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You might fall for over-exfoliating your face thinking it would help clear the oil completely, reduce the weird shine and unclog the pores as well. But it does not work like that, harsh scrubbing could strip the moisture barrier of the skin resulting in extreme dry and damaged skin.
If you feel like the oil comes back right after some time of scrubbing then that is a sign of over-scrubbing. Over scrubbing your face makes the skin excessively dry which triggers the sebaceous glands to produce an excess amount of oil to cover the loss, making skin even more oily.
An over-scrubbed skin starts showing signs of damage to the sign, you might notice these signs of distress on your face. The skin starts getting red or flushed after cleansing. Your skin feels weird as the top feels shiny and tight but beneath it feels dry and itchy. The skin starts flaring up in tiny breakouts suddenly due to irritation and inflammation on the face.
It also causes stinging or burning sensation on the face when any product gets applied. This is a result of damaged skin due to over-exfoliation. You need to note these warning signs in order to protect your skin and use the right face scrub for oily skin control.
Why over-scrubbing doesn’t work?
Over-scrubbing to get the squeaky clean skin does not work. This can strip the essential natural oils and the lipid barrier of the skin. A complete matte skin after scrubbing might feel good at first but it causes excess dryness on the face and makes transepidermal loss of water increased.
Skin gets more prone to breakouts and tiny bumps on the face. Also the oil production is more increased as a rebound effect. It makes the skin feel tight and plasticky.
Signs of more oil production
Overscrubbing strips the natural oils and the moisture layer of the skin making it extremely dry. This skin dryness triggers the sebaceous glands to produce more oil to cover the loss as a defense mechanism against dryness. This results in excess sebum production which sits on the face making skin feel greasy and shiny. But beneath the skin is still dry due to moisture loss.
Skin dryness beneath the oil
Harsh scrubbing can strip the barrier of the skin which makes it dehydrated and the water holding ability of skin is lost. Your skin might start producing excess oil to reduce skin dryness and retain moisture but it does not cover dehydration. It feels stiff, tight and uncomfortable beneath the skin. The skin is not able to hydrate and sebum does not help in fulfilling water loss so skin feels weird. The top layer is oily with a dehydrated and tight lower skin.
Skin irritation and flushing
Over-scrubbing can damage the skin barrier severely which makes the skin exposed to triggers. Your face might start appearing flushed, red and inflamed because of this. Nerve endings of the skin are exposed to triggers as the skin develops cracks in the barrier.
This results in triggering responses on the face and causes skin irritation and redness. It might stimulate the inflammatory mediators in the skin resulting in redness, irritation and inflammation.
Acne flare ups and micro tears
The harsh particles of a face scrub when over-exfoliated can cause micro-tearing on the face and result in irritation while exfoliating. The skin barrier gets damaged along with the acid mantle of the skin.
Due to this the acne causing bacteria can easily penetrate the skin as there is no protective barrier. It causes many acne flare-ups on the face. Also the damaged barrier gets irritated and results in acne breakouts.
Burning and stinging sensation
When you over-scrub your face it results in stinging or burning sensation on the face. This happens because of an extremely damaged skin barrier due to over-exfoliation. The damaged skin barrier results in skin burning even when you use your ordinary moisturizer which suits you ideally. When the barrier gets damaged nerve endings are exposed and any topical application reaches the open skin resulting in burning feel while application. Any product could cause stinging on the skin.
Peeling and flaky skin
Due to over-exfoliation on the face the dead skin cells begin to shed early and they form rough patches while shedding. This ideally happens in the excess oily zone where the skin starts peeling due to uneven shedding of dry dead skin cells.
Uneven skin texture
The skin gets dry and dehydrated which makes the skin look rough due to lack of moisture. Tiny irritated bumps start appearing on the face which makes the texture uneven. It also results in excess skin dryness and clumping of dead skin cells on the face which creates rough skin.
How to avoid over-exfoliation?
To deal with excess oil on the face use a gentle face scrub like a neem face scrub in your routine. Use it twice or thrice a week only and not in routine. It is better to use the product in the evening routine. Avoid harsh exfoliating agents as well.
- Wash your face with water.
- Apply face scrub on damp skin.
- Scrub gently by massaging it.
- Do not exfoliate for more than 60 seconds.
- Rinse off with water.
- Pat dry using a soft towel.
- Apply a soothing and hydrating cream.
Final thoughts
Over-scrubbing would not deal with excess oil on your face, it would worsen the condition by leading to more oil production and other skin concerns. Moderate use of each product is required in order to avoid skin problems. Use a gentle face scrub for oily skin properly in a weekly routine without over-use for safe results.
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