I read recently that our obsession with exfoliating our skin might actually cause more harm than good. The article insinuated that too much microdermabrasion or chemical peels might make our skin too thin. And we all know that we need to plump the skin to make the wrinkles less apparent, right?
So I started reading and researching. Yes, we are obsessed and yes, you can damage your skin with over-exfoliation. But no, we are not making our skin too thin from these procedures. Microdermabrasion and chemical peels – or any kind of exfoliation should only take off the dead skin cells – if done right. As we age, the dead skin cells tend to cling to the skin a little longer and make our skin look rough and discolored. Helping speed up the normal process of removing skin cells will help our skin look smoother. If we use chemicals that irritate or burn the skin, this is not good for the skin because it damages it – but it doesn’t make it thinner. And yes we should use moisturizers to rehydrate the skin after these procedures.
The people who need to worry about making their skin thinner are the elderly. Skin does get thinner with age so the thinner skin will need to be treated more gently to avoid damage. People with sensitive skin may be more inclined to damage their skin with exfoliation. But, in both of these situations, thinning of the skin is not the problem. It is damaging the skin by over-exfoliating. So, if you are doing this at home and only experience mild drying and flaking after your exfoliation procedure, you have nothing to worry about.
Strong chemical peels, laser resurfacing and deep microdermabrasion should only be performed by a doctor or licensed professional in order to avoid skin damage.
