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Hello, I’m Dr. Neal Schultz
[pause]
and welcome to DermTV.
You’ve heard me say many times that exfoliation is the single most
important therapeutic treatment you can do for your skin. But there are
misconceptions and myths regarding exfoliation which need to be
clarified... such as this question from a viewer... “I know that chemical
exfoliants help your skin by dissolving the dead skin cells on the surface
and letting a fresh layer of skin appear. But I read that this process is
similar to forming a callus. Thus, as the chemical exfoliant dissolves the
dead skin cells, a fresh layer of skin would grow and becomes thicker every
time. So, a person may end up with very thick skin.” The viewer then added,
“This sounds slightly ridiculous to me. Is this true?” Good reality
testing! Yes, it is ridiculous that exfoliation would do that. Let’s look
at the 4 layers of your epidermis, the upper layer of your skin... This is
the upper dead layer, and these are the 3 lower live layers. Yes,
exfoliation certainly dissolves the dead cells on your skin’s surface, but
only these dead layers. And these dead layers are part of the reason your
skin turns blotchy, matt, and tired looking, and by removing this layer
with an exfoliant, you can then make your skin bright, radiant and
lustrous. Removing those dead cells just causes the skin to make more new
LIVE cells and makes these lower 3 live layers of the epidermis thicker.
That helps take away fine lines and makes the skin more lustrous and
slightly translucent, all adding to desirable skin brightness. So all of
the effects of exfoliation improve the appearance of your skin. And yes,
callous formation also involves thickening of the skin… but a very
different thickening... it's mostly this dead layer that’s thickened in a
callous… the same layer that chemical exfoliants like glycolic remove… and
that thickening is the body’s way of trying to protect itself by
strengthening its “protective armor”… its dead layer… to help protect
itself from injury, from whatever is doing the rubbing. So the next time
you use your glycolic exfoliant... smile, knowing it’s making your skin
more beautiful, healthier and younger looking.