Does exfoliation for dry skin make skin smoother?

Exfoliating dry skin properly will help remove the flaky horny layers. On the contrary, if you do not exfoliate dry skin properly, it can make the skin drier and damage the skin.

We invite you to learn about how to exfoliate for dry skin and what ingredients are suitable for dry skin in the exfoliating process right here!

What is dry skin?

Dry skin is a condition in which rough skin appears dry and cracked. Symptoms of dry skin are often flaky and dehydrated. When touched, the skin feels dry, even itchy .

Why should you exfoliate for dry skin?

Exfoliation is the removal of the outer stratum corneum of the skin, including dead skin cells. Exfoliation works to speed up skin renewal to improve skin tone and texture.

Why should you exfoliate?

• The dirt and excess oil that clog pores if not exfoliated and unclog pores can cause acne breakouts.
• Especially exfoliating for dry skin helps to remove the dry stratum corneum, thereby helping the skin to better absorb the nutrients in the following skincare steps.
• Dry skin is very easy to lead to skin aging problems. When the skin lacks moisture, at the same time external factors affect the skin to appear wrinkles or brown spots. If the skin is reinforced with the outer protective layer, the skin will be stronger by properly exfoliating.
• Removes flakes, regains smooth skin surface, makes skin brighter and even-toned

>>> Read more: Dry skin care steps that you should know

Exfoliate dry skin with AHA chemical exfoliants

There are different types of chemical acids used to remove dead skin cells. The two types of chemical exfoliants are BHA (beta hydroxy acid) and AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). In particular, BHA is only suitable for oily skin. BHA helps exfoliate deep from within the pores and helps prevent acne effectively. AHAs are recommended for damaged, normal, and dry skin. Because AHA helps to remove dead skin cells only on the surface of the skin, while still helping to retain a lot of moisture for dry skin.

AHA stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acid. The acids of AHAs are much gentler than traditional physical exfoliants. Some of the most common AHAs are glycolic acid and lactic acid. Products containing glycolic acid and lactic acid are most effective usually in concentrations between 5% and 10%.

Some of the ingredients of alpha hydroxy acids are suitable for dry skin such as:

Glycolic acid

Glycolic acid will help remove dead cells from the surface of the skin and stimulate the production of healthy skin cells.

Glycolic acid occurs naturally in sugar cane and is the most common of the alpha hydroxy acids. Glycolic acid is unique because of its small molecular size that allows nutrients to easily penetrate through the top layers of the skin and helps skin look healthier.

Especially, people with dry skin when using glycolic acid will feel the ability to hydrate the skin, helping to retain natural moisture without making the skin drier after exfoliating dry skin. When used in concentrations from 5%, glycolic acid can improve skin roughness and resilience, while reducing other signs of sun damage.

Note when using glycolic acid, you need to adjust and balance the pH. Choose a gentler concentration (between 8 and 15%), depending on where you want to exfoliate.

Lactic acid

Lactic acid is derived from milk and works a bit like glycolic acid. However, because of the rather large molecular size, it reduces the ability to penetrate the top layers of the skin. Lactic acid at a concentration of 2% has the ability to hydrate, at 5% or more lactic acid acts as an exfoliant. Lactic acid exfoliants usually have a concentration of 5% to 10%.

Malic acid

This AHA is found naturally in apples. The molecular size of malic acid is larger than that of glycolic and lactic acids, but still has the ability to exfoliate and benefit the skin thanks to its antioxidant properties. Malic acid in concentrations of 1% to 2% can be added to AHA exfoliants containing glycolic acid and lactic acid, to help exfoliate at different layers of the skin.

Tartaric acid

Tartaric acid occurs in grapes (red wine). The molecular size of tartaric acid is slightly larger than malic acid and twice as large as glycolic acid. Tartaric acid can act as an exfoliant when used in the same concentration as glycolic acid or lactic acid. But tartaric acid is mainly used to help other exfoliants work at the right pH. This is essential in order to effectively optimize the exfoliating process.

Citric acid

Citric acid is found in various citrus fruits. Citric acid at concentrations of 10% or more can act as an exfoliant, but at concentrations of 2.2 citric acid can be irritating to the skin.

Mandelic acid

This is the AHA with the largest molecular size, and the ability to penetrate the skin more slowly than other acids, but this is beneficial for sensitive skin. Typically, mandelic acid is used for peels at a concentration of 20%-40%.

Instructions for proper exfoliation for dry skin

To ensure that your skin is not rough or irritated after exfoliating dry skin, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t over-exfoliate dry skin, and only do it once or twice a week. It depends on the product, the ingredients and the acidity you use.
• Always use a moisturizer after using glycolic acid or other acids to balance the skin’s moisture levels. You can add moisturizers to create a skin barrier: like hyaluronic acid oil-free gel moisturizer, etc.
• Apply sunscreen with an index of 30+ during the day because after exfoliation skin is very vulnerable and sensitive to sunlight.
• Also, note that people with psoriasis, acne, rosacea, or are suffering from skin infections should consult a dermatologist as exfoliation can worsen problems. about skin.

>>> Learn more: Sunscreen for dry skin: How to choose the right one?

If exfoliating for dry skin properly will help you improve roughness, flaking, etc. However, you need to pay attention to the ingredients in chemical exfoliants as well as the right concentration to help your skin. Stay shiny and healthy!