Ask a Dermatologist: "How often should I exfoliate my skin?"

By Dr. Sapna Westley   3-Minute Read

Welcome to ASK AN EXPERT, a series where we pose your real questions to our menopause experts for the answers you need. Have a question? Post it on The After Party, our private Facebook Group.

Your Question:

“How often should I exfoliate my skin?”

The Answer:

From Dr. Sapna Westley, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City specializing in medical and cosmetic dermatology: 

“It's a personal preference. Everybody's degree of irritation tolerance is different.

I usually recommend one to two times a week. But it depends on your skin: if people have more oily skin, they can handle it three or four times a week, especially in the summer when it's more humid. In the winter, when it's really dry, I usually recommend one to two times a week.

There are different forms of exfoliation. There's chemical exfoliation and then there's mechanical exfoliation. I tend to recommend chemical exfoliants rather than mechanical-scrub type exfoliants because those can be more abrasive and cause more dryness on the skin.”

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