How Often You Should Exfoliate [DermTV.com Epi #56]

[1nsultTo1njury]

My skin is very dry so I only wash my face with cool/cold water followed by a moisturizer/skin repair lotion. For that reason, I stopped using exfoliates a while back because I thought they were making my skin drier. What's the best way to exfoliate and not lose moisture in my skin?

[ParkLeeNa]

Will the Clarisonic brush ruin my skin in the long run?

[mustafav7]

@ laurens178 what kind of foundation do you use. If it's mac it's too heavy. You should use sheer tint that is non comedogenic. For the black head on your nose use biore strips maybe every other day. Get a gentle face wash like cetaphil or the new proactive line using small amounts. The benzyol moisturizer should only be used at night more as a spot treatment. The facial mask twice a week. Get a good exfoliator with jo jo bead I get mine @ Lassen's.

[mustafav7]

I love Dr, Neil Schultz!

[laurens178]

hi i REALLY REALLY NED YOUR HELO ANYONE. im 15 years old and i hav liqiud foundation i dont know whats causing my problm but i sufer with blackheeads , whitehads & sumtimes spots, and i rally need to get rid of thm i hat them who wouldnt? and i need to know why when i apply foundation to my fac, my nose is okai but later in the day it has dots on my dots, like as if foundation sunk into my hole pores? if that made snse, plz tell emn wt causin this PLEASEE!!:(

[buhedwen]

Maybe this is a USA thing since I cannot get a 8% glycolic exfoliant in whatever form in UK drugstores + when I search online, they cost around $60 and above!

[beautywisdom]

plz plz plz answer me

i have a 12 % Glycolic acid cream so should i use it every day or every other day it lies between 10 & 15-20 % u just mentioned ?

the other question if i use a chemical exfoliate every day (12 % Glycolic acid cream) i don't have to use regular scrub once or twice a week?

the last question i have heard that you should use the chemical exfoliant for 10 minutes till the feeling of burning and tingling stops then wash with water and put your antioxidant cream?is that true

[chulacandy]

Dr. Schultz, I was wondering, do natural products (like burts bees) work better or as well as chemical products? I'm confused as to what I should be looking for (I'm 20 and don't have acne but am prone to break outs) Thanks...

[mi805]

should you exfoloate every day even if you have acne?

[CarlijnKortland]

is lactic acid good as well?

[VirginiaThai22]

Do we cleanse before exfoliating ? 

[gsalazar771490]

I was just wondering, do we exfoliate after cleansing our face? because I'm very prone to acne and right now I have my face under control and have some blemishes here and there, but do not want to produce too much sebum for exfoliating after cleansing every day. Help would be very grateful and appreciated.

[SMTSCL]

is St Ives Apricot Scrub (Invigorating) good for reducing pimples?

Could I use this as an exfoliant for my mild acne?

Thanks.

[fluffho]

Extremely helpful. I always thought these things were too harsh. But my skin can get used to them and can regenerate faster :) Cool, my esthetician says the same thing. $20 each time she does a peel for me lol

[devaloki]

someone once told me it is fine to just use a washcloth and rub the face in order to exfoliate, is that a good or bad thing?

[dermTVdotcom]

@devaloki The reason that it's not recommended is it's very imprecise and uncontrolled.

[LTTPUK]

@dermTVdotcom I find exfoliating with a wash cloth to be far more effective than the products I've tried which are even more imprecise and slap dash!

[JigokuXSpy]

Should a 10 to 12 year old use these products and listen to this advice (not just in this video)

[dermTVdotcom]

@JigokuXSpy Age is not a limiting factor for the subjects discussed on DermTV. The information is appropriate at most ages if the conditions exist at that age.

[1qewretry]

i use visiblyCLEAR blackhead pads; does this count as exfoliating?

[dermTVdotcom]

@1qewretry: Yes, from the description of the pads, they are a form of physical exfoliation.

[SMOOVEJOE]

Can daily use of an 8% glycolic cream lighten brown spots permanently remove brown spots without the use of hydroquinone?

[dermTVdotcom]

@SMOOVEJOE: If the cause of the brown spots is from rubbing and thickening, it can, but will not necessarily prevent you from getting new brown spots caused by rubbing and thickening.

[bloodfalcon7722]

i wash my face twice a day with an 8% cramie wash then every night with a gel wash which i leav on to sleep with. is this to much?

[dermTVdotcom]

@bloodfalcon7722: Since water inactivates glycolic acid (assuming your products are glycolic products) it is unlikely that any glycolic wash will effect significant exfoliation. Thus, it is unlikely that it is too much.

[iluvpenguins007]

@dermTVdotcom oh no! so does that mean that you can't thin out your glycolic or any other acid solution with water? what about glycerin? i'm just scared it would feel too oily and break me out

[JoannVu35]

pretty good avdvise.thanks Dr.

[iamteachable]

What are some good over the counter chemical exfoliators you can purchase at the drug store, (Walgreens, CVS, etc)?

[malekeh]

dont u need to give your body time to get more DEAD skin cells - or to repair itslef before u exfoliate agn ?

[dermTVdotcom]

The whole concept of gentle chemical exfoliation is to try to strike a balance between the strength of the exfoliant and the rate of creation of dead skin cells. There are exfoliating procedures such as 69% glycolic acid treatments that we do in the office that can not be repeated in less than ten to fourteen days because they are much more aggressive. (continued in next comment...)

[dermTVdotcom]

(...continued from previous comment) The whole point of regular gentle chemical exfoliation whether it is daily or every other day is to try to create a balance or steady state between formation and removal of the dead cells to give you an optimally smooth surface. That is why some of the stronger at home exfoliants are started at every other day and that is why under no circumstances do we ever exfoliate at home twice a day.

[malekeh]

thanks for the reply !

i use a St. Ives "black head- and acne spot treamnet scrub - for oily and acne prone skin" - about once a week..

should i use it more often ?

[dermTVdotcom]

As long as the directions on the product don't advise against it, granular acne cleansers usually can be used at least every other day. But for them to be most effective and least irritating, only use them at the end of the shower after your clogged/enlarged pores have been steamed open.

[malekeh]

Thanks A Lot!

[melmel232323]

can we use sugar daily?

[dermTVdotcom]

The problem with using sugar to exfoliate daily is that different types of sugar have different granularity (size of grains and rate of dissolution), so you need to be careful that you do not grind your skin off and injure it if you are using sugar for your daily exfoliation. Also, if using sugar, ensure that you do not exfoliate for more than ten to fifteen seconds daily.