As we age our Cell Renewal Factor (CRF) or cell turnover rate slows down. Cell turnover is the process by which our skin produces new skin cells which travel from the lowest layer of the epidermis to the top layer and then shed off the skin. This is what keeps dead cells from building up on the skins surface.
Our CRF (Cell Renewal Factor) changes as we age.
Babies – 14 days
Teenagers – 21 – 28 days
Middle age – 28 – 42 days
50 and up – 42 – 84 days
That means that as we age, the top layer of the skin, the one we see, touch, and even agonize over, becomes dull. We lose our “glow”. And, think about this, if the top layer of your skin is really lots and lots and lots of dead skin cells (between 15 to 20 layers), how much of those antioxidant and retinol serums you are applying are actually getting through and doing what they are supposed to be doing?
That is why your esthetician will encourage you to practice mild exfoliation as part of your daily skin care regimen, to help keep the top layer of skin from getting too thick with dead skin cells. If you suffer from breakouts, exfoliation is a key step in your home skincare routine. People with acne prone or seborrheic skin conditions especially need to help their bodies slough off the dead skin cells so that they don’t clog the pore. Regular exfoliation is the key to keeping your pores unclogged.
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