What exactly is skin cell turnover?

We all want fresher looking skin, and there’s an easy way to get it: Boosting your skin cell turnover. 

This turnover plays an important role in maintaining your skin’s barrier function to protect it and keep it looking fresh. But what exactly is skin cell turnover?

Cellular turnover or ‘Epidermal’ turnover is the process of the generation of keratinocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis and their eventual loss as corneocytes from the skin surface.”  In other words:

Skin turnover or epidermal turnover is the process of shedding the thin top layer of your skin, exposing fresh skin underneath.

Producing new skin cells to replace existing skin cells is vital to keeping your skin smooth, healthy, and glowing. 

Skin cell renewal varies from person to person, but to give you an idea – in babies, skin cell renewal takes about 14 days. For teenagers, it’s around 28 days. In middle age it takes between 28 – 42 days. And for 50 plus, it can be up to 84 days.