Glycolic Acid Products
Glycolic acid comes from a set of chemicals known as fruit acids or alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) and it is used in Glycolic acid products. It is made out of sugar cane, so it is a natural substance and is widely used in many types of beauty and skin care products.
However, you have to watch out for the levels of concentration of glycolic acid in these products as stated in the information below:
What is Glycolic Acid Used For?
Pure glycolic acid is too strong to be used in glycolic acid products meant to be used in skin care products. This is glycolic acid that is 70 percent or higher in purity and it is used for industrial purposes such as for removing rust.
At this strength it would be very dangerous to use on exposed human skin. In fact, any formulation containing more than 10 percent of glycolic acid is considered to be hazardous, so less pure formulas need to be used in glycolic acid products for humans.
Exfoliant and Moisurizer: When used for glycolic acid products for people, it is normally made into skin exfoliants or moisturizers. It can come in the form of a cream, lotion, gel, wash or peel.
It works well as an exfoliant due to it being very acidic and very soluble. When rubbed into the skin, a glycolic acid product gets under damaged layers of the skin and unglues the dead skin cells and actually chemically burns it away. The result is a more youthful looking skin. Plus, it is able to pull moisture into the skin once it has been exfoliated.
Skin tone: Glycolic acid products can also improve the skin’s tone. It helps to get rid of freckles, blackheads, whiteheads, scales, and also can bleach out age spots. It can also work as an antioxidant and help rid the skin of free radicals that tend to rob the body of collagen.
Hyperpigmentation: Glycolic acid is also used for treating skin hyperpigmentation and has been shown to be very effective in treating this condition. It is treated by using either a peel or over the counter glycolic acid products. Hyperpigmentation is a condition that can happen as people get older or have fluctuations in hormones. It can actually occur in any kind or color of skin or can be caused by pregnancy or scarring.
Ingrown hairs: Glycolic acid products are also sometimes used to help get rid of ingrown hairs in the skin. These happen sometimes due to a skin infection or from shaving. Since glycolic acid works as an exfoliant, it removes the dead skin and this can release the ingrown hairs as well. It also works to kill the bacteria if the ingrown hair is infected.
Side Effects of Glycolic Acid Products
Cosmetic products containing glycolic acid can cause a person’s skin to be sensitive to the sun, so if you use glycolic acid products you also need to use sunscreen and sun
protection. Sometimes glycolic acid products are used to do a chemical peel on a person’s skin to get rid of acne blemishes, scars, open pores and other impurities.
It can take several days to get over this process as it actually burns away the skin and the person will look like they have gotten very bad sunburn. Even though this is quite painful, some say it is worth it to get more youthful skin and to get rid of blemishes or wrinkles.
Some of the possible side effects of overuse or allergic reaction to glycolic acid products may include:
- Stinging after putting it on
- Excess shedding of skin cells
- Red, irritated and blotchy appearance to skin
- Ultra sensitivity to the sun
- Skin feels very tight
- Skin feels uncomfortable when sweating
- Skin around eyes, nose, neck, or mouth gets very thin
If you get these types of symptoms, you should stop using glycolic acid products, use less of them or use a product with less glycolic acid in it. Also, be sure to mention it to your doctor or dermatologist.
Where can you buy glycolic acid products?
If you are looking to buy glycolic acid products, you can usually find some of these in spas, beauty salons, drug stores or you can buy these products on the Internet. They use varying levels of glycolic acid in all sorts of skin care products.
The main thing about glycolic acid products is that it is very powerful substance and you have to be careful of the concentrations of it, as too much can damage your skin, while just enough can be valuable in getting rid of blemishes, acne, ingrown hairs, and many other skin imperfections. Most over the counter glycolic acid products solutions of it contain less than 10 percent levels of glycolic acid, while prescription formulas contain more.
