Gentle Exfoliation: Why Less Is More for Your Skin
Gentle exfoliation, as far as I'm concerned, is the one your skin already does by itself. Every day it sheds its old surface cells and replaces them from below, quietly and in its own rhythm. Scrubs, peels and acid toners speed that up, and too much of it leaves skin red, tight and unprotected. Here's how to spot over-exfoliation, what it does to your skin, and why I trust a small amount of raw fermented pawpaw (also known as papaya, one and the same) to support the process rather than force it.
Some years ago, a friend and I were sitting around one evening, debating the pros and cons of chemical peels. I announced, with great confidence, that raw fermented pawpaw would do the trick. So, in our infinite wisdom, we decided to test my theory right there and then.
We put it on neat, straight from the batch. My husband watched this unfold and pointed out, very carefully, that it might not be the wisest decision anyone had ever made. He has a saying: caution is not to be thrown to the wind. He was spot on.
An hour later, our faces were fire-engine red and deeply uncomfortable. The next morning, our skin looked like porcelain. Smooth, yes. But I was too terrified to leave the house in case the sun touched me, and I swore never to repeat the experiment. I had never been a fan of exfoliation. After that night, I was a confirmed anti.
What are the signs of over-exfoliation?
Over-exfoliated skin usually tells you quite quickly. According to board-certified dermatologists at Westlake Dermatology, the common signs are:
- redness and stinging when you apply products that never bothered you before
- tightness, dryness, or dry flaky skin on the face
- a strange, tight shine that isn't a healthy glow
- sudden breakouts or congestion
- skin that feels more sensitive to the sun and wind
The look is what bothers me most. Stripped skin is like a vampire’s skin: smooth, clear, and somehow not alive. Unpeeled skin may not be perfect, but at least it generally looks alive. And skin that’s been looked after gently has a glow and a sense of wellbeing that no peel can fake.
I once watched a friend go through this before her wedding. She had a strong peel, then left for a tropical honeymoon, and it wasn’t good. Her skin battled for a long time afterwards. It was before I started AYA, so I had nothing to offer her except sympathy. How that memory vanished into the ether on the fateful night I decided a home peeling experiment was a good idea, I’ll never know.
What is exfoliation and how does it work?
Your skin exfoliates itself. The outer layer, the stratum corneum, is made of flattened cells that are constantly being shed and replaced from below. This shedding is called desquamation, and it’s one of the quiet, clever things your skin does without being asked.
Those outer cells are held together by tiny protein rivets called corneodesmosomes, the “glue” of your skin. As they reach the surface, the glue naturally loosens and the old cells drift away. While that rhythm is balanced, your skin keeps its protective shield intact.
Exfoliation is an outside intervention that speeds the process up, either by rubbing cells off or by dissolving the glue. This process removes cells faster than your skin can replace them, stripping back the very layer that protects you. Your skin is brought down to a newborn layer that has to face this wonderful world, with all its good and bad elements. More importantly, it faces it unprotected.
A peel offers your skin no protection of its own. It takes protection away, which is why every clinic sends you home with strict instructions to avoid the sun and wear a high SPF.
Now, another of my husband’s pet peeves is that I don’t read instructions properly, and I follow them even less. So picture someone like me, brazenly strolling out of the clinic and going about my usual day, instruction sheet folded unread in my bag, newly unprotected skin turned happily up to the sun. My skin would be paying for that stroll for weeks. If you’re more like me than you’d care to admit, that’s worth knowing before you book.
Is chemical exfoliation better than physical exfoliation?
Both can be overdone. They just get there differently.
Is physical exfoliation bad for your skin?
Physical exfoliation means scrubs, brushes, mitts, microdermabrasion and dermaplaning. Rough granules and enthusiastic scrubbing can cause tiny tears on the surface of your skin, which leaves it irritated and more open to the elements.
If the impact of fast fashion and fast beauty worries you, there’s another element to consider. Some scrubs harm more than your face: plastic microbeads wash down the drain and have been found in oceans and marine life, which is why many countries have since banned them. I’ve written more about the problem with fast skincare and what it costs us all.
How does chemical exfoliation work?
Chemical exfoliation uses ingredients that loosen the glue between cells: acids such as AHAs and BHAs, retinoids, and fruit enzymes such as papain from pawpaw and bromelain from pineapple. Stronger versions done in a salon or clinic are what we call peels.
Acids and enzymes work very differently, and I've gone into enzyme exfoliation vs acids in detail before, if you'd like the deeper science.
How much exfoliation is too much?
This is where most of us get caught. One product with an exfoliant is one thing. But if your cleanser, toner and serum each contain an acid, and you use them every day, it adds up to far more exfoliation than you think.
The marketing words are often the giveaway: “glow”, “resurfacing”, “brightening”, “renewal”, “clarifying” and “peel” usually mean there’s an acid at work. Then turn the bottle over and look for glycolic, lactic, salicylic or mandelic acid, or simply “AHA” and “BHA”.
One word of reassurance for fellow label-readers: not every acid on a label is exfoliating your face. Citric acid often appears right at the end of the ingredient list, and in that position it’s usually just there in a tiny amount to balance the product’s pH. It’s when an acid sits near the top of the list, and the label promises you a glow, that it’s doing the real work.
The American Academy of Dermatology's guidance on exfoliating at home is that the more aggressive the method, the less often it should be done. Freshly exfoliated skin is also more sensitive to the sun, which under our South African sun is no small thing.
I’ll be honest: I don’t exfoliate at all. But we all have different paths. If your weekly at-home peel, your clinic peel every few weeks or your daily acid toner works for you and meets your needs, that’s brilliant. What works for me doesn’t have to be what works for everyone.
Why is pawpaw enzyme exfoliation so gentle?
Pawpaw, or papaya, since they’re one and the same fruit, contains papain, a proteolytic enzyme. That simply means it breaks down proteins, specifically the protein glue holding dead cells to the surface. Enzymes work more slowly and gently than acids, which is why fruit enzymes are considered the mildest form of gentle exfoliation.
Which brings me back to my red face. Papain is gentle when it's in the right amount, in the right formula. Neat raw fermented pawpaw straight from the batch is a very different thing. That night taught me more about dose than any textbook, and it's why I test everything on myself, carefully, long before it goes into a tin.
In AYA, a small amount of raw fermented pawpaw is blended into balms, oils and creams. It's there to support your skin's natural shedding, not to strip it.
Is exfoliation necessary for good skin?
Not for me, and here’s why. Your skin already exfoliates itself, every single day. Left to its own rhythm, it sheds old cells and replaces them from below, keeping its protective layer intact as it goes. Exfoliating doesn’t add anything your skin can’t do. It just speeds the process up, and speed is exactly where the trouble starts.
What my skin needs is support, not stripping. I keep things simple: a gentle cleanse in the evening with AYA Cleansing Balm, where a little raw fermented pawpaw quietly supports that natural shedding, and a splash of cold water in the morning, which suits my love of cold therapy for glowing skin.
Most of all, I check in with my skin and give it what it asks for, following its natural rhythm as much as I can. That’s what leaves it feeling nourished, not drained.
What should you do if you've over-exfoliated?
If your skin is red and tight from overdoing it, this is what I’d tell a friend:
- Stop exfoliating. No scrubs, acids, retinoids or peels until your skin feels calm and comfortable again.
- Stay out of the sun for as long as you possibly can, and don’t skip your sunscreen. I’ve shared my thoughts on mineral vs chemical sunscreen before.
- Keep it natural and uncomplicated. Fewer products, gentler products. Rinse with cool water, not hot, because of what hot water does to your skin barrier.
- Use a simple, natural balm that soothes dry skin, locks in moisture and supports your skin’s natural barrier while it finds its rhythm again. Choose the plainest one you can find, and test it on a small patch first.
If your skin is very raw, broken or isn’t settling, see your doctor or a dermatologist.
Is exfoliating worth the risk?
If you remember one thing, let it be this: exfoliating is a choice, and it isn't a one-off with no consequences. Remove dead skin faster than your skin can replace it, and you compromise the outer layer that protects you. Your skin pays for it later, sometimes for a long time.
So choose with your eyes open. And if you decide, like me, to let your skin do what it does best, give it gentle support along the way. For me, that starts each evening with AYA Cleansing Balm, and just the right amount of raw fermented pawpaw, properly formulated this time.
