alpha-lipoic acid and large pores?
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Wed Sep 01, 2004 11:49 am

I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on alpha-lipoic acid. It is in many popular products and claims to firm the skin and shrink the pores. I have tried many products (i.e.- glycolics, retinols, micro-dermabrasion...) in hopes to shrink my enlarged pores. No luck! Anyway, I was thinking of this "wonder anti-oxidant" to see if it helps.

...any comments and/or suggestions???

Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:48 am

I haven't heard of ALA for shrinking pores, though I do know that it is supposed to be good for the skin (for some reason that I can't remember). The only product that I can think of off the top of my head that has it as an ingredient is Alphaderma CE if I'm not mistaken. That is more for frown lines than diminishing pore size though. There could be others that have it as well.

I know this seems simplistic compared with the things you have tried, but have you tried just doing regular deep cleansing mud masks?

Mabsy

free skin care · Tue Sep 07, 2004 1:47 pm

From what i've read Alph Lipoic Acid is simply an antioxidant(could be wrong though!) , it scavenges free radiclals from the skin and prevents the skin from aging(like rust on a car).
If this is the case i highly doubt that it could shrink pores due to the fact its neither an exfoliant or pore unclogging .
In regards to "wonder- antioxidant"..there are apparently no miracle anti oxidants , heres an exerpt from Paula Begoun's website:

Despite the proliferation of skin-care products containing antioxidants, according to Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, chief of antioxidants research at Tufts University, "there is no conclusive scientific evidence that antioxidants really prevent wrinkles, nor is there any information about how much antioxidant(s) or exactly which one(s) has to be present in a product to have an effect."

its all little unknown so be careful before you buy!
hope this helps! Smile

free skin care · Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:25 pm

Here's a nice article from the cellularskinrx.com site on antioxidants, too. Much more thorough than Paula Begoun's offhand comments. I don't like her because she tends to be very negative and selective in her use of materials to support her, at times, extreme statements.

http://www.cognis.com/veris/ResearchSummary/Antioxidants.htm

Fri Sep 10, 2004 3:32 am

betterat40 wrote:

I don't like her because she tends to be very negative and selective in her use of materials to support her, at times, extreme statements.

I must say I am totally with you on that!

Thanks for the link! Smile

free skin care · Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:45 pm

I was just looking around the internet about the benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid on one's skin and I found this:

http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/lipoic.html

To summarize the above info, ALA is actually a mixture of two variants: the S and R forms. While both S and R forms are potent antioxidants, only R-lipoic acid improves cellular energy production and reduces inflammation. Furthermore, the presence of the S form appears to reduce the effectiveness of the R-form. So when looking for ALA, make sure that it explicitly says R-Lipoic Acid.

Here are more info:
http://www.r-lipoic.com/
http://www.ralapure.com/all.asp?page=1

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