exfoliation.
You don't have to avoid it completely but you have to know what your skin can & cannot tolerate. If your skin is tingling or sore, avoid exfoliating completely.
Avoid granular/physical exfoliators completely if your skin is sensitive/sensitized. Lower concentrations of chemical exfoliators, less frequently are ideal for sensitive skin
The best exfoliator for sensitive skin is polyhydroxy acids. They are gentle & perfectly suitable for sensitive skin.
When To Avoid Exfoliating - Advanced Facial Treatments
If you have had a chemical peel, microdermabrasion or micro-needling avoid exfoliating completely for the first week after you had your treatment. This is because these advanced facial treatments exfoliate your skin much deeper than you do at home & you don't need to exfoliate again for a week. If you do exfoliate after the facial treatments, you might end up irritating your skin
Avoid exfoliating before going for your facial treatments too as your skincare therapist will do that for you during your treatment.
When To Avoid Exfoliating - Retinol
Retinol is a powerful ingredient that increases skin turnover. This means that it has an exfoliating action on your skin already & forms part of your exfoliating skin routine.
Avoid exfoliating on the same day that you will use retinol. If you exfoliate the same day you use retinol, you will be double exfoliating & will only irritate your skin
If you normally exfoliate 3 times a week, rather exfoliate twice a week & the retinol will count as the third exfoliation for that week. As you increase the frequency of your retinol use, you can decrease the frequency of exfoliation as they both do the same thing. If you don't do this, you will only end up over-exfoliating your skin & irritating it.
Avoid using retinol for 4 days before & 4 days after any advanced facial treatments, especially chemical peels!
As much as exfoliating is a great step in your skincare routine that everybody should include, there are times when you really should avoid it or decrease the frequency of exfoliation. If you're not sure how to include exfoliation into your skincare routine, book a free virtual consultation & I'll help you choose which exfoliator is best & how often you should be using it