How To Get Rid Of Dead Skin On Your Face

June 4, 2024 by Maulika

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Everyone dreads having dead skin cells on their face. These cells stick to the surface and clog pores, causing multiple skin issues, the most prevalent of which is acne. In addition, the use of cosmetics and a sedentary lifestyle increase the chance of such dead cells affecting general appearance.

The skin starts looking dull, rough and uneven. At the same time, these dead cells that accumulate on the skin’s surface can flake off, creating small, dry flakes that may be visible on the skin or easily shed when touched.

Article Contains

What Causes Dead Skin Cells?
How to Get Rid of Dead Skin Cells on the Face?
Proper Ways of Exfoliation
Types of exfoliants

If you are facing a similar issue and want to know how to get rid of dead skin on your face, this article will guide you through. Keep reading!

What Causes Dead Skin Cells?

Having dead skin cells is a natural phenomenon (1). The cells after performing their biological functions turn into dead skin cells that wither and die off.

Usually, they leave the skin themselves, but sometimes, they do not shed off and clog the pores. Such decomposition needs to be removed before it starts affecting the skin texture.

Some common adverse effects that you may experience when dead skin cells start to accumulate are (2)-

pimples
acne
rough patches
inflammation

These cells also reduce skincare products’ efficacy as they do not allow in-depth penetration of these products. Thus, even if you keep applying your expensive skincare products, they will be of no use and won’t be as effective.

Other factors that cause dead skin cells are aging, sun damage, adverse environmental conditions, and the use of chemical cosmetic products (3).

How to Get Rid of Dead Skin Cells on the Face?

There are several products that can help you to remove dead cells accumulation from your face. Exfoliants help to gently scrub the skin to remove dead skin cells and reveal healthier skin cells (4). Luckily, exfoliation can be done easily at home using either cosmetic or home-made scrubs.

Everyone should practice exfoliation on a regular basis, irrespective of their skin type.

People with dry and rough skin have extreme flakiness that can be removed by exfoliation. It will improve the overall texture and appearance, making it look brighter and more radiant. Moreover, after exfoliation, moisturizers, hydrators, and other skincare products can be more effectively absorbed, leading to better hydration and relief from dryness.

Likewise, people with oily skin have clogged pores due to dead cells, but regular exfoliation can keep their skin clear and healthy.

Proper Ways of Exfoliation

Here are steps that you can take to gently exfoliate your skin-

1. Select product according to your skin type: Identify your skin type and choose the scrub that suits your skin. People with dry skin should opt for exfoliants that have skin hydrating properties and those with oily skin should go for the products that help to remove excess oil, unclog pores, and control sebum production without overly drying out the skin.

2. Patch test: Conduct a patch test to check skin sensitivity towards the product. If you have sensitive skin, prefer natural exfoliants over chemical-based to keep skin safe.

3. Exfoliate skin: The following steps will help to get rid of dead skin on face-

Wet your face with lukewarm water to open the pores and wash gently with a mild face wash to remove any dirt.
Spread the scrub on your face and leave for a minute. Gently rub in a circular motion without putting too much pressure on the skin. Cleanse for 5-7 minutes.
Rinse off your face with cold water.

Types of exfoliants

Exfoliants are of different types, and you can use any of them to slough off dead skin cells effectively. These are the following-

A: Natural Exfoliants

Scrubs made of brown sugar, coffee grounds, olive oil, honey, walnuts, neem, tulsi, turmeric acid, and Epsom bath salt are popular natural exfoliants (5). These are the best when you want to remove dead skin cells without applying chemicals to your face.

B: Chemical Exfoliants

Exfoliants made of glycolic, salicylic, citric, AHAs, BHAs or malic acid are chemical exfoliants. When applied over the face, these exfoliants dissolve the dead skin cells that comes off eventually.

Conclusion

Now that we have discussed why dead skin cells appear and how to get rid of dead skin on the face, it will become easy for you to remove them effectively.

Skin dead cells accumulation is a common occurrence that needs immediate action and prevention. There are many simple ways of scrubbing the skin. Gentle exfoliation at least once a week keeps the complexion clear and prevents breakouts. Ensure that you select the skin care ingredients according to the skin type. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that the scrubbing is gentle and doesn’t irritate the skin. If exfoliation causes any discomfort, immediately seek a skincare expert’s opinion.

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