Skin is the largest part of the human body. To maintain healthy skin, skin care is needed, such as using moisturizers and exfoliating the skin. Not only facial skin, but body skin also needs the same care. So, how often do we need to exfoliate the skin?

Benefits of body skin exfoliation

The skin has an automatic regeneration system that happens regularly. It naturally sheds dead skin cells to let new skin cells grow. Sometimes, the dead cells are not sloughed off completely. This can lead to rough, flaky, dry skin and clogged pores. By exfoliating, you can get rid of dead skin cells, resulting in smoother skin. 

Some other benefits of exfoliating the skin include: 

• Allows the skin to absorb moisturizers better. When a layer of dead skin cells builds up on the skin surface, it can interfere with the absorption of any moisturizer applied to the skin surface. But if you exfoliate regularly, the dead skin cell buildup will be eroded, helping the skin absorb the moisturizer applied to it better.
• Unclog pores and prevent ingrown hair. By using scrubs regularly, your pores will be unclogged to avoid razor bumps and ingrown hairs.
• It makes the skin smoother and flatter. The accumulation of dead skin cells that accumulate and are not removed can make the skin rough, dull, and cracked. With regular skin exfoliation, your skin will look brighter and healthier.

How often should you exfoliate your body's skin?

Just like facial skin, body skin also needs to be exfoliated. How often you exfoliate your body depends on several factors, such as age, skin hydration level, and skin type. As quoted from Healthline, here is the frequency of exfoliation that can be done depending on skin type:

• Normal skin: 2 to 3 times a week or more often if your skin tolerates it well
• Oily skin: Exfoliate 3–4 times a week or daily, depending on your skin condition
• Sensitive skin: Depending on your skin sensitivity, most sensitive skin owners can exfoliate once a week, but if your skin is very sensitive, then you may not need physical exfoliation.

Tips for exfoliating body skin

For body skin, the exfoliation methods that can be done are physical exfoliation using body scrubs, washcloths, or exfoliator tools such as loofahs and shower puffs. When using a body scrub, you can apply the following method:

• Rinse skin with warm water
• Apply scrub with fingertips
• Scrub hands and feet in an inward circular motion
• Avoid rubbing the skin too much, as it may cause irritation
• Rinse thoroughly using lukewarm water
• Pat skin dry, leaving it slightly damp
• Apply moisturizer to lock in skin moisture

If you exfoliate using a washcloth, loofah, or shower puff, make sure you wash the exfoliator after each use to avoid bacteria buildup. 

As the largest part of the human body, the skin also needs care, such as exfoliation.

If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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