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One of the main ingredients often found in facial skin care products (skin care) is an active acid. Active acid content in skin care generally exist in form Alpha-hydroxy Acids (AHA) and salicylic acid or more popularly known as BHA.
Usefulness of skin care with active acid
The active acid content in skin care products plays a role in the exfoliation process of facial skin. Skin care with active acids it is even specified as a chemical exfoliating product.
Exfoliation itself is the most important step in skin care. Naturally, the skin continues to produce a new layer of skin over a period of time.
However, the skin regeneration process that occurs is not as fast as the old skin cell death process. As a result, old layers of skin will build up, clog pores, and inhibit the development of new skin regeneration.
The active acid content functions to remove dead skin cells so that the skin pores are clean again. Active acids have the ability to penetrate into the skin layers to remove dirt, dead skin, or shed oil buildup in the pores.
As already mentioned, the type of acid is active in skin care skin can vary with different potency strengths of active acids, including AHA and BHA.
The potential for active acids such as BHA is stronger than products with AHA. Coupled with the high oil solubility level, BHA can absorb further into the skin.
Reporting from a scientific report entitled Hydroxy Acids, if the AHA can only be absorbed to the outermost layer of skin (epidermis), BHA can enter into the pores (dermis layer) to remove excess oil and dead skin cells.
It is best to use products with active acids
Apart from the exfoliating function, the active acid content is also beneficial for enhancing skin barrier namely the skin's ability to maintain hydration and moisture. In addition, active acids such as glycolic (included in AHA) are also useful for reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation due to sun exposure.
To get the most of the benefits of active acids, you need to pay attention to several things and apply the right usage rules. Many people doubt the use of skin care products with active acid content because of the risk of triggering inflammation or inflammation, especially for sensitive and acne-prone skin types.
The active acid content in care products has actually been formulated in a safe concentration so that it nourishes the skin. Skin inflammation often occurs precisely because of misuse skin care which contains active acids.
The standard formula that is effective in skin care with active acids is that it contains 10-15% for AHA (in the form of glycolic acid). Meanwhile for skin care with BHA, the acid works effectively in concentrations of 1-2%. In this concentration, these two types of active acids should be safe to use in daily skin care.
However, is it permissible to use two types skin-care which both contain active acids? Dermatologist Dr. Caren Campell, explains that the combination of two active acids is the same as two stages of facial skin cleansing (double-cleansing). The combination that gives more effective results is when the AHA and BHA are used together.
Follow how to use skin-care with active acids such as the following to avoid unwanted risks
- Avoid the combination of active acid products (AHA and BHA) with vitamin C. The combination of the two can increase the acidity of the skin so that the pH of the skin is not balanced.
- Avoid using BHA with benzoyl peroxide content.
- Avoid using BHA with retinol at the same time.
- Use sunscreen or sunscreen when using products with active acids.
- Use products that contain BHA first before products with AHAs.
In theory, the combination of two active acids is still safe to do, but you still need to be aware of the increased risk of skin irritation, especially for sensitive skin.
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