Exfoliation: The Secret To Healthy Skin

Exfoliation is the process of scrubbing off dead skin cells to reveal and expose "younger," fresher skin. The shedding process unclogs pores, keeps skin clean and helps reduce acne breakouts. It's usually the first step in cleaning your face, to be followed by washing your face with soap (preferably one with hypoallergenic properties) and finally, moisturizing.

Unfortunately, many men wash exclusively with plain old, hotel-grade soap. It's certainly enough to keep you clean, but it's not the best bet to keep your skin healthy. Indeed, bar soap dries out your skin, its ingredients sometimes clogging pores and leading to rougher skin in the long run. Exfoliation also specifically helps men in a huge way: It exposes the face's hair follicles, allowing for a better shave. And we all know that a smoother shave is practically the holy grail of a man's morning routine.

Face Forward

The skin on your face is quite different from that of a woman's. It contains larger pores, whiskers, more collagen and elastin (fibrous proteins that help hold everything together), a denser supply of blood vessels, and it produces more sweat. Put all these factors together and a guy's face can attract a fair amount of dirt.

Top-notch affordable cleansers contain some combination of granulated pumice, sea salts, fruit seeds, salicylic acid, alpha-hydroxy acid, and beta hydroxy acid, all of which serve to loosen and slough off dead skin cells. Some even aid in the formation of collagen. To get the most out of your exfoliating cleanser -- and to help work it into a good lather -- you should use one of the following methods of application.

Exfoliating gloves

These reusable nylon gloves work. Just put them on and gently rub the cleanser around your face.

The gloves' massaging motion will also improve circulation and open pores.

Sponge

An abrasive sponge, or loofa (a sponge made from the dried fibrous part of the loofa plant), works the same way as gloves, but it has the advantage of whipping the exfoliating cleanser into a richer lather that gets deeper into the pores and the skin's upper layers.

Exfoliating mask

This is a plaster-like concoction that goes on your face as a liquid goop, hardens, and then peels off to remove dead skin cells, dirt, whiteheads, etc. It can be pricey , but its thoroughness more than makes up for it. Try the Queen Helen's array of products. They work as well as the top cleansers on the market and are very affordable. In addition, you can find them anywhere.

Pumice soap

This is an inexpensive exfoliation classic -- it's a bar soap that includes granulated volcanic ash that really scrubs hard. The only disadvantage is that pumice soaps require a fair amount of scrubbing to get a good lather going. However you choose to exfoliate, don't forget to moisturize. Exfoliating can dry out already dry skin, but a moisturizer will help stabilize your skin and "feed" the new, young skin you've exposed.

Healthy Skin is Easy

You know your body best, so only you can decide whether to exfoliate daily, every other day (three times per week is a good routine), or maybe just give yourself a nice scrubbing once a week. Exfoliating too often can damage the skin; exfoliating too little may let your skin's oils run wild. Whichever schedule you settle on, recognize that while exfoliating takes some extra effort, by doing it, you'll ultimately have to worry less about wrinkles, flaky skin and acne. And that's a tradeoff every man should take.

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