What You Need To Know About Exfoliation

Exfoliation is an unnecessary hastening of a naturally occurring process.

According to WebMD, “Exfoliation is any process that takes off the top layers of skin cells before they come off naturally.”

The beauty industry promotes many ways to exfoliate. 

You can exfoliate mechanically at home using a tool such as a rough washcloth or brush to slough off dead skin cells.  Or to get rid of more layers of skin, you can see an aesthetician or dermatologist to have your skin professionally microdermabraded (sanded) or laser resurfaced (burned with a laser).  

You can use enzymes, such as those found in papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin, to break the bonds that hold skin cells together.  Or you can use acid (lactic, glycolic, salicylic, and trichloroacetic) to chemically peel away layers of your skin.  A chemical peel is a controlled chemical burn.  So, the person doing the burning had better know what they’re doing.  (Chemical peels are best done by a trained professional and such caustic products should not be so easily available to the public.)

You don’t need to exfoliate. 

Your skin sheds dead cells from the outermost layer of your skin naturally, a process called desquamation.  Also, the microbes living on your skin (colloquially known as your skin microbiome) remove dead skin cells by eating them.  

So, why does the beauty industry say you need to exfoliate?

Because exfoliation erases signs of aging, which are considered ugly and unacceptable by the beauty industry.  Exfoliation is just one example of how the cosmetics industry creates trends and markets to exploit, and, having created a trend, creates and markets new products to address the effects of the predecessor.  “Use of exfoliants ideally creates a smoother, brighter complexion and allows skincare product and makeup application to be more effective and even,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Emily L. Arch, MD in an article for Byrdie.  Yeah, sure, exfoliate and thin your skin, then use voguey hyaluronic acid to plump it back up artificially, and temporarily.  

According to CeraVe, a skincare line developed with dermatologists, “Exfoliation can help remove dead skin cells to combat the appearance of dullness and fine lines, as well as improve absorption of hydrating ingredients that bind water to the skin surface to increase skin hydration and overall radiance.”  

Dove, a brand whose stated mission is, “dismantling toxic beauty standards”, claims exfoliation is, “A special skin care step, it helps clear the way for the healthy skin underneath to take center stage.”  Dove goes on to recommend, “For all skin types, start exfoliation once per week and then gradually increase to 3-4 times per week.”  If, as Dove claims, exfoliation really does clear the way for healthy skin, not just younger skin cells, why would you need to exfoliate 3-4 times a week?  Are the healthy skin cells you just exposed in the last 48 hours already unhealthy, dying, or dead, and in need of exfoliating again?

The safety of exfoliation is questionable.

When you exfoliate your skin, you’re not only destroying your skin layers, you’re also destroying your skin microbiome.  The American Academy of Dermatology cautions, “While some people believe that this [exfoliation] improves the appearance of their skin, it’s not for everyone. If not done properly, it could do more harm than good. If you choose to exfoliate, it’s important to do so safely so that it does not damage your skin or lead to increased redness or acne breakouts.” 

Exfoliation is about appearance, chasing the beauty “ideal” of young and flawless-looking skin. 

According to WebMD, the reason for exfoliation is that “Some people find that the top layers of skin look dull or dry, and removing them improves their skin's appearance.”

Remember, anyone can put anything in a jar and legally sell it as skincare, and they frequently do.  Sadly, the result is that people get hurt. 

In the US, manufacturers can legally sell drugs as cosmetics because the FDA defines drugs and cosmetics based on their intended, rather than their actual, effects on your body.  And, unlike drugs, the FDA isn’t legally responsible for making sure your cosmetics are safe.  Instead, the FDA relies on consumers to report any adverse reactions to cosmetics.  When the FDA gets consumers reports of harmful cosmetics on the market they cannot stop the sale of the cosmetics, they can only send out a warning letter.

On July 25, 2024, Amazon, Walmart, Skin Beauty Solutions, Repare Skincare, Matte Beauty, and ISIS.GOLD were issued warning letters by the FDA for selling “numerous chemical peel drug products”.  The chemical peels in question (100% - 50% trichloroacetic acid, 90% lactic acid, 80% salicylic acid, 70% glycolic acid), "pose a public health risk because they can cause skin injuries such as burns on the area of application, wounds, pain, swelling, and scarring.”  The warning letters go on to say, “FDA received adverse event reports of injuries involving use of such products [chemical peels], some of which required emergency room care, specialty care from a dermatologist, and/or surgical intervention”.  That’s right, the pursuit of the unattainable, toxic beauty “ideal” of skin that looks young and flawless can end with you in the emergency room having surgery.  And, it takes enough people getting hurt this badly and then reporting it to the FDA for the FDA to send warning letters to these companies.  Meanwhile, these hazardous cosmetics continue to be sold legally.  

To add insult to actual injury, the FDA allows the same people who sold corrosive acids as cosmetics to self-police, “You are responsible for investigating and determining the causes of any violations and for preventing their recurrence or the occurrence of other violations. It is your responsibility to ensure that your firm complies with all requirements of federal law, including FDA regulations.”   

Who’s gonna save your skin?  You are. 

You’re responsible for substantiating the safety of what you put on and in your body.  Whenever you buy a cosmetic, such as a chemical peel or an anti-aging cream with peptides, you are putting your faith, trust, health, and safety in the hands of the cosmetics industry, an industry that rarely, if ever, addresses consumer safety in any way other than reluctantly and after the fact.

Buck the beauty “ideal”; ditch exfoliation.

Ditch exfoliation especially if you have dry and/or sensitive skin or suffer from a chronic illness that is fatiguing.  Exfoliation can damage your skin’s barrier function, making your skin more sensitive to your environment, increasing inflammation in your body, and increasing your allostatic load.  Moreover, it takes energy and time to create new skin cells.  Exfoliation is, at best, an unnecessary drain on your precious resources.  

It’s your skin, save it.

A version of this blog post is published in the Health section of my local newspaper, The Davis Enterprise.