Your skin can exfoliate itself.

Somewhere along the line we stopped thinking of skin as an organ and started seeing it as a surface, something that must always look good: no spots, no wrinkles, no redness, no pigmentation. Welcome to decades of women staring into the mirror wanting their skin to look like someone else’s. In our clinic we’ve always said no two skins are the same, and that’s why our personalised skin journeys have been so successful. But for now, let’s get back to our body’s largest organ: the skin.

During summer we notice a shift, a bit more colour, more oil production, and sometimes a sluggish feel, especially after long days at the beach or outdoors. A build-up of sand, sweat and sunscreen makes you want to scrub away the layers. Trends have told us for decades to scrub off dead, dry skin. However, most of the time there’s no need, and the more you scrub, the more flaky, dry or irritated your skin can become. You might even breakout. 

What if we told you we don’t want you to scrub it all away? The skin is designed to exfoliate itself - hello, chymotryptic enzymes. These naturally occurring enzymes live in the skin’s uppermost layer, the stratum corneum, and when they’re functioning well, skin is smooth and soft. Sometimes they need a little help, and that’s where our in-salon enzyme treatments come in.

Salon enzymes work similarly to the enzymes already in your skin,  think of them as little Pac-Men, gently munching away at cells stuck to the surface while leaving healthy cells intact. Because they don’t damage the skin barrier, the skin can continue to function normally. We prefer to support those natural enzymes and leave exfoliation to a professional treatment for a number of reasons. The biggest reason: if you’re scrubbing at home a couple of times a week, your chymotryptic enzymes can’t do their job properly.

Be cautious with AHA and BHA products too. Some skins need more help than others, but guessing can lead to inflammation, sensitivity and premature ageing. Over-exfoliation can even make skin oilier, especially if you’re prone to breakouts. We want the skin to function naturally, which sometimes means a reset, particularly if you’ve been using daily hydroxy acids or other ongoing exfoliants.

When the skin is producing free-flowing oil and is well hydrated, regular exfoliation often isn’t necessary. Let the enzymes do their work and consider an in-salon enzyme treatment to restore natural function and bring back that healthy glow.