Exfoliation in skin care is one of those topics you don’t hear discussed all that often. And it’s a shame: Exfoliation is one of the most important skin-care steps for skin. Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, dirt, sebum, and debris on the surface of the skin. Skin is left with smaller-looking pores. Other skin care products also penetrate the skin better, increasing their efficacy.
Yet, most people think that there are only one or two ways to exfoliate: First, physical exfoliation, with beads or scrubs. Or secondly, chemical exfoliation, with AHAs, retinoids, and salicylic acid treatments or peels.
Here are three ways to exfoliate you’ve probably never heard of before:
1.) Sonic Exfoliation
Sonic exfoliation is a way of incorporating sound waves into exfoliating skin care to accelerate the process.
Most sonic exfoliating skin care devices have a frequency of more than 300 pulsations per second to remove dirt and oil from the skin (Clarisonic). In using the system, the brush loosens inelastic comedones — or black heads — and clears them; making way for smooth, clean skin (Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology). It’s also good at removing makeup. In a study using florescent lighting, researchers found that it was “significantly more effective” by six times the ability to clean off makeup (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology).
We recommend the Sirius Exfoliation System, with multiple exfoliating heads.
2.) Enzymatic Exfoliation
Enzymes exfoliate more gently than other types of physical exfoliators, like apricot kernels. One little-known fact about physical exfoliators like apricot kernels is that they are irregularly shaped, so they can get into the pores and rip or stretch them beyond their limits.
On the other hand, enzymes slowly remove dead skin. They are small and regularly shaped, so they will not rip or stretch the pores.
Papain, also known as papaya proteinase-1, is a really exciting protein due to its inclusion of proteolytic (i.e., protein-digesting) enzymes. As skin aesthetician and cosmetologist Zia Wesley-Howard says in The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy, “Enzymes gently yet thoroughly dissolve old skin cells without dissolving new ones or harming the skin.” We like it in Jan Marini Zyme Green Papaya Mask.
3.) ViaBuff Exfoliation
Of course we recommend ViaBuff exfoliation — after all, we created it!
The ViaBuff exfoliator is the first to allow you to customize the level of exfoliation you need:
- For oily skin, we recommend the purple ViaBuff Level 1 Gentle Exfoliator.
- For normal skin, we recommend the pink ViaBuff Level 2 Mild Exfoliator for normal or eczematous skin, and the green ViaBuff Level 3 Moderate Exfoliator for normal skin with ingrown hairs or keratosis pilaris.
- For dry skin, we recommend the cream-colored ViaBuff Level 4 Clinical Exfoliator.
The ViaBuff is designed to be a gentle, effective way to remove dead skin cells, dirt, sebum, and debris on the surface of the skin, without using chemicals. Check out the ViaBuff Tape Test — proof that our exfoliator removes dirt, debris, and improves the surface of the skin, even microscopically!
Summary
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, makeup residue, dirt and bacteria that were congesting your skin’s pores. While a great process for cleaning the skin’s surface, exfoliation also offers a whole host of benefits to your skin’s health, from helping to reduce the frequency of ingrown hairs to brightening your complexion. We recommend sonic exfoliation, enzymatic exfoliation, and our ViaBuff customizable exfoliation puffs to keep your skin looking its best. All of these methods work well together as well!