The Exfoliation Conundrum
How I found my way back to acids after I screwed up my skin barrier. Plus, a new mineral sunscreen favorite and a detour into my IVF years
I’ve had an on-off relationship with exfoliation for my entire adult life, starting with the ubiquitous St. Ives Apricot Scrub of my youth, which we now know was likely doing more harm than good to sensitive skin like mine (FWIW, some people with less sensitive skin still do totally fine with gentle physical exfoliators…key word, gentle).
In my 30s, I fully entered my chemical exfoliation era. I experimented with AHA and BHA toners, peel pads, masks, and everything in between. I knew so many people who swore by Pixi’s bestselling Glow Tonic and Biologique Recherche Lotion P50—you know, the cult French toner that everyone lovingly (or bravely? insanely?) admits smells like hot garbage. I tried to love them. Both bottles sat, still mostly full, on my shelf for many months. I just didn’t enjoy the experience.
My go-tos for a while were the fabulous two-step Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads, $20 for a 5-pack. A simpler, cheaper pre-soaked pad I also like: First Aid Beauty’s Facial Radiance Pads, $38 for 60 glycolic + lactic acid pads, (which are sold in a handy jar similar to old-school Stridex pads and are now compostable). Both say they’re gentle enough for twice-daily use, but I realized through trial and error that my dry, sensitive skin did better with less frequenet use.
Once I became a regular retinol—and then tretinoin—user, that’s when things changed. Retinoids aren’t exfoliants but they do speed up skin cell turnover and can be pretty harsh and lead to peeling, especially in those early adjustment months. So much has been written in recent years warning against overdoing it on actives so you protect and preserve skin’s very important moisture barrier. Personally, I found it difficult to find the right balance with skin cycling at first—retinoid, exfoliate, hydrate/recover, etc. And one of the pitfalls of working in beauty is that you test a lot of different products. Yep, I screwed up my barrier.
The lower half of my face felt inflamed, red and peeling all the time. I remember wondering if I had screwed up my face permanently. I’d hydrate and moisturize and make some progress. But my skin would take one step forward and two steps back. Finally, I scaled way back on everything and just used super simple, thick moisturizers (like my current favorite) for about three weeks and got things back on track enough to slowly reintroduce a few actives.
These days, I take a kinder, gentler, slower approach to exfoliation. I’ve found that retinol and tretinoin have been real game-changers for my skin so I prioritize cycling them in a few times a week. And as for exfoliation? I’ll do it every two weeks or so, but I’m not religious about it. I’m currently liking the Dr. Idriss Major Fade Flash Mask and find myself coming back to my tried and true Drunk Elephant T.L.C Sukari BabyFacial AHA + BHA Mask (a word of warning: this one does sting a bit while it’s on; not enough to hurt but it may not be the right fit for the super faint of heart).
Live Tinted Skin Tint Mineral Sunscreen
You know I love finding new mineral sunscreens. This brand new one from Live Tinted is really stellar. It essentially doubles as a tinted moisturizer and could take the place of a light-coverage foundation. The texture is a bit thicker than my favorite La Roche Posay one, which is quite nice depending on what I’m looking for that day (the LRP leaves a more glossy, dewy finish).
Le Labo Edition Hotel Body Lotion
I’ve been a major fan of the Le Labo x Edition Hotel signature scent for years, ever since I booked a long weekend at the Edition in Miami. Every outpost pumps this black tea + citrus + floral through all of their common areas and it’s glorious. I’ve had the candle and the reed diffuser in my home before; and they instantly conjure a gorgeous hotel vibe.
Home fragrances don’t always translate well into personal scents, and vice versa. But a friend had the Edition lotion at a shoot and, let me tell you, I wanted to bathe in it. Not really, since a little goes a long way (just a pea-sized amount I used as hand cream was totally enough to keep me fabulously scented for a while). But I think I’ve found a new favorite.
The Future of Beauty
I got a chance to speak to beauty and fashion students at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) recently as part of a Next in Beauty program with Refinery29. It was my second time at SCAD and they have such an incredible program down there, including a business of beauty track that I wish I had when I was growing up. The students were so engaged and asked such smart, thoughtful questions. I left feeling so inspired. The kids are alright. And the future beauty industry is in good hands.
Big Hair Is Back
And I couldn’t be happier. Remember when everyone was arguing about whether side parts were uncool? I know, so silly. Miley said, let’s bring back hair so big there is no part.
My IVF Years
I read Zach Baron’s wonderful essay, My IVF Years, yesterday and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. 1) It’s beautifully written and the ending brought tears to my eyes. 2) I did IVF and it’s been on my mind because of the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling on frozen embryos. IVF is hard. Physically. Mentally. I remember sobbing many times with huge tennis-ball-sized welts on my body from the constant injections. It’s expensive. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. It sometimes ends in disappointment. But it’s incredible that we live in a time when science can help some people struggling with fertility issues—and the fast overreach of politics and religious fundamentalism into women’s bodies should concern us all. I’ll get off of my soapbox now but please do give Zach’s story a read—it’s a long read but very worthwhile.
Let’s chat! What’s on your mind? Drop me a line in the comments.
I had to learn with actives more is not more. And even the schedule recommended by a product brand may be too much. I decided to use actives at night a few nights a week and on those nights do not use a moisturizer with actives. But in the end I learned listen to my skin. Buy skincare that truly is effective and keep basic skin care products that simply hydrate or moisturize on deck.
I don't think there's an acid treatment I haven't tried... the Pixi, the P50, Paula's choice, The Ordinary, the First Aid pads, I've tried them all!
I have especially oily, breakout prone skin still, at age 58. I've done tretinoin in the past, I may have to pick it up again...