

Question: How Often Should You Exfoliate Your Face?

And how often is too often?

how often to exfoliate your skin

When building out your own personalized skincare routine, exfoliation is a tricky step to nail down. Lucy Hale exfoliates twice a week, while Bella Thorne says she uses a homemade scrub only when she's feeling "fun and funky." So how often should you exfoliate your skin? And what about your face? Is there even a difference? And what does exfoliating do, anyway? Well, to answer these questions, I connected with skincare expert Dr. Michelle Henry, a board-certified dermatologist, who let me in on all the secrets of exfoliation. Keep reading to learn all her best exfoliating tips, plus which products you should use to get soft skin.

Ok, so what does exfoliating do?

According to Dr. Henry, exfoliating is a required step in your treatment process–no matter what skin type you have–because it removes the buildup of dead skin cells and dirt that would otherwise clog your pores.

"Exfoliation is essential to any skincare routine to help maintain healthy skin. It allows new skin cells to surface by removing dead ones," Dr. Henry told Seventeen. "These new cells in turn allow the skin to look more radiant. Exfoliating also gets rid of dirt and surface debris. By exfoliating daily, you can minimize the appearance of your pores and allow your skin to become less prone to breakouts."

How often should you exfoliate your face?

How frequently you should exfoliate depends completely on your skin. According to Dr. Henry, "People with normal skin should exfoliate at least three times a week. This will allow for softer and more luminous skin without too much irritation."

If you have acne-prone skin, however, she says it might be better to exfoliate every day to ensure you get a completely clean finish. Use a cleansing brush or scrub to get your skin looking 100%.

"For those with acne-prone skin, I recommend exfoliating daily before cleansing. Cleansers can miss some of the dirt that lies deep within pores, so exfoliating is a good way to get rid of the excess dirt and in turn reduce future breakouts," she explained.

How often should you exfoliate your body?

Like your face, the rest of your body needs a regular buff and polish to keep your skin glowing to its maximum potential. Scrub down your arms, legs, chest, feet, etc. with a sugar scrub or sea salt mixture that includes added oils for a layer of hydration (coconut, sunflower seed, and avocado are all ingredients to look for). "Two or three times [per week] should do the trick," Dr. Henry says.

Make sure to spend extra time on the spots that you plan to go over with a razor. Pre-shave exfoliation is my personal secret to preventing razor burn on my incredibly sensitive skin. On top of bump-prevention, Dr. Henry says this tip also makes for a super-close shave (so you can shave less often).

"You should exfoliate the body the same way you do your face for soft and luminous skin all over," she says. "Exfoliating your legs and underarms more frequently will allow you to achieve a closer shave."

How do you know if you've exfoliated too much?

When it comes to exfoliating, let the product do all the work. Skin is delicate, so you don't need to scrub too hard or to too often to get that smooth finish.

"Always listen to your skin! If you have over-exfoliated, it will be apparent if your face and body feels like it has been rubbed raw and appears red or sensitive," Dr. Henry says.

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