Richard M. Foxx, MD
By this time you could just about stop anyone in the street and get the right answer if you asked them to name the layers of the skin. What is less well-known, however, is the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, is largely composed of dead cells that are sloughing off with some regularity.
When we’re in our 20’s, those dead cells slough off after being on the surface for about two weeks. The result is that the outer layer of skin is constantly smooth, regular, and moist, much like baby’s skin, and the products that we put on penetrate easily into the second layer, the dermis, where they can do the most good.
The sloughing-off process, more familiarly known as exfoliation, slows with aging to the point that by the time we are in our 50’s and beyond, the dead cells remain on the surface of the skin for seven to eight weeks and sometimes more. The skin then looks dull and lifeless, and often has the appearance, and the characteristics, of wrinkled parchment.
The buildup of bacteria and oils that result from delayed exfoliation, and the resultant thickened layer of dead cells, block the absorption of product. Then it becomes a matter of putting good product on the skin and having it lay on the outside doing little or nothing, something like waxing a car before taking off the layer of oxidized paint.
Many methods of exfoliation have been tried over the centuries, from rubbing the skin with pumice or ground up peach pits to the more recent microdermabrasion where crystals of aluminum oxide are blown onto the skin and vacuumed off. The problem with microdermabrasion is that it is often too harsh for older skin resulting in an increase in small capillaries.
The best way to remove the dead cells turns out to be a process known as dermal planing, where a flat blade is used by an aesthetician to gently scrape the dead cells off along with the bacteria and oils. The process takes about 20 minutes, is completely comfortable and safe, does not injure the skin, and has zero downtime.
At our office we have been performing this procedure for more than five years. The comment we hear most from new patients is always something like: “Wow. I can breathe through my skin!”
Much like regular professional teeth cleaning is necessary even in the face of daily brushing, regular professional exfoliation should be performed every six to eight weeks for maximum effectiveness. Regardless of the products you use.
Read more about dermal planing at The Medical and Skin Spa in a feature article in THE DESERT MAGAZINE in April, 2009.
Doctor Foxx is the Founder and Medical Director of The Medical and Skin Spa in Indian Wells, CA, at Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, one of the country’s only resort-based medical spas. He may be reached at drfoxx@medicalandskinspa.com or at 760-674-4106