glycolic acid and skin care
Today's question concerns glycolic acid skin products (derived from fruit I
believe). I've never paid much attention to signs of aging, but now that I'm
reaching that stage, I realize that I know next to nothing about what is
valuable and what is just a waste of money.
A doctor recommended to me a line of products, "M.D. Formulations," which he
claims are highly effective for sun damaged skin, certain kinds of wrinkling,
uneven pigmentation, etc. Strangely enough, he just happens to carry these
products. No prescriptions involved.
But what about Retin A, and/or Vitamin E, etc.? As I said, I really haven't
been keeping up on this, and I need to sort through the hype and get the facts.
My skin now is in good shape, relatively speaking. Is anything available to
keep it that way, more or less? Or should I simply accept the inevitable and
get on with things?
-Glycolic acid (or lactic acid or malic acid) works by dissolving the
"glue" that holds the dead layer of skin cells on your skin. This allows
your skin to be exfoliated, constantly bringing the new skin to the
surface.
The AHA's in creams are less effective than those in a clear gel. Most
stuff in the drugstore is between 5 and 10 percent. If it is in a cream
base, its actually lower than the label says. All I know is it worked
wonders on my norplant-induced acne. Exfoliation is good for your skin
and it seems to be less damaging than those scrubs out there that rip
the dead skin off.
-Some comments on AHAs:
- anything with a high enough concentration tends to sting (YMMV)
- I've found it/they work wonderfully to clear up the peeling one gets
from using Retin-A
- note to Canadian readers: most pharmacies carry something called
`Neo-Strata A', which is an (8%, I think) AHA liquid produced for
acne-prone skin; not easy to find, not cheap, but well worth it.
As a "p.s.", has the idea of creating an newsgroup dedicated to
dermatology/misc. skin problems ever been brought up? It would seem
that it might not be a bad idea.