Skin Wreckers: Scrubbing

Ah, the holy grail of teenage skincare routines... the scrub, you know the one, it smells like apricots. Most of you know that one of my favorite things to do is to take away your scrub and I do it for a good reason. I want your skin to be beautiful for your entire life.

The main reason skincare pros don't want you to scrub: Inflammation

Here is what scrubs DO:

• Scrubs abrade the surface of the skin leaving little microscopic tears. This of this as purposefully giving your delicate facial skin a mini rug burn every time you use your scrub.  You wouldn't do that to your knees now, would you?
• Put extra stress on your capillaries (the smallest of the blood vessels).  The manual pressure from scrubbing can cause these tiny vessels to burst, leading to permanently rosy cheeks, chins, and foreheads that look like spider veins.
• Scrubs can pull and tear the opening of pores making them appear larger over time.

Here is what scrubs CAN'T DO:

• Give you a deep pore clean. Acne and other clogged pore issues aren't on the surface. In fact, the root of acne issues are deep in the dermis where the sebaceous gland (where your skin produces oil) meets up with the hair follicle. Scrubs only work on the epidermis (the surface layer of the skin).

But I have to exfoliate, what are my options? Luckily, there are tons of options to exfoliate your skin that do not involve scrubbing. AHA, BHA, retinol, glycolic, and enzymes are all forms of exfoliation, and they all have different purposes and skin types for which they are best suited. Ask your favorite licensed skincare expert which of these methods would be best for your particular skin type and condition.

xoxo,Katt