Exfoliation is incredibly important when it comes to having healthy, young looking skin. Not only does it give the skin a smoother healthier look by removing deposits of dead flaky skin, it’s also helpful in clearing up and healing several different skin problems. Brushes and scrubs can be great for exfoliation, but they aren’t the only option.

There is a wide variety of chemical compounds and vitamins that gently exfoliate the skin more thoroughly than a brush or scrub can. Here are some of the skin issues exfoliating can help treat, as well as some of the best ingredients to use on your skin to help exfoliate.

Blemished skin/clogged pores: Excess dead skin cells on the surface of the skin can worsen, or even cause blemishes and clogged pores. The dead skin buildup (which is sometimes WORSENED by acne cleansers that dry out the skin) prevents the skin from properly releasing oils, and can cause them to become trapped in pores. Exfoliating can help prevent this, and helps in keeping the skin clean, further preventing blemishes and clogged pores.

Glycolic Acid and Retinol (Vitamin A) are great ingredients to exfoliate, and are both great at breaking down and removing layers of dead skin buildup.

Hyperpigmentation: These brown spots come from a variety of sources, including age, pregnancy, and hormonal changes. As the skin ages, these spots darken and become more visible. Proper exfoliation is essential in breaking up the pigmented cells, fading the visibility of these spots.

L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Is a great option because not only does it exfoliate the skin, it also has skin lightening properties that help further reduce the visibility of these spots. There are also Skin Brightening Serums that contain Glycolic Acid that are great for serving this purpose

Dry skin: Dry skin can increase dead skin buildup on the face, but it also prevents moisturizers from penetrating the skin to heal the dryness. Exfoliation is crucial to removing dead skin in order to allow the skin to absorb moisture and heal.

Vitamin C and Retinol are great exfoliants for this purpose, especially when paired with moisturizing ingredients such as Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid.

All of the ingredients listed above are excellent at exfoliating the skin for any purpose. Here’s a breakdown of what they are and how they work:

L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is not only an excellent exfoliant, it also has great skin lightening and anti-aging properties. It also helps the skin resist harmful elements and external stressors. L-Ascorbic Acid is also the most highly researched form of Vitamin C when it comes to skin care, making it an excellent, reliable ingredient to incorporate into your skin care routine.

Glycolic Acid is an alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) and is found naturally in sugar cane. It has the smallest molecule of any AHA, and thus has the greatest level of penetration into the skin. Glycolic Acid deeply exfoliates, removing dry, dead, and coarse skin by loosening the substances that hold skin together, allowing for deeper exfoliation than scrubbing or brushing.

Retinol is the whole molecule form of Vitamin A, and this form helps it exfoliate the skin thoroughly, forcing the skin to create new cells. Low concentrations of this ingredient are enough to be affective, and people with sensitive skin or those who are new to Retinol should start with lower concentrations first to see how their skin reacts. It is also incredibly effective when paired with collagen-boosting peptides and antioxidants.

Causation of Wrinkles

1. Sun Damage
   Sun damage is likely the greatest factor in causing wrinkles in the skin. UV rays lead to collagen breakdown, which once started, continues gradually over your lifetime. Sun damage also leads to many other skin conditions and cancers, so it’s best to stay protected.For more on this, check out our blog on sun damage.
2. Smoking
   In studies, smokers have shown to wrinkle and age more rapidly than non-smokers on average. The best bet is to reduce or quit smoking in any way possible.
3. Dry Skin
   When skin is not properly moisturized, it can look dry, crackled, scaly and wrinkled. It’s important to moisturize, and to stay hydrated throughout the day.
4. Dead Skin
   The surface of your skin often consists of many dead skin cells. These dead cells resting on your skin will make you look dry, flaky, and wrinkled.
5. Squinting
   When you squint, your muscles pull and bunch your skin in a way that leads to eye area wrinkles such as crow’s feet and wrinkling between the brows. Sunglasses or a sun hat will help reduce the need to squint in the sunlight. If you’re having a hard time seeing at a distance or up close, consider getting an up to date prescription for eyewear, or getting some reading glasses.

Fighting Wrinkles

1. Sun Protection
   Protecting yourself from the sun is essential in maintaining healthy skin. Wear sunscreen if you’re going to be outside for 30 mins or longer. Seek Shade whenever possible. Sun hats or other sun protective clothing are also great at reducing your skin’s exposure to the sun.
2. Facial Cleansing
   Cleansing your face daily with a gentle oil-free cleanser will not only help prevent acne and clogged pores, but it will also help remove any dead or dry skin on the surface and make your skin look smooth and fresh.
3. Exfoliation
   Exfoliation is crucial in maintaining a healthy complexion. Exfoliating removes the buildup of dead skin cells that can cause you to look older and have less healthy and more wrinkled looking skin.
4. Moisturizing
   Adequate sleep will help prevent dark circles and bags from forming around your eyes. It will also improve the elasticity of your skin by producing more human growth hormone, and sleeping adequately will also prevent excess production of cortisol, which breaks down skin cells. Sleeping on your back will help to prevent lines from being pressed into your face by your sheets and pillow.
5. Using skin care products with collagen building ingredients
   The top 3 skin care ingredients for building collagen are Retinol (Vitamin A), Glycolic Acid, and vitamin C. Advanced Skin Care makes creams and serums that contain these individual ingredients in different concentrations, and also has some serums that contain several of these ingredients in one product.

Peptides can be found in a wide variety of skin care products today, and there’s a lot of buzz around them. So what are peptides exactly, and what is all the hype about? As to the first question, it’s also important to understand amino acids and proteins. here’s the simplified answer:

Amino acids are the most basic building blocks of proteins, and form some of the most essential compounds to the human body. Amino acids chain together to form peptides. Peptides group together into polypeptides, which then form together into proteins.

So, simply put, peptides are essentially protein fragments, and polypeptides are compounds formed by multiple peptides, and serve more specific functions in the body. Most of the peptides commonly found in popular skin care items are polypeptides, specifically the sort of polypeptides that interact with skin cells, muscles, and collagen production.

These peptides all serve vastly different functions, so to explain why they are such a big deal and are such highly sought after skin care ingredients, we’ll focus in on the function of a few of the most popular skin care peptides.

Acetyl hexapeptide-3, more commonly known as Argirilene, is a fragment of the protein Snap-25, the same protein that Botulinum toxin (Botox) interacts with to reduce deep wrinkles and lines caused by facial muscle contraction. Being a Hexapeptide, it is formed of six peptides linked together. Argirilene acts in a very similar way to Botox, by inhibiting reactions in the body that cause certain facial muscles to contract while smiling or frowning, visibly reducing wrinkles and fine lines. It is arguably the most popular peptide in the skin care market.

Matrixyl 3000 is composed of a palmitoyl-tripeptide, made up of three peptides, and palmitoyl-oligopeptide, composed of four. This pair of polypeptides are designed to work together to simulate the structure of broken down collagen. This signals the skin to produce the two most important proteins for healthy skin: collagen, the main structural protein in connective tissue that provides structure and fullness to the face, and elastin, the protein responsible for the skin’s elasticity. Based on a research study conducted by the company that owns the patent, Matrixyl 3000 was shown to be more effective at improving skin health than the original Matrixyl.

Syn-ake is a peptide that is formulated to reduce signs of aging such as crows feet and wrinkles. It is designed to mimic the effects of the peptide Waglerin 1, which is found in the venom of the Temple Viper. That may sound intimidating, but by replicating the effects of the venom in a controlled way, Syn-ake can safely reduce muscular contractions and cell movement, helping prevent and reduce the formation of wrinkles.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a chain of three peptides that deeply penetrates the skin into the deepest layers, allowing it to stimulate collagen production and healthy tissue growth. Early studies also suggest that it can communicate with skin cells, by replicating the body’s natural communication mechanisms, and cause them to flush out harmful toxins, or render them inert. This combination of functions makes this peptide highly effective at improving and maintaining skin health.

All of these peptides are topical, meaning they can be applied externally to the skin via serums and creams. This eliminates the need for painful injections. Also, because they vary so much in their function, it is more effective to incorporate several of these peptides into your skin care regimen.