exfoliation

/ɛkˌsfoʊliˈeɪʃən/

Other forms: exfoliations

Scrub the dead skin off your face and enjoy some exfoliation! It sounds gross but feels really good. Exfoliation is the process of buffing off the outer layer of skin cells or shedding parts of a surface.

Exfoliation often refers to something people have done at a spa, but it’s not just for humans. A tree's exfoliation involves its bark being peeled off or leaves falling off. You could also call a snake shedding its entire scaly skin exfoliation (though it's officially known as ecdysis or shedding). When a plant loses its leaves, it's exfoliation — this is appropriate since exfoliation stems from the Latin exfoliare, "to strip of leaves."

Definitions of exfoliation

1. noun

   the peeling off in flakes or scales of bark or dead skin
   “exfoliation is increased by sunburn”

   type of:

   organic phenomenon

   (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals
2. noun

   a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin
   synonyms: scale, scurf

   types:

   dander

   small scales from animal skins or hair or bird feathers that can cause allergic reactions in some people

   dandruff

   loose scales shed from the scalp

   type of:

   bit, chip, flake, fleck, scrap

   a small fragment of something broken off from the whole