There’s nothing worse than dealing with a breakout—they can be unsightly, they can dampen your self-confidence, and often, they can seriously hurt. As bad as breakouts can be, they can feel even more unfair when you’re left with a reminder of your struggles with acne scarring after your breakout dies down.
If you’re searching for a solution to acne breakouts and the scarring they can leave behind, you may be wondering: Does exfoliating help with acne and acne scars?
Put simply, yes. Exfoliating doesn’t only help with dullness—it can also have a positive impact on your acne. Read on to discover how to harness the power of exfoliants to fight acne and reduce acne scars
YOUR BEST SKIN—IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS.
Our award-winning AI technology turns millions of scientific data points into a personalized, clinically effective, 3-step regimen that works—for you.
The Basics of Exfoliation
First things first—what is exfoliation?
This all-important step in your skincare regimen helps to speed cell turnover by removing dead skin cells from the top layers of the skin to allow fresh, new ones to come through.
The outermost layer of your healthy skin, which is known as the epidermis, is constantly renewing itself by creating new skin cells, and part of this process means shedding up to 40,000 old skin cells every single day [1]. If these cells aren’t removed, it can lead to skin issues including:
- Dullness
- Dryness or dehydration
- Skin Irritation
- Uneven, bumpy, or rough skin texture
- Redness
- Oiliness or clogged pores
Regular exfoliation gives your skin a boost in this process by using either a physical or chemical element to gently slough dead skin cells off your face and reveal the beautiful, glowing new skin underneath. The two major types of exfoliants include [2]:
- Physical exfoliants like a scrub, cleansing brush, or cloth that remove dead skin cells by mechanically removing the dead skin cells.
- Chemical exfoliants like an alpha-hydroxy acid or a beta-hydroxy acid that break down the bonds between dead skin cells and remove them from the top layer of your skin
How Does Exfoliation Help With Acne?
Acne can feel like so much more than just blemishes on your face. It can mess with your self-confidence and cause serious pain.
If you’re looking for a way to stop acne and prevent future breakouts, exfoliants are a great option. Dead skin cells can cause dehydration and congestion, which, in turn, can lead to pores and follicles getting clogged with oil and dirt [3]. When pores clog like this, it can create [4]:
- Blackheads, which are open pores clogged with oil
- Whiteheads, which are white or yellow raised bumps filled with oil and dead skin
If you’re looking to do a clean sweep of your pores and put an end to your acne, opt for a chemical exfoliant. Chemical exfoliants tend to be gentler on your sensitive skin and don’t carry the same risk of micro-tears that physical exfoliants often do. These micro-tears can introduce more bacteria into your already irritated skin, making the issue that much worse.
Instead, try using a product that includes ingredients like beta-hydroxy acid (also known as salicylic acid), like our personalized facial cleanser, which is designed to cleanse, tone, and exfoliate using a science-backed formula. How exactly does it work?
The acids gently dissolve any oil, dirt, or grime trapped inside your pores and follicles before they can turn into a blemish, leaving your skin deep cleaned from the inside out.
How Does Exfoliation Help With Acne Scarring?
Acne scars often appear as red marks or pitted, pocked areas where your pimple once was. They’re especially common with cystic or inflammatory acne or when you’ve tried to pick or pop at a zit [5]. If you’re faced with this issue, you might be wondering: Does exfoliating help with acne scars?
Because exfoliating helps to speed up cell turnover, it can help with quickly fading and healing your acne scars. If you’re looking to use exfoliation to supercharge your scar healing process, look for formulations that include alpha-hydroxy acids or AHAs.
AHAs gently exfoliate the skin while also boosting collagen production, which can help to even out skin tone and texture and fade hyperpigmentation [6]. A few examples of these types of acids include:
- Lactic acid
- Glycolic acid
- Malic acid
- Citric acid
Be patient when working to fade your acne scars with exfoliation—it can take time to get your skin back to its scar-free state. While you wait, make sure your skin is properly nourished with a night cream, designed to plump and firm the skin by boosting collagen production naturally.
It’s equally important to make sure your skin is protected from the elements while it’s healing, especially UV radiation. If you’re exfoliating frequently, your skin is much more vulnerable to the sun’s rays—think sunburns, premature aging, and hyperpigmentation.
Fortunately, you can guard your skin against sun and pollution with a customized daily moisturizer with SPF that can infuse skin barrier-boosting ingredients like green tea extract, squalane, and hyaluronic acid.
Treat and Prevent Acne with PROVEN Skincare
At PROVEN, we understand that acne and acne scars can take a serious mental and physical toll on you. That’s why we’re devoted to creating skincare products tailored to your skin’s unique needs. Our personalized system is designed to address your skincare concerns and help you reach your skin goals with skincare products that use only the highest quality ingredients.
Take our skincare quiz, and we can create an acne treatment plan that’s uniquely, exclusively you. Visit PROVEN Skincare today to get started.
