Exfoliants – The FAQs

We’re always being told that exfoliating our skin is good for us. But there’s a lot of information out there. It can get a little confusing to know exactly what you’re supposed to do, and how often!

FREZYDERM has decades of experience making market-leading exfoliating products. We’re here to answer your most asked questions about exfoliation and how to keep your skin healthy!

What is an exfoliant?

Exfoliants are products which remove excess dead skin cells, leaving behind smoother, fresh skin. There are two main types of exfoliant products: chemical and mechanical. Both do the same job, though: clearing away dead skins cells.

So, the more I exfoliate the better?

No! Although ‘dead skin cells’ sounds icky, your skin actually needs some dead skin cells as its outermost layer in order to protect itself from heat, moisture loss and irritants. If you exfoliate too much, you will lose this protection, making your skin red, irritated and vulnerable to pollutants. Moreover, it will dry up more easily.

How often should I exfoliate then?

We suggest one or two times a week. If you have particularly sensitive skin, you need to exfoliate once every 10 days.

What are the benefits of exfoliating?

Excess dead skin cells at the outer layer of your skin can combine with pollutants and clog up your pores. This can lead to blackheads and dry skin. Removing the dead cells stops this happening, and will also make your skin feel smoother and more even.

The main benefit of exfoliation, however, is that it enhances other treatments. By removing the excess dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, exfoliation makes it easier for topical treatments, moisturisers and creams to penetrate into the skin, where they are most effective.

When in my skincare routine should exfoliating come?

Because of how they improve other treatments, exfoliants should be used at the start of your routine – but only once or twice a week. If you already exfoliated yesterday, you can just skip this first step for the next few days. We recommend you exfoliate at night and then apply your care cream.

What about the chemical and mechanical difference – which should I use?

Mechanical exfoliators remove the dead skin cells through mild scrubbing and friction. You gently rub away the cells by using fricative products to get rid of microscopic dead cells.

It’s important not to scrub too hard, or you could remove too much, or even scrape down to the layer of living skin cells underneath. Our exfoliating Facial Scrub is a great example of a gentle mechanical exfoliator that will get rid of roughness, but be kind to your skin. Its grains are perfectly spherical and do not irritate the skin.

Chemical exfoliants, on the other hand, contain chemicals that weaken the bind that cells have, loosening the dead skin cells’ hold on your skin, making it easier for them to be washed away. We recommend using our chemical exfoliator Volpaderm AHA Cream which is suitable after 45 years of age when skin is thinner.