Understanding The Impact of Skin Cell Turn Over
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Your skin produces new cells on a monthly basis, when new skin cells travel from the lowest layer of your epidermis to the top layer, where they shed off to reveal healthier, younger, ‘glowing’ skin. The skin naturally sheds dead skin cells through a process called desquamation.
Here is a general guide to skin turnover rate at different age.
| Age | Turnover Cycle |
| Infants | ~ 5 to 14 days |
| Teen to Early 20s | ~ 14 to 21 days |
| 20s to 30s | ~ 28 days |
| 40s | ~ 45 to 60 days |
| 50 years+ | ~ 60-90 days |
As you can see comparing the cell turnover rate in your 20, to when you are 40 your skin cycle can take twice as long when you reach 40 years old. When you reach 50 years old, it could take 3 times longer for skin cell to turnover.
Other than the age factor, our hormones, skin health, weather such as sun, wind, pollution and stress level can affect the skin cycle as well.
To look our best, and take advantage of those fresh, new skin cells, you’ll want to get rid of any accumulated dead skin through exfoliation. Once you are out of your 20s, your skin cells just aren’t doing all the heavy lifting for you. Exfoliation is essential to maintain youthful, glowing skin, and is best managed with body scrubs like our Sugared Shea Body Scrub and professional skincare treatments by an esthetician or skin care expert.