You keep hearing about the things you should do to your skin. Be sure to exfoliate! Watch out for free radicals! You probably get a great deal of this when you watch the television or go out to the store. Sales representatives trying to market their skin care products will try to use any term in the skin care book and throw it at you in an attempt to convince you (or scare you) into buying their product. They make it sound like there has been some miracle breakthrough and this new method of skin care is going to save your skin. With constant application (also known as constant purchasing of said product), you could look 24 forever!

It is a nice dream, it really is. But most of us know that it is not true. You may actually be familiar with some terms in regards to what the product is supposed to do, but what about the definition? The most basic explanation of the item?

Exfoliate: Peeling or shedding in thin layers, flakes, or scales. This is what you are doing when you purchase any sort of scrub and proceed to polish your face or other body part with it. Exfoliation is handy because it assists your skin in removing dead skin cells more quickly, thus freeing up breathing room for new skin cells and keeping the old ones away from pores which can lead to trapped bacteria (and not just on your face, the same can happen to any hair follicle on your body when you least expect it). Just be careful when doing so because it might induce your skin to dry out faster or for more oil production depending upon your skin type.

Microdermabrasion: This term needs to be broken down a bit. Mirco: very, very small. Derm: refers to your skin layer; dermis. Abrasion: wearing, grinding, or otherwise rubbing away at a surface to cause removal. Initially if you put those definitions together it may not make much sense. Small skin abrasions? Sort of, but not exactly. Microdermabrasion is a process in which tiny particles are blasted onto your skin and then sucked away along with the dead skin particles and other impurities that were embedded into your skin.

It is a deeper form of exfoliation because the particles are smaller than the little granules that come in your scrub, and thus can get into places the scrub cannot. Professionally done sessions are typically more affective than a kit you purchase in the store because store kits, though the particles are smaller than a scrub, still basically comes in a scrub format.

Free Radicals: This one is a little tougher because it is more chemist-friendly and often makes very little sense to the average consumer. Free radicals are atoms with an unpaired electron. The lack of electron balance makes them a bit more reactive than others (it would require a small chemistry lesson in order to clear this up further; this is where a bit of personal web research would go a long way for your skin!).

Free radicals have the ability to damage your skin cells as they bounce around trying to swipe an extra electron from somewhere in an attempt to become stable (they may try to steal from you). Antioxidants are the sought-after answer to help keep free radical damage at bay. If a salesperson claims their product is the one and only answer to free radical damage, it is not likely to be true.

Botanical Extracts: You can probably figure this one out without much help, but here it is. Botanical refers to plants and extract means to remove. In this case, skin care companies are removing oils, scents, or other elements from a plant to be used in products for the properties they can offer. Botanical extracts are good for your skin because they are often natural and what they present is safer for your skin than a chemically created ingredient.