Over-Exfoliating: Beauty Trend

What: With so many facial scrubs and micro-dermabrasion gizmos on the market, more people are becoming victims of over-exfoliation.

The Word: In the March 2008 issue of Oprah magazine, Ava Shamben, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA, says a lot of us are getting too much of a good thing: When you over-exfoliate, you risk drying out skin and stripping off the top layer. Your skin responds as if it were injured and produces more oil, resulting in acne.

Our Word: Honestly, after a long day of wearing a face full of makeup, nothing feels more refreshing than going to town with a dollop of face scrub. Unfortunately, many of us do this way more than we’re supposed to. It’s kind of like a vicious circle. The more we scrub, the oilier our skin becomes and the more we think we need to super cleanse. If there’s one thing we should all do for our faces (aside from wear SPF everyday), is to be nice to it. Save the scrubs and sponges for once or twice a week and use a cream-based cleanser the rest of the time.