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Get Glowing

Vegetarian Times, March, 2000 by Valerie Latona

For great skin year-round, learn the secrets of natural exfoliation

It's one of the rights of spring. Warm weather hits and off come the bulky sweaters and on go clothes that show a little skin. But for many of us, that skin is looking a bit dull and lifeless', thanks to layers of dead cells that naturally build up on the outer surface of the skin year-round, but especially during the drying winter months. One way to bring the rosy glow back to our skin and keep it smooth is exfoliation, or the process of removing dead cells.

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Normally the skin sheds dead cells on its own every 28 days. In that time, new cells are born in the lower layers of the epidermis and pushed to the surface, knocking off the dead cells. "This process takes place spontaneously," explains Amy Newburger, M.D., a dermatologist in Scarsdale, N.Y., and author of Looking Good at Any Age (Doubleday, 1999). "But aging, lack of adequate protein, dry air, iron deficiency or chronic sun exposure can alter the natural exfoliation process." According to the American Academy of Dermatology, in Schaumburg, Ill., dead scaly cells on the surface can cause light to reflect unevenly off the skin, making it appear dull and gray. To help slough off these cells, you can use four basic types of exfoliators: alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), enzyme or gommage peels, and/or grainy scrubs.

[AHAs] are the most popular--and usually most effective--exfoliators on the market today. They work by peeling away layers of dead skin and increasing cell turnover and thickness of the epidermis, thereby minimizing pigmentation spots and wrinkling. AHAs are composed of a variety of natural acids: lactic, from milk; ascorbic, from citrus or vitamin C-based foods; malic, from apples; tartaric, from grapes; and glycolic, from sugar cane. The most popular ones are glycolic, lactic and ascorbic.

Glycolic acid is considered to be the most effective since glycolic molecules are the smallest AHAs that can effectively penetrate the skin. A 1996 study published in the Archives of Dermatology found that patients using glycolic acid on the face experienced diminished wrinkling (a benefit of boosted collagen production), sallowness (from loss of skin's ability to shed old skin cells) and pigmentation spots (from chronic sun exposure).

[BHAs] are similar to AHAs in that they are made of natural acids that can peel away the outer layers of skin. But this class of exfoliators can't penetrate as deeply beneath the skin's surface as AHAs, which is why they work more slowly and have less potential for causing irritation, stinging, redness, itching and burning, making them a better choice for people with sensitive skin. The most popular BHA is salicyclic acid, made from wintergreen leaves or willow tree bark.

[ENZYME PEELS] are also made from natural ingredients, like papain (from papaya) and bromelain (from pineapple). But instead of peeling off old skin layers as AHAs and BHAs do, "they dissolve the outer skin cells in a way similar to how digestive enzymes dissolve foods in the stomach," explains Tania Sethi, an aesthetician at Noelle Day Spa, in Stamford, Conn. "They also loosen the gluelike bonds that hold the dead cells to fresh new ones." Another type of enzyme peel is something called gommage, a French name given to manual peels that combine enzymes with a manual scrub in what Sethi describes as "double exfoliation."

[MANUAL SCRUBS] include everything from loofahs (a natural spongelike plant) and sisal (another fibrous plant) to pumice (small pieces of volcanic rock) and grainy scrubs. Grainy scrubs are cleansers that contain tiny natural grains to simultaneously wash and exfoliate. Common ingredients include crushed walnut, almonds or almond meal, oatmeal and cornmeal. One to avoid is crushed apricot pits, which, explains Newburger, "are similar to crushed glass and when rubbed on the skin, create microscopic cuts that can breed bacteria."

While AHAs, BHAs and grainy scrubs are best for normal to dry skin types, enzyme peels and gommages are better for those with oily skin or acne. "The skin cells on oily skin tend to be more gluey and stick together easily, clogging the pores," explains Sethi. "Digestive type enzymes are more effective at breaking down these gluey bonds." Enzyme peels, gommages and scrubs should be used no more than three times a week and always after cleansing and toning but before moisturizing.

To keep the skin smooth from head to toe, follow our experts' advice.

HEADS UP: Starting with the scalp, regular washing (with a good scalp massage) and daily brushing (with a natural-bristle brush) is usually enough to stimulate skin-cell turnover there. But not always. "People with dandruff simply have an extremely dry, flaky scalp," explains Newburger, who recommends washing daily with shampoos containing salicyclic acid. Sometimes massaging in an oil like olive, sesame, rose hip seed or jojoba with an essential oil, such as lavender, rosemary, sandalwood, geranium or ylang ylang, into the scalp every two weeks can help relieve the dryness. (You shouldn't use an essential oil directly on the scalp.) Dawn Gallagher, author of Naturally Beautiful (Universe, 1999), recommends massaging warm jojoba oil into the scalp and leaving it on for at least an hour.

Get Glowing

Vegetarian Times, March, 2000 by Valerie Latona

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