Spring Cleaning

In a post from March 1, 2013, the Derm RF blog talked about the number of dead skin cells we shed (it is estimated that up to 90 percent of house dust is actually dead skin cells).  The epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin, can shed up to a million dead cells every 40 minutes. That adds up to a whopping 1.5 pounds of skin cell dust a year. By the time you reach age 70, more than 100 pounds can be lost—and that’s without a diet. Unlike a snake that completely sheds its skin every year, humans do it on a continuous basis, creating as many as 1,000 brand-new skins in a lifetime

In an average young person, skin cells turn over every 28 to 30 days, which means the epidermis can renew itself every month. It’s why young skin always looks so fresh and rosy. Problematically, this process slows over time, so much so that by the time you’re 40, it could take 50 days or more for the skin to rejuvenate. When dead cells don’t slough off as rapidly, your skin gets thicker, appearing almost stale, and dead cells pack into your pores, making them look larger.