The different types of scrubs
Often tastes differ, but soft, smooth skin is actually on everyone's wish list. So it's not surprising that peels are booming. And these are now available in a wide variety of forms, from mechanical to fruit acid peelings to enzyme peelings.
How do the different types of peeling work, who are they suitable for and where should a professional go? Let's take a closer look at mechanical, chemical, and enzyme peels.
Mechanical peelings – ideal for the body
The word body Scrub says it already: This type of peeling scrubs dead skin with small abrasive particles away. They consist of sugar, ground coffee beans, fruit stones or - Be careful! – plastic. Incidentally, you can recognize the latter from information such as «PEG» in the ingredients and is bad insofar as you put plastic directly into our body of water tilts. (You can also recognize plastic in cosmetics from the terms on this Greenpeace list. ) So it's better to use the natural variants.
These are completely safe to use on healthy skin on the body and offer many advantages: They make the skin smooth and soft and promote blood circulation. With regular useonce or twice a week they also ensure that fewer hairs grow in after shaving.
For the face, mechanical peelings can be quite harsh. However, I still think it's good, as long as a few things are considered. In particular, daily scrubs, which are sometimes offered for blemished skin, dry out the skin far too much. Pimples in particular do not heal faster through ruthless permanent peeling, but the bacteria are only better distributed.
Stop & go for mechanical peels
- Better not for stressed skin and inflammatory skin diseases such as perioral dermatitis, acne or rosacea
- Ideal for the body and for healthy, non-sensitive skin for gentle facial peelings
Would you like to try a DIY peeling recipe? In the article Make your own peeling, we share our tried-and-tested recipes with you.
Enzyme peelings – the gentle way
Enzyme peelings are limited in their effect to the skin surface, which they clean and disinfect. There, dead skin cells are connected to the fresh ones underneath. You can think of it like a cake where the crust has gotten a bit hard and dark, but it's all one piece with the fluffy batter underneath. Enzyme-splitting proteinsgently dissolve the cell structures so that you can simply wash away the old skin cells with water. This is completely natural, because proteins from papaya or pineapple are often included.
Enzyme peelings are used like a mask: Apply once or twice a week, leave on and rinse off. Regularity is important. Not only do you create a fresher complexion, you can even pigment spots and blemishes including pimple marks.
Due to the higher price compared to mechanical peels, they are usually only used on the face. There are hardly any restrictions, because these mild peelings are actually suitable for every skin type.
Stop & go for enzyme peels
- In no case in the case of perioral dermatitis, there is a general ban on cosmetics
- Suitable for all skin types
Chemical peelings with AHA fruit acids and Co.
This type of peeling is mainly known as fruit acid peeling. This works by means of AHA (glycolic acid peeling) or BHA (salicylic acid peeling). It stimulates regeneration and removes the outer layer of skin. Depending on the concentration, the peeling can also have a significantly greaterdeep effect. The effect is strong, but so is the skin irritation, because these peelings are very aggressive. Redness, swelling and peeling skin are common side effects - after all, chemical peels are also known as peeling treatments.
🍋 Many sera and cleansing products that are intended to prevent skin aging or impurities contain an AHA - or BHA complex. Here the concentration is usually low, but it does not hurt to pay attention to irritations!
when using it
Chemical peels put a lot of strain on the skin and, in my opinion, are not recommended, even if they are very hyped at the moment. Above all, I advise against trying it yourself at home. If you use the wrong dosage, you can burn your skin. Only in certain cases one can consider whether the treatment makes sense, for example in the case of annoying acne scars or accumulations of pigment. The desire for relief is understandable here, but then fruit acid peelings definitely belong in the hands of professionals.
Stop-and-go for chemical peels
- Not ideal because it's too aggressive and an absolute no-go for sensitive, stressed skin
- Recommended at best as a therapy against scars or pigment spots
My tip: It's better to exfoliate gently and regularly! The clear favorites for the face are the gentle enzyme peelings for all skin types.