Beauty And The Blog

Certainly we have all heard about exfoliating, right? That process we should be incorporating into our skin care regime that keeps the skin on our faces, and our bodies, fresh and glowing.

In my experience as a facialist I found that most clients skipped this essential step. Sure, they got the exfoliation during a monthly or the occasional facial but this is a process that needs to be performed on a regular basis.

So why is it such an important step? Well, what do you think happens to your skin cells as they die off? And they all do, it’s a natural process. As a young child your cells turn over and slough off quickly on their own revealing fresh skin constantly. As a teen this remains the same. Once we hit our 20′s it slows, a bit. In our 30′s we have the possibility of a potential problem. Why? Because these skin cells on the top layer, the epidermis, don’t naturally and quickly slough off on their own. They need to be helped along to reveal the fresh newer skin below. If we don’t address that through exfoliation we end up with a dull, rough complexion that looks older than it is.

Okay, so now it gets serious, because there are three, yes, 3 types of exfoliates in one of the two methods you can choose (chemical or manual). We have AHA, BHA and PHA. WHAT? Alpha hydroxy acid, beta hydroxy acid and poly hydroxy acid. Confused?

The strongest is AHA or alpha hydroxy acid. In the case of cosmetics and skin care these are usually synthetic (not that synthetic is bad because there are lots of products around that we use everyday that are laboratory produced.  Sometimes an improvement on natural, sometimes not. Synthetic or natural is just a choice you get to make). AHA is either glycolic or lactic acid. If in a concentration of 3% or less they work as a water binding agent. When in a concentration of 4% or more they become an exfoliant. AHA’s are used mostly to remove the dead surface cells of the skin while imparting a radiance due to the light reflecting quality of new cells that are uncovered. AHA’s can also be a help in normalizing the thickness of the skin. AHA’s can be irritating to some skin and use of it should be stopped if you have itchy skin accompanied by redness that does not go away within a couple weeks.

Next we have BHA or beta hydroxy acid. This is important! Make sure that your product says, in the ingredient list, BETA HYDROXY ACID or SALICYLIC ACID and not butylated hydroxyanisole! Butylated hydroxyanisole is a potent synthetic exfoliant that is a suspected carcinogen. Please do not put this on your face, or anywhere else on your body!

Now, if your product says beta hydroxy acid, that’s good. Here’s why. BHA’s are salicylic acid which is a natural compound and a derivative of aspirin. BHA’s have the anti-inflammatory effects of aspirin, are an anti-irritant and have some anti-microbial properties. In concentrations of .05%-2% it is believed that they can improve collagen production and increase skin thickness. BHA also penetrates your pores and cleans them out, really good! So if you have an oily skin or are prone to breakouts, blackheads or whiteheads a BHA can be a great help in controlling those issues. BHA does not usually cause the long term itchiness or redness of an AHA.

A great place to find really effective AHA and BHA (the products I personally use) is at Paula’s Choice Click on Skin Care for a dropdown menu and then click on Exfoliants.

Lastly we have PHA, poly hydroxy acid. This is lactobionic acid or gluconolactone in your ingredient list. PHA is tolerated by nearly all skin. And is especially recommended for sensitive, dry and mature skin. Even people who have rosacea, atopic dermatitis, eczema or seborrhea can use PHA. PHA is gentle to the skin, less irritating than AHA or BHA and has some moisturizing properties. It is also natural and non-toxic. So if you are a natural product seeking kind of gal, this may be for you. It is also believed that PHA provides protection from ultraviolet radiation (sun) by scavenging and eliminating free radicals.

So they all remove dead skin cells, they all improve the look and texture of your skin but they also do slightly different things. AHA for strong, non-sensitive skin. BHA for oily or problem skin that may be slightly sensitive. PHA for all skin types (especially those mentioned above), but it’s not as aggressive as the others so results will be slower to come.

All of these exfoliants can cause sensitivity to the sun, so don’t forget to use sunscreen. You should use it everyday no matter what, but especially when using a product containing these ingredients.

Well, so that I don’t appear to be writing a book here we will cover manual exfoliation and exfoliation of your body another time. Remember, exfoliation is a very important step in anti-aging skin care. If you do not exfoliate, a lot of those great ingredients in your other anti-aging and wrinkle reducing skin care will simply sit on top of a dead layer of cells and do no good for you at all. And that, ladies, is a waste!