Beauty

[happycat]

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@AmericanBulldogMom wrote:

I am very oily, always have been. My skin "requires" exfoliation to behave.

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Me too. I am 51, and I thought I would outgrow this oiliness, lol. Guess not.

[Grouchomarx]

It just depends on your skin, when I get lazy and don't exfoliate enough my skin gets sluggish and dull. One of the best things I ever started doing is exfoliating regularly, I just have to keep up a schedule. I feel it's intuitive you know when it's enough. Unless starting with a new product, then you have to learn. 

[Katcat1]

@Aless1   I only exfoliate once a week. When I was growing up no one knew about exfoliating and my mother still had beautiful skin.  Exfoliate once a week after you wash your face and then apply moisturizer.

[beach-mom]

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@Katcat1 wrote:

@Aless1   I only exfoliate once a week. When I was growing up no one knew about exfoliating and my mother still had beautiful skin.  Exfoliate once a week after you wash your face and then apply moisturizer.

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@Katcat1 - I had that experience too! People were always thinking my mom was so much younger and complimenting her on her skin. When I was a teenager she used Oil of Olay - the original lotion - to wash her face. She would put it on and take it off with a warm washcloth. She would never use any exfoliant or any mask. At that time, I was making homemade masks and trying the latest greatest products that my babysitting money would buy! 

I don't exfoliate very much either. My skin is combo, so I decided to get a Clarisonic. When I mentioned this to my dermatologist she said no, no, no! She said if I wanted to use a mild cream-based exfoliant once a week that would be OK. But she said I didn't need to do it; a simple cleansing was fine. She also told me no toner with alcohol. Years ago I used the Clinique system, but I haven't used toner in a long, long time. 

[nyc1]

I think it also depends on what you use to exfoliate.  I use Tatcha Rice Powder about 2-3 times per week after cleansing.  It's mild, gentle and my skin feels so soft when I'm done.  You have to use it properly and let the product foam up in your palm adding water to the powder and creating the foam.  It doesn't feel like a regular exfoliation product when on your skin, just a beautiful foam.   When I  recently tried Lancer's exfoliator (I bought a try me kit)  I found it WAY TOO HARSH.  I'll use it gently, but not more than once a month.  The TATCHA RICE POWDER is a game changer.  It also is available for sensative skin.

[Harpa]

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@ellaphant wrote:

I tend to have dry skin espially in winter. One of New York City's top Dematologists, Dr. Patricia Wexler, told me Americans over-wash/cleanse stripping skin of natural oils. For my skin she recommended cleansing with products that had no soap or alcohol. Exfoliate 2 times a month at most. I have followed this for years, my skin is very different that before, especially in winter! BTW, have you ever looked at the ingredients in Philosophy products??? No thanks! 

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@ellaphantI read in another thread that PW was your derm! I used to really like her things, but have gotten away from them!

When she was on QVC she was a proponent of daily exfoliation. I'm sure she meant in the most gentle way.

Are you using her products presently?

I think young women especially can definitely over exfoliate with all the many things out there. Young skin already exfoliates perfectly fine on its own. Unless, of course, acne complicates things. 

I agree with those who've said you should not strip away your own oils and compromise your skin barrier.

[SilleeMee]

Yes, especially if you use Retin-A.

[tototwo]

I've been to 2 derms in my 70 years (one when I was very young and one in the last decade).  Both of them told me not to exfoliate.  The first derm told me to always use a foaming cleanser because "if it bubbles, it exfoliates."    The second derm told me that using a terrycloth washcloth was all the exfoliation I needed. 

Of course, I didn't listen to them and I keep a "gentle" scrub in my shower - but I only use the scrub about twice a month.   I would never never use a chemical peel.  

I also have very oily skin -- yes, for some of us, the greasiness never goes away.  I used to hate my oily skin, but now I appreciate it for keeping my skin plump and wrinkle-free.

[Shanus]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

Yes, especially if you use Retin-A.

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@SilleeMee   If using Retin A or a retinol product, it is an exfoliant...

If your skin is oily and you over exfoliate, it signals your skin (sometimes) to produce even more oil for protection, but as the OP asked, NO, the skin is not thinned out.

[Still Raining]

When I was a kid I was issued a lovely piece of jade for protection and the maid told to make sure to rub it on my nose for oil (sans makeup of course).

Perhaps less stripping is wise.  Skin oil might be the ultimate product.