Why exfoliate? The process of exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells. This is considered one of the most important skincare techniques. Without exfoliating you will be encouraging the skin to feel dry, to look dull and pores will be more prone to blockages which can lead to blackheads and spots and pimples. Obviously the amount of times you exfoliate will depend on the type of skin you have. More oily, combination skins should carry out this technique more regularly as their skin is more prone to oil or sebum production. The science part When we exfoliate the skin cells away that are dead, we are removing these from the top layer of the skin, known as the epidermis. This sits on top of the dermis . The skin cells travel from the dermis up to the top layer of the epidermis on a 20-30 day cycle (depending on your age) if you are older, say 35 years your skin will take longer to travel up and therefore need more encouragement to shed itself, than say a teenager. Hen