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What Causes the Build-Up of Dead Skin Cells?

Believe it or not, your body is constantly producing new cells to keep it functioning properly. This not only applies to the cells inside your body, but also to the skin cells outside your body.

In fact, you have about 19 million skin cells that cover every inch of your body and are constantly going through the process of growing and dying off. As a result of this process, you can expect to shed about 40,000 skin cells every single day as skin cells have an average life span of two to four weeks.

That being said, just because a skin cell dies doesn’t mean it is automatically shed from the body. Many dead skin cells tend to stick around on the surface of the skin. While this might not seem like a big deal, it can actually contribute to a whole host of undesirable skin problems. For example, clogged pores, acne blemishes, and calluses.

The best way to remove stubborn dead skin cells from the body is through the process of exfoliation. Perhaps you are aware of the importance of exfoliating the face, however, it’s important to exfoliate the entire body as you’re just as likely to experience the build-up of dead skin cells on your legs as you are on your face.

What Parts of the Body Require Exfoliation?

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While dead skin cells can technically accumulate on any part of your body, there are certain areas where they tend to become more problematic. As a result, you should focus your exfoliation efforts on a few key areas to achieve the best possible results.

For starters, you should exfoliate your face. This is because the skin on your face is made up of millions of pores with sebaceous glands underneath them that produce oil to keep the skin naturally hydrated. These tiny pores can easily become clogged by dead skin cells, dirt, or excess oil -- leading to blemishes or full-blown acne breakouts.

Many people falsely assume that exfoliation begins and ends with the face, however, that’s definitely not the case as you now know that dead skin builds up all over your body. In addition to your face, you should exfoliate your scalp to prevent flakes of dead skin accumulating in your hair, known as dandruff. You should also exfoliate your lips to help prevent peeling and flakiness. Finally, you need to exfoliate your feet to prevent the formation of rough calluses in areas like the heel and the ball of the foot.

How Often is Exfoliation Needed?

It’s definitely unrealistic to try to exfoliate your entire body each and every day -- and the good news is that you don’t have to! Even though you are losing millions of skin cells every day, you don’t need to remove them from your body that regularly. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to try to exfoliate your body once or maybe twice a week at the maximum.

For some people, this means spending an hour or two on self care and exfoliating the entire body all at once -- hitting the different areas from your scalp all the way down to your feet. For others, it may be easier to spend a few minutes every day or so to focus on exfoliating one specific area. So perhaps you exfoliate your scalp on Mondays, your face on Tuesdays, your lips on Wednesdays, your body on Thursdays, and your feet on Fridays.

No matter what type of exfoliation routine you choose, just make sure that you are going about the process correctly and regularly enough to achieve the best possible results.

How To Physically Exfoliate

When it comes to exfoliation, there are two different types that you should know about: chemical and physical.

Physical exfoliation is the type that you’re likely already familiar with. This type of exfoliation involves the use of rough particles to physically scrub dead cells away from the surface of the skin.

While physical exfoliation can be an effective method of removing dead skin cells, it can also be rough on the skin. This is particularly true if you have sensitive skin or deal with chronic acne breakouts. For this reason, it’s extremely important that you closely follow the instructions on your exfoliating products and be careful not to scrub too vigorously -- a simple, light, circular motion will do the trick with minimal risk.

How To Chemically Exfoliate

Chemical exfoliants, on the other hand, do not have a rough texture as they instead use chemical reactions to dissolve built-up dead skin cells on contact. For example, many types of acids, including alpha hydroxy acids, are considered chemical exfoliants as they are able to break down the bonds that hold these dead cells onto the skin.

There are several different types of chemical exfoliants available that range from weak to strong. You can use weaker acids safely at home on your own -- so long as you follow the product’s instructions. Stronger acids, on the other hand, should be applied by medical professionals like dermatologists. This procedure is referred to as a chemical peel as it effectively peels off several layers of skin to reveal the smoother and healthier skin underneath.

The Best Exfoliating Ingredients

There’s no shortage of exfoliating ingredients out there, so how can you choose the best ones for your skin?

Here are some examples of exfoliating ingredients, broken down into two categories for both chemical and physical varieties:

Physical exfoliants include:

  • Jojoba beads
  • Pumice crystals
  • Oatmeal
  • Ground walnuts
  • Coffee grounds
  • Baking soda

A simple wet washcloth could even act as an exfoliant for your skin! As you can see, these are all gritty, textured ingredients that can physically rub off dead cells that are stuck on the surface of the skin.

Chemical exfoliants include:

  • Azelaic acid
  • Carbolic acid
  • Citric acid
  • Glycolic acid
  • Lactic acid
  • Malic acid
  • Mandelic acid
  • Salicylic acid
  • Tartaric acid

Of these different acids, glycolic, lactic, and azelaic pack a particularly big punch and are able to diminish the occurrence of a variety of different skin concerns including acne, dark spots, oily skin, acne scars, and sun damage.

Other Steps Involved in a Comprehensive Skincare Routine

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While exfoliating is definitely a key component within an effective skincare routine, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. In order to take the best care of your skin, you’re going to need a comprehensive skincare routine that also includes cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and the application of serums and night creams.

If you’re overwhelmed by all these different steps -- don’t be! While it can be difficult to cover all of these individual steps through the use of a variety of different products, PROVEN Skincare believes in a simplified approach that involves just three products.

PROVEN Skincare does all the heavy lifting for you by creating custom skincare formulas that can effectively address your unique skin type and skin concerns.

For example, your formula will differ depending on whether you have dry skin, oily skin, or combination skin. Your formula will also include ingredients to effectively combat skin concerns that include acne, irritation, aging, dark spots, and more.

All of this is done through a simple three-minute skin quiz that combines the information you provide with the information that PROVEN has gathered through our Skin Genome Project. This award-winning initiative involved the analysis of 20 million customer reviews, 100,000 skincare products, 20,000 skincare ingredients, and 4,000 scientific papers.

From the results of your skin quiz, you will then receive three unique products that cover all your skincare bases through clever and effective formulations developed by Stanford scientists.