How often should I exfoliate?

Exfoliation frequency is one of the most over-done variables in skincare. The pressure to "do more" pushes a lot of people to daily use, which consistently produces more irritation and less actual benefit than two or three times a week.

Rough frequency guide by skin state

• Reactive or recently-irritated skin: 0 to 1 times a week
• Normal and stable skin: 2 to 3 times a week
• Oily and resilient skin: up to 3 times a week, rarely more
• Daily exfoliation is almost never the right answer outside specific clinical contexts

The other variable is what you exfoliate with. Acids (AHA, BHA) are chemical. Scrubs are physical. Retinoids are a form of cell-turnover stimulation adjacent to exfoliation. These don't stack — if you're using two, count them together when setting your weekly frequency.

The Stella take

More exfoliation does not produce clearer skin faster. It produces more reactive skin faster. The right cadence is the one where your sensitivity scores hold steady over a month.

Appearance-level observations, not therapeutic advice. Not a medical device.