You may have ideas of needing weeks to recover.
Or you may think you’d be disfigured like a
horror film villain.
Nothing we do in our office would be like that. In fact, fears and misconceptions about
chemical exfoliation prevent many people from enjoying the benefits that are
available. We hope to change your opinion as you become educated and
informed about the most common acids and how they can help you. These acids are safe and effective.
This two-part blog post will cover the two different types of acids we use in our office. Part One covers alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA). Part Two will cover the beta-hydroxy acids (BHA).
This two-part blog post will cover the two different types of acids we use in our office. Part One covers alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA). Part Two will cover the beta-hydroxy acids (BHA).
Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA)
Alpha-Hydroxy Acids are part of the organic acid
family. What this means is the body can
use it at the cellular level to perform metabolic functions, therefore they
have the ability to provide nutrition and hydration to the skin cells.
The most common AHA’s are Glycolic Acid
and Lactic Acid. These acids will
penetrate into the skin where the body uses them to do a variety of
functions. They begin to change the skin
by changing the cells. Building blocks
of collagen (plumpness) and elastin (ability to stretch) are greatly enhanced
with AHA’s. The body can also use AHA’s
to improve hydration of the skin.
When using AHA’s, there may not be any visible flaking of
the skin. The chemicals are hard at work
detaching the lower levels of the stratum corneum, the top layer of skin that
is constantly regenerating. The result
is younger skin cells on the surface of the stratum corneum, which in turn
helps your skin to appear younger and healthier.
AHA’s are not speedy.
The results are delayed: very subtle over time. They are very effective because they work
from the inside out. These acids work
especially well with mature or pre-maturely aging skin where the regeneration
of skin cells slows down and the stratum corneum hold on to dead skin cells a
little longer.
How you can use AHA's to benefit your skin
Get a jump start on improving your skin texture, fine lines and wrinkles. We recommend an in office chemical exfoliation with our esthetician. There are three different professional treatment options to get you going: Lactic Action, AHA, or Vitamin A peels. Our esthetician can help you determine which will work best for you.
Continue the cellular benefits at home with Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing cleanser (lactic acid), Glymed Gentle Facial Wash (glycolic acid), AHA Accelerator (glycolic and lactic) and Elta MD UV Clear (lactic).
All services and products are available in our office.
208-528-6653
