Oily Skin: Gently Exfoliate and Increase Cell Turnover

Exfoliation is vital to maintaining the health of oily skin. Increased oiliness makes it harder for your skin to sheds cells. When this cycle is slowed, skin can become prone to breakouts. Gentle exfoliation is the key. Excessive exfoliation may leave the skin feeling tight and lead to increased sebum production. Salicylic acid, which is lipid-soluable, and able to penetrate into the pore, which contains sebum, will exfoliate the dead skin cells. This will help control the production of oil but not stip the skin of all essential moisture. Retinoids, the family of vitamin A derivatives, help to increase cellular proliferation and turnover, bringing healthy cells to the surface more quickly. The form of vitamin a be chosen carefully, as prescription strength retinoids like Retin-A(R) (retinoic acid/tretinoin) can be irritating to some skin types. Retinol is a more gentle vitamin A derivative that is effective, yet non-irritating. Retinol is converted to retinoic acid in the skin. Using a daily care product with lowlevel retinol, in conjunction with anti-inflammatory exfoliating treatments, allows for better skin function and imporved cell turnover rates with minimal irritation.