Learning how to exfoliate your body properly is the best way to mitigate seasonal (and year-round) dullness and rough skin. Here, two dermatologists explain everything you need to know.

Dolphin skin is just a shower away.

There’s something so special about climbing into bed with fresh sheets and buttery smooth skin. But that smooth skin can feel hard to come by. Learning how to exfoliate your body properly is the best way to mitigate seasonal (and year-round) dullness and rough skin.

“Since our skin naturally exfoliates approximately every 28 days, it is not always considered necessary to intentionally exfoliate,” says board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD. “That said, as we get older the rate that our skin cells turn over slows down and it may be helpful to exfoliate to maintain the appearance of healthy, radiant skin.”

Meet the expert

• Marisa Garshick, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell.
• Ivy Lee, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in California and Chair of Augmented Intelligence Committee within the American Academy of Dermatology.

Plus, exfoliating creates the perfect canvas for topicals like self-tanner and plain ‘ole moisturizer. But don’t go grabbing the first scrub you see at the drugstore—there’s an art to exfoliation, so we tapped the pros for an easy guide that’ll give you dolphin-smooth skin in no time. 

Benefits of Exfoliating

“Exfoliation helps to get rid of dead skin cells, so it works to make your skin feel softer, smoother, and brighter,” says Dr. Garshick. During the summer when we’re layering moisturizer, sunscreen, insect repellant, dirt, sand, and other debris, a scrub will help slough that off so you actually feel clean post-shower. And during the winter when the air is cold and dry, exfoliation helps us remove dead skin so that our products can better penetrate.

Exfoliation is also a helpful tool for anyone with rough or bumpy skin, or conditions like keratosis pilaris, which occurs when there is an accumulation of dead skin cells around hair follicles. “By helping to get rid of dead skin cells, exfoliating may help to prevent clogged pores and breakouts and can help other skincare products penetrate more effectively,” says Dr. Garshick. Just like you exfoliate the skin on your face, buffing the skin on your body can result in a smoother appearance and feel.

And if you’re working on your faux-glow, keeping an exfoliant on hand is a good idea. “Exfoliating that top layer of skin can be very helpful in terms of obtaining a more even application of self-tanner, too, especially around elbows and knees,” says board-certified dermatologist Ivy Lee, MD.

Risks of Exfoliating

The biggest risk of exfoliating? Simply overdoing it, says Dr. Lee. “Many times, I’ll see someone who has early stages of skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, which looks like skin flaking, and people always want to slough it off because that’s instinctual,” she says. “It actually just adds fuel to the fire and flares the condition, and can even spread it.” Dr. Garshick echoes the sentiment, noting that using chemical or physical exfoliants too often or too aggressively can lead to skin irritation and sensitivity.

If you have very sensitive skin or conditions like eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis, hold off on exfoliating until you get dermatologist guidance. Less intense ingredients such as urea (yes, really) are found in a lot of sensitive skin-friendly body washes and creams to help even the skin tone over time. 

Physical vs. Chemical Exfoliants

There are two main types of exfoliants: Chemical and physical (or manual). Physical exfoliants come in two flavors, too: items like dry brushes and exfoliating mitts, or the gritty scrubs often made with coffee, sea salt, sugar, or ground rice. These kinds of exfoliants physically slough the top layer of skin off, hence the name. “When using a physical exfoliant, it is important to use one that’s not too harsh or abrasive on the skin,” says Dr. Garshick. And though they can technically be used anywhere on the body, a physical scrub is easier to overdo by nature, so Dr. Lee recommends using them on parts of the body with thicker skin, like your feet, elbows, and legs.

Chemical exfoliants, on the other hand, rely on acids to “break the bonds between these dead skin cells at the very top layer,” says Dr. Lee. These chemical exfoliants are usually formulated with ingredients like AHAs (a.k.a. alpha hydroxy acids), such as glycolic acid, or BHAs (beta hydroxy acids), such as salicylic acid and lactic acid. BHAs are generally best for folks with acne-prone skin, while AHAs are excellent for smoothing fine lines and evening your skin tone, but the great thing is that most products now have a combination of the two. Chemical exfoliants are more goof-proof, and offer a more controlled dose of exfoliation. “In general, those with sensitive skin may prefer chemical exfoliants, and chemical exfoliants may be better suited for the neck, hands, and chest, areas where the skin is more delicate,” says Dr. Garshick.

If you don’t have sensitive skin, you don’t have to choose one type of exfoliator over another—both can have a home in your shower, and they can be used in tandem to get both instant and long-term results. “I recommend a combination of chemical and manual for areas where there's thicker skin, like over the feet, and over any calluses, like on the hands and sometimes the elbows as well,” says Dr. Lee.

How Often to Exfoliate

The short answer, according to our derms: Once or twice per week. But, like everything in this world, there’s room for nuance. “For manual exfoliation, I usually recommend at most, like once or twice a week, whereas the chemical exfoliants, because they're more controlled and gentler, you can use them every other day depending on the strength of the active ingredients,” says Dr. Lee. Like we said, those chemical exfoliants often come in body wash or lotion form, so the actives are at low enough levels that they can be tolerated more easily.

“Anyone who has a disruption in their skin barrier are folks that I would recommend to avoid any exfoliants, whether they're manual or chemical, until their skin is fully healed,” says Dr. Lee. This includes the aforementioned skin conditions, as well as things like scratches, rashes, or even sunburns. Yes, the temptation to peel that dead skin is strong, but we believe in you. “Stick with gentle moisturizers to soothe and nourish the skin and minimize any potential for skin irritation or sensitivity,” says Dr. Garshick. Stick with their formula and you’ll have glowy, smooth skin in no time.