The History of Exfoliation
Exfoliation is the removal of the oldest dead skin cells on the skin’s outermost surface. Exfoliation is typically provided during a facial and can be achieved by mechanical or chemical services. We can trace exfoliation back to ancient Egyptian rituals performed by Cleopatra herself. She was known to take “milk baths” where should would bathe in sour milk. The lactic acid in the milk would exfoliate her skin leaving it soft and smooth. In the middle ages, it was very common to use tartaric acid to exfoliate your skin and this was done using old wine. These are all different examples of chemical exfoliants that were typically used to help remove dead skin cells on the surface.
Many Native Americans also exfoliated, but in a different way without chemicals. This is called manual exfoliation. Manual exfoliation is when you physically scrub your skin with something. It could be a scrub you buy at the store, a homemade scrub, or even a simple washcloth. Native Americans used dried corn cobs to scrub their skin. Pumice stones were very popular to scrub their skin as well as other minerals and even some scrubs made from the aloe vera plant. The Comanche tribe would use sand from the bottom of a river bed to scrub their skin. America wasn’t the only place where mechanical exfoliants were popular, Polynesian people would crush sea shells they found and use it as a homemade scrub.
Until the 1800s, natural levels of alpha hydroxy acids were commonly used to exfoliate the skin. In 1882, Paul Gerson Unna started to formulate what would soon be called “chemical peels”. He described his formula to contain many new ingredients such as salicylic acid, resorcin, phenol and trichloroacetic acid (TCA), all ingredients being useful skin-rejuvenation compounds. Unna wanted his new concoction to be used strictly in hospitals for disorders and diseases. The French took his mixture and did exactly the opposite, they used his blend for many cosmetic purposes, which is specifically what he did not want.
Through the 20th century, the most popular form of exfoliation was chemical exfoliation. Dermatologists were conducting research using phenols. Edmond Saalfeld first insinuated towards using products such as paraffin for chemical exfoliation which could peel the skin. Using croton oil had suddenly became more popular and more acceptable in society. This was around 1932 which went hand in hand with Joseph Urkov, American plastic surgeon, who published an article claiming to have treated 2,000 patients with croton oil for various skin problems. Through the efforts of Thomas Baker and Howard Gordon, phenol-based peeling gained legitimacy in 1960s. Using phenol and TAC peels were more common under the use of dermatologists and plastic surgeons in 1970. This was the real start of chemical peels and the start of their evolution.
Many Native Americans also exfoliated, but in a different way without chemicals. This is called manual exfoliation. Manual exfoliation is when you physically scrub your skin with something. It could be a scrub you buy at the store, a homemade scrub, or even a simple washcloth. Native Americans used dried corn cobs to scrub their skin. Pumice stones were very popular to scrub their skin as well as other minerals and even some scrubs made from the aloe vera plant. The Comanche tribe would use sand from the bottom of a river bed to scrub their skin. America wasn’t the only place where mechanical exfoliants were popular, Polynesian people would crush sea shells they found and use it as a homemade scrub.
Until the 1800s, natural levels of alpha hydroxy acids were commonly used to exfoliate the skin. In 1882, Paul Gerson Unna started to formulate what would soon be called “chemical peels”. He described his formula to contain many new ingredients such as salicylic acid, resorcin, phenol and trichloroacetic acid (TCA), all ingredients being useful skin-rejuvenation compounds. Unna wanted his new concoction to be used strictly in hospitals for disorders and diseases. The French took his mixture and did exactly the opposite, they used his blend for many cosmetic purposes, which is specifically what he did not want.
Through the 20th century, the most popular form of exfoliation was chemical exfoliation. Dermatologists were conducting research using phenols. Edmond Saalfeld first insinuated towards using products such as paraffin for chemical exfoliation which could peel the skin. Using croton oil had suddenly became more popular and more acceptable in society. This was around 1932 which went hand in hand with Joseph Urkov, American plastic surgeon, who published an article claiming to have treated 2,000 patients with croton oil for various skin problems. Through the efforts of Thomas Baker and Howard Gordon, phenol-based peeling gained legitimacy in 1960s. Using phenol and TAC peels were more common under the use of dermatologists and plastic surgeons in 1970. This was the real start of chemical peels and the start of their evolution.