The Power of Exfoliation: Unveiling a Glowing Complexion

Ever find yourself wishing that you could transform your dull skin into a bright and glowing complexion? 

That’s where exfoliation comes in. Use the right products, along with the correct technique, and your skin will benefit in numerous ways. Read on as Lionesse explains the power behind exfoliation, along with how you can make the most of each of your exfoliating sessions to bring your skin a more radiant finish.

What is Exfoliation?

Exfoliation is a process that involves removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. This then reveals the fresh and healthy-looking skin cells beneath, which would have otherwise remained hidden by the old and rough skin cells that were previously plastered over them. 

Why do these dead skin cells gather on the skin’s surface in the first place? 

Well, when you’re young, this doesn’t happen very often. The skin’s natural cell renewal process takes care of things. It encourages the skin to naturally shed its dead skin cells on its own. However, with age, along with a few other different factors, cell renewal starts to slow down. The rate at which new skin cells are produced begins to decline, as does the skin’s ability to shed its dead skin cells. This results in all of those dead cells cluttering up the surface of the skin, making exfoliation the only way to properly clear these and enjoy a glowing complexion once again.

Physical vs Chemical Exfoliation

When it comes to choosing an exfoliant, you have two main options; physical exfoliants or chemical exfoliants.

What’s the difference? 

Well, as you can tell from the name, physical exfoliants physically exfoliate the skin. They consist of an abrasive substance that needs to be manually rubbed across the skin in order to dislodge those dead skin cells that are clinging to your skin’s surface. On the other hand, chemical exfoliants consist of acids. They dissolve the bond that keeps dead skin cells attached to the surface of the skin, allowing those cells to then fall off and be washed away.

Which is better?

Both are effective when it comes to bringing about a glowing complexion. However, chemical exfoliants have been getting a bad rep lately. Between exfoliating too often and using overly harsh acids, dermatologists have been noticing an increase in redness, dryness, irritation, and sensitivities caused by chemical exfoliants. There’s nothing wrong with chemical exfoliants when they’re formulated and used in the correct manner but, unfortunately, this is often not the case.

So, whether you’re just beginning your exfoliation journey or you’re looking for ways to improve on the benefits provided by exfoliation, we would recommend going back to basics with a gentle physical exfoliant, just like the Lionesse White Pearl Facial Peeling. This formula makes use of a combination of finely ground nutshell powder and pearl powder. Together, they’ll slough off any dead skin cells that have clustered up on the surface of your skin, giving you the glowing complexion you’ve been seeking. 

The Benefits of Exfoliation

We’ve already mentioned how exfoliation can help provide a glowing complexion, but how exactly does it do this and what other benefits can you expect to experience? Let’s find out…

Brighter-Looking Skin

One of the biggest benefits of exfoliation is how it can pretty much immediately leave the skin looking brighter and more radiant. This is down to how all of those dead skin cells that build up on the skin’s surface detract from the skin’s natural glow. They’re rough and uneven, meaning that they don’t reflect light smoothly, giving the skin a lackluster finish.

By exfoliating those dead skin cells away, you’ll be unveiling the younger cells beneath. These will have a much smoother and brighter appearance, resulting in the glowing complexion that exfoliation is loved for providing.

An Even Skin Tone

Struggling with dark spots or discoloration of any form? If so, regularly exfoliating is something that you’ll definitely want to do.

The way in which exfoliation removes the outer layer of dead skin cells enables it to take some of those discolored cells away too. Sure, a single exfoliation session isn’t going to get rid of your dark spots. However, regularly exfoliating will allow you to fade the visibility of your discoloration so much faster than if you weren’t to exfoliate.

Clear Pores and a Reduction in the Appearance of Acne

What happens if you don’t exfoliate and you allow all of those dead skin cells to continue building up on the surface of your skin? Well, in addition to your skin looking dull and rough, you’ll also end up with clogged pores, which is a precursor to acne. 

How does this happen? Well, all of those dead skin cells won’t just sit on the surface of your skin forever. Instead, over time, they’ll start to make their way into your pores. When these dead cells mix with sebum and bacteria in your pores, inflammation arises, which then leads to breakouts.

By regularly exfoliating, you’ll be preventing those dead skin cells from clogging up your pores. As a result, you’ll notice a reduction in the appearance of acne since clear pores mean that breakouts will find it much harder to erupt.

Smoother-Looking Skin

Did you know that exfoliation can help with the appearance of aging too? 

If you’ve been noticing fine lines and wrinkles spidering their way across your face, exfoliation is a great tool to deal with this. Regularly exfoliating will give your skin a much smoother finish, while also leaving your skin feeling more elastic.

Improved Product Penetration

Want your skincare products to work to their full potential? 

If you don’t exfoliate, they won’t be able to do so.

As we mentioned earlier, it doesn’t take long for dead skin cells to form a thick layer over the skin’s surface while also blocking pore openings. Apply a skincare product over the top of this and it will struggle to penetrate through that layer of dead cells. Instead, it will simply sit on top of them. It may feel as though the product is soaking into your skin but it’s far more likely to evaporate into the air. This means that your skin doesn’t end up benefiting from your skincare products in a significant way, rendering your entire skincare routine near-useless.

Regularly exfoliating your skin ensures that the surface of your skin is free of dead skin cells. This will enhance the rate at which your skincare products are able to penetrate into your skin, magnifying the results that your skincare routine provides.

A Circulation Boost

Exfoliation is revered for how it can instantly contribute to a glowing complexion. This isn’t solely because of how it removes dead skin cells – the circulation boost that it provides helps with this too.

How does exfoliation boost circulation?

It all comes down to the way in which exfoliants are applied to the skin. Most need to be massaged in using wide, circular motions. Just like a facial massage, this stimulates circulation, speeding up the rate at which blood flows through the skin. With your blood responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients to your skin cells, the faster flow of blood results in your skin cells being nurtured to a greater extent. This contributes to a beautifully glowing complexion.

Fewer Ingrown Hairs

Have you ever struggled with ingrown hairs on your face or body? You’ll be happy to know that exfoliation can help.

One of the reasons behind the development of ingrown hairs is clogged pores. They prevent your hairs from growing out of your skin in a straight and even manner, causing them to coil back inwards instead. By clearing away your clogged pores with an exfoliant, your hairs will be able to grow in the way that they should, with ingrown hairs becoming a problem of the past.

How to Exfoliate Your Face

As we briefly mentioned earlier, you’ll experience the best results from exfoliation if you use the right technique. 

This begins with a cleanse. Whether you’re exfoliating your face or your body, your exfoliant will be able to work to a much greater extent if it doesn’t have to deal with dirt and other impurities that may also be sitting on the surface of your skin. Cleansing your skin first will ensure that your skin’s surface is free of all of these unwanted particles, allowing your exfoliant to solely focus on removing your dead skin cells.

Of course, since exfoliation is essentially a deep cleanse, you don’t want to use a cleanser that’s too harsh. Go for a gentle formula that will prep your skin for your exfoliant, just like the Lionesse White Pearl Facial Cleanser. Loaded with antioxidants and plant oils, this cleanser will leave your skin feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for an exfoliation session.

When it comes to how to use an exfoliant, this will all depend on the exfoliant that you choose. Go with the Lionesse peel featured earlier and the technique couldn’t be easier to master. Simply massage the product onto dry skin for about 30 seconds before rinsing it off. 

Once you’re done, make sure that you don’t leave your skin bare. Freshly exfoliated skin is extremely susceptible to environmental damage. A moisturizer will help to keep it feeling protected. At Lionesse, we have several exquisite moisturizers that you can choose from. Whether you go for our Black Onyx Cream to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles or our Diamond Neck & Face Lift Cream to enhance the look of elasticity in your skin, a good face cream will perfectly complete your exfoliation session.

How Often Should You Exfoliate?

From redness and sensitivities to excessive dryness and acne breakouts, over-exfoliation can lead to a variety of different symptoms. Their sheer diversity can make it difficult to pinpoint over-exfoliation as the cause, meaning that your issues will likely worsen before you figure out the reason behind them.

To prevent all of this, make sure that you don’t start over-exfoliating your skin. If you have dry or sensitive skin, a weekly exfoliation session is likely all that you need. On the other hand, if your skin is on the oily side, you may need to exfoliate twice, or perhaps three times, a week. However, keep a close eye on how your skin responds to this so that you don’t end up overdoing it.

Unveil a Glowing Complexion With Lionesse

As you can see, a good exfoliant could be the solution that you need to tackle your visible skin concerns. Whether it may be the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots, roughness, acne, or just about anything else, understanding the power of exfoliation will enable you to achieve the glowing complexion that you’ve been looking for.

Click here to explore more glow-enhancing skincare bestsellers from Lionesse.