As you’ve heard from the beauty expert herself, Dr. Vicki Belo, it’s far more important to exfoliate than to moisturize. But there’s a right and wrong way to slough off dead skin cells from the body. Not all exfoliating products are created alike, and they’re not equally as effective either. Here are three exfoliation practices you need to stop doing, stat:

1. Using physical exfoliants that are too harsh.

Physical exfoliation uses certain ingredients or tools to physically scrub off dead or old skin from the surface. But some exfoliants can do more harm than good—in fact, a cult-favorite apricot scrub faced a United States lawsuit a few years ago when it was found that the scrub’s main exfoliant, crushed walnut powder, caused microtears in the skin. If you like the feeling of a freshly-scrubbed, newly-smoothed face, use a physical exfoliant with gentler ingredients. The jojoba esters in the ZO® Exfoliating Cleanser are in the Goldilocks zone of exfoliation: gentle enough that they can be used as an emollient, but powerful enough to reveal your baby-soft skin underneath.

2. Not using the chemical exfoliant that’s right for you.

Unlike physical exfoliation, chemical exfoliation involves acids or enzymes that aid in cell turnover and remove built-up layers of dead skin cells. But there are *many* chemical exfoliants out there—AHAs, BHAs, PHAs—and you shouldn’t start using them right away without a go-signal from your Belo MD. Dr. Belo’s personal favorite is glycolic acid, a form of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA): “I [use] glycolic [acid] everyday or tretinoin to make the cycle faster,” she said at the 2018 Cosmo Beauty Block. “Because if not, some of the wrinkles, like let’s say your expression wrinkles, on top of that, if the skin doesn’t fall off, [your wrinkles] look thicker… deeper. But if you do exfoliation, then they’re not so deep.”

Click here to book an online consultation with a Belo MD to find out which chemical exfoliant suits your skin best.

3. Forgetting to exfoliate the body

When people hear “take care of your skin,” the assumption is that they’re referring to the skin on your face. But in a recent interview with Philippine Tatler, Dr. Belo emphasizes the importance of caring for the skin on your entire body. “Make sure you take care of your whole body’s skin. It is important to exfoliate the body. When you get older, your skin just keeps staying on your face, when it should fall off. Not like when you’re a baby, the turn-over is so fast. But when you get older, and you put moisturiser, you end up having layers… like 10 to 14 layers of dead skin!” she shared.

While we’re proud of you for making exfoliation a daily habit, it’s imperative that you do it right. We don’t want to be left with overly-irritated skin because of incorrect exfoliation habits. To perfect your routine and find your way to Baby Soft Skinville, head to the Belo Shop!