The shelves at Boots, even your local supermarket, are packed with exfoliating products to use at home, but how should we be using them, and can they really offer an alternative to the salon?
The biggest risk of exfoliating at home is over-exfoliation. Dr Sebagh is not an advocate of face scrubs. ‘An enthusiastic person risks over-exfoliating and damaging the upper layers of the skin, leaving it tender and raw’, he says. Dr Ravi Jain agrees. ‘You can make the skin over-sensitive to everything such as sunlight and skincare products’, he explains. ‘My advice is to use sensibly. You can even overdo it with a loofah or face flannel, and some face scrubs are too harsh, so it’s important to find the right one’.
Experts suggest that the finer the exfoliating grains, the better. Products with spherical beads rather than jagged edges (fruit kernels, etc) are preferable and kinder to the skin. Gentle micro-beads, dissolving powders and rice bran are all gentle but effective on the skin. Chemical based peels and masks also replicate the salon versions but on a much milder level.
So how often should we be using them? The problem is many of us have a tendency to be over-zealous when we use products at home, forever thinking that just a little bit more will be better, but it’s just not the case. However, if you want to use something on a daily basis and not have to think about it, a daily cleanser such as Clinique Gentle Exfoliator Rinse-Off Formula, £16.50, can be used on sensitive skin, due to its rounded polishing beads, or Aromatherapy Associates Rose Exfoliating Cleanser, £19.50, gently buffs the skin with micro-beads and nourishes with rich plant oils and pure rose water. While they may not get rid of deep-down dry, flaky skin cells, they will prevent the skin from looking lack lustre.
Home scrubs can be harsh if you over-use them, so follow the instructions to the letter and don’t use more than twice a week. Dr Ravi Jain recommends erring on the side of caution if you’re unsure and opt for once a week. A product such as Clarins Gentle Refiner, £23, contains micro-beads which are gentle on the skin and buff away dead skin cells, or for something more robust, Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator, £4.75, is a little more vigorous.
Chemical exfoliators or peels containing salicylic or lactic acid are favoured by Dr Sebagh. ‘An appropriate chemical exfoliation treatment, used once a week is enough’, he says. Origins Brighter By Nature High-potency brightening peel with fruit acids, £28, contains fruit acids and salicylic acid to instantly exfoliate damaged and dead skin cells.
When it comes to DIY microdermabrasion, it’s a different matter altogether. For all their claims, home products cannot be compared to microdermabrasion treatments in a salon. ‘Home kits are not really microdermabrasion,’ explains Sharon Hilditch. ‘They will certainly remove some dead skin cells and the friction in itself will stimulate the skin leaving it with a bit of a glow, but these beauty companies are simply using the word as a marketing tool’. Harsh words, but according to Hilditch, microdermabrasion is not just a case of exfoliating the skin. ‘Microdermabrasion is like a micro-massage for the skin and it stimulates the skin to repair itself,’ she says. ‘As far as sun damage or ageing skin goes, a home kit couldn’t touch it’.
Dr Ravi Jain agrees. ‘Home kits can be effective as long as you stick to the instructions, but they will never be as powerful as treatments you can get in a clinic or salon,’ he explains. ‘They are fine for maintenance, but more often than not people tend to over use them which causes sensitivity and more problems than you started out with’.
See our Anti-Ageing Reviews to see if home microdermabrasion kits really achieve the results that they promise.
