What Happens To Your Skin If You Don’t Exfoliate?

    Augusta AfterAnyone who follows the beauty industry, either through reading magazines, blogs or watching TV knows that exfoliation has become the “holy grail” to clearer, fresher, more youthful-looking skin.

    The benefits of exfoliation have been touted to no end by Hollywood dermatologists, plastic surgeons, makeup artists and virtually all skin care experts.

    But has anyone taken the time to experiment and see what happens to your face if you purposely don’t exfoliate for an extended period of time?

    To our knowledge, no one has been brave enough to attempt it… until now!

    Just recently, an Associate Beauty Editor at Beauty High, Augusta Falletta decided to go 21 days without washing or exfoliating her face.

    Her goal was to see exactly what happens to the skin on your face if you just leave it alone.

    In turning herself into a human guinea pig, she only had a few rules…

    1. No washing or exfoliating her face
    2. She wouldn’t wear any makeup for the length of the experiment
    3. She would splash a little water on her face and apply moisturizer just once a day

    So, after 3 weeks without makeup, cleansing or exfoliation, what did Augusta notice happened to her skin?

    First and foremost, she noticed it dried out considerably.  That would be expected as exfoliation is very important to maintain the moisture balance of your skin.

    Second, she noticed a big change in the texture of her skin.  She said it “became dry and rough after 15 days”.

    That effect is simply all those dead skin cells piling up unevenly on the skin.  This is why un-exfoliated skin looks dull and rough.

    Augusta BeforeLastly, Augusta noticed that her skin stopped absorbing moisturizer.  This last one highlights one of the lesser-known benefits of exfoliation — it allows deeper penetration and better absorption of products you may put on later (moisturizers, wrinkle creams, etc).

    So after 21 days, what conclusions did Augusta draw from her “experiment”?

    In her own words, “The biggest takeaway:  Though I’ve tried just about every kind of skin care product on the market, after 21 days without washing my face, I learned that for my own skin, the most important product I can use is actually an exfoliator.”

    She also added , “The experts are correct.  I’m much more in tune with how necessary it is to exfoliate on a regular basis.”

    We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves!

    If you’re looking to improve the way your skin looks, the most vital piece of the puzzle is regular, and proper exfoliation.  It alone works wonders on your skin and makes every other skin care product you might use work better.

    Click here to check out our updated list of the best exfoliators.

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