3 Dangers of Over-Exfoliation—A Cautionary Tale for Men

Gentlemen, we need to address a skin care issue that has been bothering us. We see a lot of shady skin care companies marketing their products to men by making them feel dirty and unclean.

The result is men buying their exfoliating products and abusing them by scrubbing furiously at their skin to remove the “dirty” feeling. Guys, this is wreaking havoc on your skin!

What is this doing to your skin, exactly? Here are three things you should know:

1. Exfoliation plays an essential role in a man’s skin care regimen, but overdoing it is dangerous.
2. Over-exfoliating can cause acne breakouts, permanent scarring and speed up the signs of aging.
3. Exfoliating no more than twice a week is key to achieving clear, healthy skin.

The Dangers of Over-Exfoliation

You probably know that exfoliation can help remove old, dead skin cells and reveal vibrant, glowing skin. But when it comes to exfoliation, the saying “too much of a good thing” holds true. Here are three dangers that come from over-exfoliating your skin:

It Causes Breakouts. Ironically, scrubbing your face too much can cause the exact thing you’re trying to prevent. Exfoliating more than twice a week can dry out the skin and disrupt its natural pH balance, causing it to produce more oil to compensate. The result is clogged pores caused by excess oil and angry breakouts on your face.

It Increases the Risk of Scarring. Acne scarring can happen even when you do everything right. The last thing you want to do is increase your chances of scarring by over-exfoliating. Scrubbing too hard not only irritates your existing acne lesions, it can lead to permanent marks and discoloration on your face.

It Speeds up the Signs of Aging. Scrubbing removes dead skin cells, dirt and debris, but scrubbing too much can remove the skin’s natural oils and healthy cells. Without this natural, protective barrier, the skin is susceptible to dryness, infection, UV-radiation and many other harmful factors that age your skin.

The Importance of Exfoliation

Regular exfoliation is essential to any man’s skin care regimen and offers several skin benefits. Sloughing away dead skin cells reduces the appearance of dull skin and clears the way for your skin’s natural oils to penetrate deep within the skin.

This is important for several reasons. One reason is that your skin’s natural oils help moisturize the skin and prevent it from infection, UV damage and from becoming too dry. Without these natural oils, your skin barrier is weakened and your body’s inflammatory response is triggered whenever something harmful penetrates the skin barrier.

Exfoliating also makes you appear younger by increasing blood flow. As we age, our blood flow decreases and can make skin look thinner and paler. To reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, exfoliating regularly is essential.

The Right Way to Exfoliate for Healthy, Clear Skin

Alright gentlemen, you now know the dangers of over-exfoliating. So, what’s the right way to go about it? Don’t worry, it’s not a complicated process. Here are a few simple tips to exfoliate the healthy way:

Use a facial scrub formulated for men.  The best thing you can do for your skin is to use skin care products that are formulated specifically for your skin. Gentlemen, we have different skin than women do, which means that we require different products to suit our needs.

Read the ingredients.  This sounds like a chore, but it doesn’t need to be. Just take a quick look at the back of your exfoliation scrub to ensure that it is free of harmful ingredients, including parabens, fragrances and dyes. Keep an eye out for the good stuff as well, including Menthyl Lactate and Cucumber Extract to soothe skin.

Start exfoliating once per week in the morning.  When using an exfoliation product for the first time, start by using it only once per week to see how your skin feels (morning is the best time to use it). If your skin tolerates the product well, increase to two times per week.

Final Thoughts

At Tiege Hanley, we don’t want you to go through our Facial Exfoliating Scrub in no-time flat, just so that you buy more. Rather, we want every guy to achieve the amazing-looking skin of his manly dreams, which is why we’re being honest about the dangers of over-exfoliating.

Using a gentle but effective men’s face scrub no more than twice a week will do the trick for most men. Keep in mind that everyone’s skin is different and that you may need to exfoliate less or more depending on your skin’s unique needs.