I am posed with the question too often, of should I exfoliate my skin.  The short answer is yes.  The long answer is, it depends.  Should you use that apricot scrub that I grew up with?  NO! Should I exfoliate daily? Probably not.  How often should I exfoliate?  Well, depends on your skin.
If you never exfoliate your skin, you will see it.  Dead skin cells on the surface can dull and harden your skin.  It can enhance the appearance of wrinkles (yuck).
So, exfoliation would seem, should brighten and soften your skin and help to hide or even get rid of those wrinkles (keep dreaming).  Well exfoliated skin will look brighter and softer.  The cellular renewal that occurs when you strip off those dead skin cells brings younger skin cells to the surface and can improve your barrier function in your skin (its ability to fight off invading organisms and even more important, its ability to stop moisture loss through your skin). This young skin, with plenty of natural moisture will look younger and healthier, and you will too.  And those pesky blackheads and whiteheads we hate.  Removing some of that dead skin layer that blocks your pores, may help prevent those from occurring in such great frequency.
Beware though, too much is too much and it is not a good thing.  Too much exfoliation can cause irritation and make your skin look ruddier and redder than ever before.  If you start exfoliating and notice your skin is not feeling better, perhaps cut back to only once a week and see if it improves. 
Always take care of your new refreshed skin by using a suitable moisturizer for your skin type.  AND ALWAYS USE AN SPF.  EVEN IN THE WINTER. EVEN WHEN ITS CLOUDY OUT. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT GOING OUTSIDE.  If the sun is out, put your sunblock on.  Sun exposure is one of the easiest damages to our skin to prevent with proper SPF. And most sun damage occurs before you even realize you could have gotten a burn.  And then you have sunspots and freckles and even worse, skin cancer aging you prematurely.

    I suffered a shoulder injury in my previous job that resulted in my decision to leave a job I did not enjoy and did not see a future for myself in.  I made a good income at this job, but I was not fulfilled in this occupation.  I enrolled in massage school and gave my notice to my employer.  It is a decision that I do not regret.  You must first fulfill your own needs.  My family can pay our bills, eat healthy food, take care of ourselves and enjoy a little bit of fun with a lesser income from my new career, but the QUALITY OF OUR LIFE is so much better. 
    I love learning about the human body and how it works best.  This career allows me to gain more insight into healthier living and to share my knowledge and skills to help others feel better also.  The fact that I am required to reeducate myself to maintain my license as a Massage Therapist is not an obstacle, it is an opportunity to make myself better for myself and my clients.  Working in a massage spa, I had the pleasure of working with an awesome Esthetician and realize how much fun she had and I loved looking into her bag of tools (and creams and serums and cleansers and so much more) and wishing I knew what to do with them. So I decided to expand my knowledge base and study esthetics also.  I learned so much about the skin and caring for it. 
    This is such a great field to be in.  It is scientific, which the academic in my loves.  It is caring, which the empath is me cares about.  It is fun, which all of me loves.  And I get to meet people from all walks of life and learn their stories and experiences.  I enjoy sharing my knowledge with my clients.  And now I am going to try to share my knowledge through a new to me format, this blog. 
Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think, or if there are topics you would like a discussion on.