exfoliate

exfoliate 1 To peel off scaly skin spontaneously. For example, the skin exfoliates from the palms and soles in psoriasis, Kawasaki disease, and Reiter syndrome. 2 To deliberately wear away the top layer of skin, as may be done gently by a facial technologist who is applying a topical skin treatment for cosmetic purposes or more severely by a dermatologist treating acne. In the latter case, the most common exfoliating methods are sanding and chemical peels.