How glycolic acid helps your skin
Glycolic acid is an AHA used for various forms of skin care, but is vastly misunderstood to be used as a remedy for gastro-intestinal disorders. It is common ingredient of many soaps, creams and lotions and does wonders to your skin.
This happens only if you buy skin products with the right composition and strength of the acid. To do this, you need to first determine your skin type and then choose a suitable lotion. As everyone’s skin type is different, no two people will have the same reaction while using skin products. So it’s better you try the skin product on yourself to decide if it suits your skin type and don’t let others’ experiences deter you from doing so.
Higher concentration safe on rough and tough skin
Generally, those with rough or tough skin should have no problem using products with high concentration of glycolic acid. Even those with oily skin should have no problem handling such products.
However if you have sensitive skin, which quickly gets red or irritated by skin products containing glycolic acid, you could look for a product without the acid or something with a lighter concentration.
Various skin care products contain glycolic acid ranging from cleansers to serums and moisturizers to chemical peels. These products contain anything between 2 to 70% of glycolic acid where products with as little as 2-10% of the acid are used as home cleansers, moisturizers and serums while professional peels contain 20-70% of the acid.
Of course, the higher is the peel’s concentration, the deeper it reaches. Generally the peels with highest percentage of glycolic acid should be used by a doctor or at least someone working under one.
What does it do to your skin?
Glycolic acid has small molecules which penetrate into the skin surface to loosen up all the glue-like substances holding the skin cells together. This helps the skin shed off old, dead cells and once all these old cells disappear, your skin is left with new cells and a brighter and healthier glow.
Regular use of products containing glycolic acid makes your skin pores seem smaller wherein you experience less acne and its scars. Your wrinkles and fine lines smoothen out, all signs of hyperpigmentation disappears or the overall skin texture improves. Glycolic acid acts like an exfoliant which lets your pores return to its original size and penetrates deep into your skin to give healthy and glowing skin.
Skin care products containing glycolic acid are one of the few products which reach deep into the dermis, and not epidermis skin layer. Moreover, glycolic acid works as a water-binding agent to plump the skin and ultimately reduce and eliminate the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
