When you exfoliate, you create a rapid turnover of your skin, by sloughing off those outer layers of skin. The chemical exfoliants do the same thing, where you are using chemicals vs. the abrasiveness of a physical exfoliant. Using a chemical exfoliant like a retinoid, actually causes the skin to turn over even faster, so on a daily basis you are getting a little bit of exfoliation. One of the problems that people encounter in using rotenoid is they get too irritated. This means that you are using too much. If you use it every day, start using every other day, or just 3 times a week—everyone can find the right level of exfoliation with retinoid and very little irritation.
-Dr. Crosby
