The Importance of Exfoliating

When you have a chronic illness, often taking care of your skin becomes a low priority, because so many things don't seem to help at all.  For me, good skin and body care have always been something I am passionate about.  One of the most important and helpful things you can do to help your skin is to use an exfoliant a few times a week.  Being on medications like Prednisone our skin is much more prone to infections and dry skin, and all of the chemical changes in your body reak havoc on our healthy skin. One of the best ways to avoid this is to scrub away the top layer of old, dying skin. This removes oils as well as impurities that can later lead to little infections and pimples.  Exfoliating can help reduce the amount of infections and pimples on your skin, and over time helps your skin stay looking younger, leaving the top layer of your skin healthy and bright.

There are many types of exfoliators, some of which are great and others that actually hurt the environment!  I love microbead cleansers, but most actually have a large negative impact on the environment as they are not water soluble.  I used to LOVE the neutrogena grapefruit microbead scrub, BUT after learning the impact it has on the environment I had to make a change and use a non water soluble microbead cleanser. I did some research and found some microbead cleansers that are actually made with microbeads that dissolve in water and won't have a harmful impact.(Want to learn more about how microbead scrubs are harmful to the environment? Click here!)  There are also plenty of other types of exfoliators that work great and are not microbeads, but I prefer microbead cleansers as they really seem to get the job done.

Also, it is really important to make sure whatever is being used to exfoliate your skin, even if not a microbead scrub, is water soluble.  Some scrubs use things like walnut shells which leave microtears on the skin and can lead to cellulitis!  When on medications that lower your immune system this is particularly important because you are more prone to infections.  It is also important if you have a problem with skin infections to choose a scrub that has an acne fighting agent like salicylic acid, as this will help preemptively fight infections.

There are also a plethora of tools that help the exfoliating process, including electric face brushes.  There are many different brands of these, but a good one to start out and try that won't break the bank is the Olay face brush.  When you pair a face brush with a good exfoliate your skin feels amazing and is significantly healthier.Your body is important too!  When you shower or bathe use a loofah or other slightly abrasive cleaning cloth. This will help scrub away impurities and will help cut down on infections and leave your skin healthier, especially when paired with a good body scrub! Whatever scrub you use, as someone with a few chronic illnesses I can say that since I have started regularly using a face brush and exfoliator my skin has been healthier!