With so many skin care systems and different ingredients on the
market today, it can be challenging to decide where to invest your skincare
dollars to achieve the maximum desired results. Much will depend on your
age and skin care goals. To help wade through the waters of acids,
vitamins, and other ingredients, my next few blog posts will give you a basic
overview in terms easy to understand.
Your skin is constantly in a process of renewal. While new
cells are created in lower layers, dead skin cells emerge at the surface and
need to be sloughed off. These cells will slough off slowly, on their own,
or we can aid the process using mechanical or chemical exfoliators.
Mechanical exfoliators can come in the form of granules or micro beads in
your skin care products or by way of microdermabrasion - but that's a whole
other topic. Chemical exfoliators can come in the form of Alpha and Beta
Hydroxy Acids used in skin care products.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA)
Glycolic Acid - an exfoliator used to speed up skin cell renewal.
By increasing collagen formation and epidermal thickness, it helps to
improve the appearance of fine wrinkles and rough skin texture.
Lactic Acid - an exfoliator that has been found to increase
ceramide levels. This is a benefit because ceramides compose the bulk of
the lipid layer of the skin and help hold the skin cells together in a smooth
firm structure.
Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA)
Salicylic Acid - an exfoliator often used in acne treatments and
oily skin products because it penetrates deep into the hair follicles to clear
compacted or un-sloughed skin cells that clog follicles and cause blemishes and
breakouts.
Cell renewal is important to the overall health of your skin so it
just makes sense to aid in the process by sloughing off dead skin cells.
Make exfoliating a part of your regular skin care routine!!
Next time, in Part 2, I will review the vitamins often found in
skin care products.
Sources: Skin Care Science, Marty Glenn; The Esthetic Institute,
Betty-Ann Newton
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