No matter how flawless your makeup application is, the most important part of your look is the condition of your skin. If you don’t have a good canvas, then you will have a difficult getting a smooth, flawless finish. Exfoliation is a crucial step to achieving clear, glowing skin because it removes dead skin along with debris to reveal the new layer of skin underneath. Exfoliation is typically done once or twice a week, depending on the results desired.

There are three primary types of exfoliation for the skin: manual, enzyme, and chemical. One or a combination of these may be the most appropriate for your skin type, depending on the specific needs of your skin. Manual exfoliation is the most popular, and the easiest to find.

Manual exfoliation involves removing the dead skin cells physically, such as a washcloth, puff, or even fingers. Typically, these exfoliant products have granules such as ground solid ingredients such as almonds or “beads” created with synthetic ingredients. You can often find such things as crystals and even sand in these types of products. Higher end products tend to stick with rounder additives for these, as they tend to not scrape the skin like an ingredient with jagged edges.

Enzyme exfoliation uses enzymes, which are highly specialized proteins, which can help break down the dead cell layer which lays on the top layer of the skin. These can be very useful for sensitive skin types, as they don’t require pressure or friction to work. However, for an enzyme exfoliant to work, it needs to have the correct strength and pH balance.

Chemical exfoliation includes an ingredient such as alpha hydroxy acids or beta hydroxy acids which help loosen the sebum which traps dead skin against the skin. These are most beneficial for those with oily or acne-prone skin and don’t require pressure or friction to work, although many products combine this type of exfoliant with a manual exfoliant.

Deciding which of the exfoliation methods can often involve some trial and error. Taking into consideration your skin type and sampling the different methods will yield amazing results.

Photo by hdconnelly via Flickr.

I have always struggled with acne. From the minute my hormones took to making my life a living hell, I’d started to see little red bumps popping up all over my face. I was twelve, an evil age when dealing with acne, and looking for a solution. Thousands of dollars and fourteen years later, I’ve finally found it.
Natural ingredients that are gentle enough for my sensitive skin but strong enough for my acne have always been the “impossible dream” for me until now. Mario Badescu created a Glycolic Foaming Cleanser that with the help of Chamomile, Yarrow extract and St. John’s Wort has literally saved my skin. The scent is important to me, so imagine my joy when I breathed in that first sniff and felt immediately relaxed with its clean, natural scent. I only have to use a dime-size amount, twice a day, which is fabulous with a tight budget like mine. The 6 oz. bottle retails for $15.00 at Nordstrom. I bought this bottle 3 months ago and I still have over half the bottle left! Within the first week of use, I noticed my skin feeling softer, healthier, like it was breathing for the first time.
The second (and only other!) step in this process is Mario’s Drying Mask. It retails for $18.00 and is a 2 oz. tub. I have used a little more of this product, although I still have half the tub left! It uses colloidal sulfur to pull toxins to the surface and then absorbs them out of your pores. The sulfur smell does take a bit to get used to but if you have experienced acne for as long and with as much suffering as I have, a little stink will be just fine. After a month of using it, it doesn’t even bother me anymore. This Drying Mask is the ticket to keeping your pores clear and breathing. The first two nights I used it, I covered my face and slept with it on over night. By Day 3, I had significantly less pimples than on Day 1. Now, 3 months later, I use the mask on my entire face once a week and spot treat when I have an eruption. Might I add that by putting the mask on the pimple/problem area and letting it work through the night, I cut back my outbreaks by half. Instead of having to deal with 5-10 pimples at a time, I now only deal with 1-2.
I understand there is a huge amount of skepticism that comes along with the treatment of acne. I lived it. I am still amazed by the drastic changes I have seen by using Mario Badescu’s two products. I recommend this for anyone who likes to understand everything there is to know about the products they use. You can also learn more about these two products and many more by going online to: www.mariobadescu.com From one skeptic to another, it may not be impossible to have beautiful skin.