Exfoliating your skin once or twice a week is recommended all year round, but it's also a good idea before going out in the sun. Tanning means sun cream, after-sun care… but exfoliating skin care is often forgotten. Discover the many benefits of exfoliating the skin before sun exposure.
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Before Sun Exposure: Why Is Exfoliating Important?
Summary
- Benefits of Exfoliating the Skin for an Even Tan
- Importance of Exfoliation for Easier Sunscreen Application
- Exfoliating Care: Which One to Choose?
Published February 29, 2024,
by
Pauline, Head of Scientific Communication
—
4 min read
Benefits of Exfoliating the Skin for an Even Tan.
The cell regeneration process leads to an accumulation of dead cells in the epidermis. The role of exfoliation is to eliminate them, while softening the skin layer. In so doing, exfoliation brightens the complexion and evens it out, for an even tan.
Furthermore, exfoliating your skin before exposure to the sun helps prolong your tan. The skin's natural renewal cycle lasts 28 days. During this cycle, the skin's various layers regenerate completely. This leads to desquamation, i.e., the elimination of dead cells.
By contributing to this process, exfoliation enables new skin cells to be colored, which in turn prolongs tanning time. When applying this treatment, don't hesitate to insist on exfoliating the areas of the body with the most dead cells, such as elbows and knees.
Importance of Exfoliation for Easier Sunscreen Application.
Why is exfoliating important for applying sunscreen? The presence of dead cells and other impurities on the skin's surface forms a layer that can get in the way when applying the sunscreen. When using a sun care product, it is essential to spread it evenly and thickly to optimize its action and protection against UV rays. It's a good idea to exfoliate your skin before exposure to the sun, to help the sun cream adhere to the skin and reinforce its effectiveness.
Exfoliating Care: Which One to Choose?
Now that you've got all the information about why exfoliating is important before sun exposure, you need to choose the right exfoliating care. This choice generally depends on the sensitivity and typology of your skin. Mechanical exfoliators are not recommended for dry, sensitive or acne-prone skin. These products use abrasive grains that can damage the skin.
If your skin is sensitive, we recommend using a gentler chemical exfoliant. It requires no friction and acts on the skin by allowing corneocytes to detach. This is achieved by breaking the bonds holding them to the epidermis. All impurities present on the skin's surface are thus eliminated, and the skin is purified.
Chemical exfoliants typically use AHAs, BHAs or PHAs. People with sensitive skin are typically advised to opt for PHAs. These acids have a higher molecular weight than AHAs and BHAs, and therefore penetrate less deeply into the epidermis. If you have oily skin, exfoliants containing BHAs are for you. In fact, these molecules act both on the surface of the epidermis and inside the pores to unclog them.
Now you just need to choose your exfoliant, and we move on to the practical part:the application. An exfoliant is mainly applied in a semi-thick layer to the face or body, after cleansing and drying. Leave on for ten to fifteen minutes, then rinse off with clean water. It is advisable to exfoliate the skin about 3 days before exposure to the sun, and to avoid doing so the day before, as this can weaken the skin and make it more susceptible to sunburn.
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