Tight, red, burning skin plus more breakouts? Plying on the acids may not be the answer. In fact, that might be the problem. You may be over-exfoliating your skin. Here, how to tell if you’ve gone overboard with the exfoliation and how to get your skin back on track.
I am the self-professed exfoliation queen. I live and swear by the power of AHAs, BHAs, PHAs, and everything in between. Blackheads? No match for BHAs. Whiteheads and that pesky hormonal acne during that time of the month? AHAs! Do you have sensitive skin? Well, PHAs are gonna be your best friend.
But sometimes, we get a li’l too crazy with the acids. And then a sad thing happens called over-exfoliation.
I know, because I just had firsthand experience with it. For weeks, my skin just would not clear up. I had whiteheads all over my jawline and chin, and my skin was tight and dry. I couldn’t even use the Su:m37 Rose Cleansing Stick, the most gentle and nourishing cleanser pretty much ever without my skin stinging. And yet, I still kept using AHAs, thinking that this would solve the problem. The thing is, with oily skin like mine, typically the more exfoliation the better to avoid dreaded clogged pores and breakouts.
It wasn’t until I was in the shower one night that it suddenly dawned on me. What if this whole time I had been over-exfoliating? So I decided right then and there that I was going to stop using all of my acids cold turkey and slather my face in snails and centella to help it heal.
And what do you know? Within three days, my skin healed pretty dramatically. The whiteheads shrank and my skin started to return to its soft, supple glory. Within three weeks, my skin had healed completely. I was scared to give up my precious acids, but in the end it ended up being the best thing I could’ve done for my skin.
So let’s chat. Let’s talk about what exactly over-exfoliating is, how you can tell, and what you can do if you think you’ve gone a little bit too heavy with the acids.
What is over-exfoliation?
When you exfoliate your skin properly, it’s soft and glowy, but when you over-exfoliate, you damage that protective acid mantle layer of skin, which = disaster. Having a healthy acid mantle is imperative to keeping your skin looking and feeling its best, but when it’s been weakened due to exfoliating (chemical or physical), it causes a whole host of problems.
If you’ve been using AHAs and/or BHAs (or you’ve decided to scrub your face with St. Ives like a crazy person) for an extended period of time or very frequently (especially in high percentages), you’re at risk for damaging your skin.
How can you tell you’ve gone a little too heavy with the acids?
Some clear signs your skin is crying out for help:
1. More breakouts
2. Red, inflamed skin
3. Tightness
4. Shiny skin — not oily, but shiny, like Saran Wrap
5. Burning and stinging, even when using normal things like cleansers and moisturizers
6. Flakiness
I had about five out of these six symptoms. Don’t be like me and keep using acids thinking that it’s going to help. It won’t.
OK, so what should I do next?
As scary as it sounds, you need to stop using ALL of your exfoliating products immediately. This includes any scrubs or brushes or Clarisonics or what have you. I know, I know, trust me, I nearly had a heart attack at the thought. But if you want your skin to be healthy again, you need to stop.
And then the repair process begins. Personally, I swore by these products as my healing go-to's:
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
Pureforet Centella Multi Toner and Lotion
Swanicoco Centella Salve
tons of rosehip seed oil
Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask at night
Snail mucin is a natural anti-inflammatory ingredient, while centella has been proven to help wounds and skin abrasions heal faster. Rosehip seed oil helps seal in all of that snail and centella goodness while providing a healthy dose of antioxidants, and the Sulwhasoo mask is just a mood overall.
After your skin has started to heal, you can slowly start to reintroduce acids or scrubs back into your life. For me, I’m only using AHAs and BHAs once a week, which is just enough to give me that acid glow, but not enough to cause any damage. I foresee myself keeping up with this schedule for quite some time!
Have you been a victim of over-exfoliating? How did you know, and what did you do to get your skin back together? Let us know in the comments!
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