AHA or BHA
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free skin care · Sat Aug 20, 2011 11:02 am

What is the best to use to smooth out your skin. I have rough texture and i want it to look smooth.

free skin care · Sat Aug 20, 2011 3:32 pm

AHA. AHA works more on the surface, BHA gets in your pores.

free skin care · Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:03 pm

LHA (capryloyl salicylic acid - a derivative of salicylic acid) is great for smoothing skin even at low concentrations. It surpasses both salicylic and glycolic acids by offering cleaner corneocyte separation which results in smoother skin and less faking and removal of dry patches. Since it's a relative of salicin it acts as anti-inflammatory agent as well, something AHAs aren't capable of.
DIY is easy, LHA dissolves in ethanol just as easily as salicylic acid.

Mandelic acid is worth considering as well, it also produces a smoothing and refining effect with low irritation, but it may be drying compared to glycolic and lipo hydroxy acids.
DIY is easy as well, lower concentrations dissolve in water with little heating.

Not that I don't love good old AHAs and BHA, but all options should be explored, such as PHAs as well, if possible. It is surprising at times which things work best for each of us.

free skin care · Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:28 pm

AHA, especially Glycolic Acid at 10% daily exfoliation turns rough skin to SMOOTH and this is coming from a rough guy, seriously.

free skin care · Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:04 am

are there products i can purchase with LHA already incorporated into them?

jazzi wrote:

LHA (capryloyl salicylic acid - a derivative of salicylic acid) is great for smoothing skin even at low concentrations. It surpasses both salicylic and glycolic acids by offering cleaner corneocyte separation which results in smoother skin and less faking and removal of dry patches. Since it's a relative of salicin it acts as anti-inflammatory agent as well, something AHAs aren't capable of.
DIY is easy, LHA dissolves in ethanol just as easily as salicylic acid.

Mandelic acid is worth considering as well, it also produces a smoothing and refining effect with low irritation, but it may be drying compared to glycolic and lipo hydroxy acids.
DIY is easy as well, lower concentrations dissolve in water with little heating.

Not that I don't love good old AHAs and BHA, but all options should be explored, such as PHAs as well, if possible. It is surprising at times which things work best for each of us.

Wed Sep 07, 2011 2:44 pm

fulloflove2 wrote:

What is the best to use to smooth out your skin. I have rough texture and i want it to look smooth.

Truly almost any of the acids will help to smooth out your complexion if it is rough. Choose the acid that works best with your skin type - so you do not get overly dry if you do not need to.

Salicylic is oil soluble - meaning it is attracted to the oil in your skin and will dive deeper into your pores to help clear out acne.

Glycolic is water soluble - very general and good for most people.

TCA is excellent for all colorations and types - great for resurfacing and removing pigmentation. *One of my favorites.

I would start off with a Retinol Molecular Serum (vitamin A) each night to really begin the process, then follow up with a peel or acid serum. Thank you.

free skin care · Wed Sep 07, 2011 2:52 pm

i have never used aha or bha products so i'm very unfamiliar with all these different types that are listed on here. i have patches of hyperpigmentation and i'm interested in TCA and i'd like to know if there are specific products with TCA that you'd recommend.

i don't know if this is related but i just started using retin a about 2 months ago Smile

Platinumskincare wrote:

TCA is excellent for all colorations and types - great for resurfacing and removing pigmentation. *One of my favorites.

Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:27 am

freckles00 wrote:

i have never used aha or bha products so i'm very unfamiliar with all these different types that are listed on here. i have patches of hyperpigmentation and i'm interested in TCA and i'd like to know if there are specific products with TCA that you'd recommend.

i don't know if this is related but i just started using retin a about 2 months ago Smile

Platinumskincare wrote:

TCA is excellent for all colorations and types - great for resurfacing and removing pigmentation. *One of my favorites.

Sure. TCA is excellent for pigmentation on all skin types. It is always best to prepare your skin before a peel is used. *Just like painting a wall (sand and fill first). We always put our clients on some sort of Fading Gel and RetinA or Retinol(to smooth and even out the surface). The one we have has Alpha Arbutin in it. It is a derivative of hydroquinone. Hydro- has always caused the skin to be irritated so they modified it. The Alpha Arbutin actually "turns down" the melanin production in your skin. It is mixed with 15% Lactic acid so it will gently exfoliate and lighten the spotting even before you do a TCA peel. Then, if you are new to peels, start off with a super mild 12.5% at 1 layer (you can put up to 5 for a deeper peel - but ALWAYS start at one the first time) and wait about 3-4 days to start peeling lightly. You will be able to do another peel about 2 weeks later. Each time you remove a layer(+) of skin you will get closer to the bottom of your pigmentation. Use SPF 30+ every day! Thanks!

free skin care · Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:02 am

thank you for the detailed response!

free skin care · Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:47 am

freckles00 wrote:

are there products i can purchase with LHA already incorporated into them?

At the moment LHA is sort of exclusive to L'Oreal, which prevents most manufacturers from using it (DIY is easy way to circumvent that), but La Roche Posay and Skinceuticals do sell cleansers, toners and serums with LHA. La Roche Posay also offers Biomedic peels that use LHA. Some other L'Oreal brands like Vichy and Lancome also have LHA containing products, but personally I'm not too fond of those two, it's not something I'd recommend.

If not, PHAs are great alternative, something like Neostrata products. Their Renewal Cream with 12% gluconolactone (one of the PHAs) to refine skin.

Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:15 am

It depends on what you mean by “rough texture”. Is it in terms of dry skin patches, or acne bumps?

BHA is better for acne since it can penetrate into your pores to exfoliate.

AHA is better for exfoliating the surface of the skin, thus better for smoothing out dry skin patches.

I use both, alternate AHA and BHA each night. My skin looks smoother the day after I’ve used AHA.

So if you don’t have acne, AHA is probably the way to go.

free skin care · Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:44 am

Thanks Kahoee, I was having some real trouble deciding which to get.
My issue isn't acne, but large pores and very minor indentations/marks due to long ago pimples. A few sun spots. I use tretinoin regularly & have used hydroquinon (a few months on, few months off) in the past, but I'm not hyper-pigmentation free yet!

I do actually have 30% aha and actually haven't had too much trouble using it straight, so I'm shocked. I've had it for a long time - it couldn't lose effectiveness, could it?

I've done this a couple of times in the past and once the other day - I just get some harsh redness/stinging (in certain places) the next day, some leathery skin the day after, and then peeling. This has only been on my chin and a small patch on my cheek - no reaction anywhere else. I wonder whether I'd inadvertently exfoliated in those places too soon before applying. And I wonder whether its caused discoloration marks on my chin, rather than "uncovered" it? I'm a little worried since I have brown skin which is prone to hyperpigmentation, so using acids is a little scary. I may just dilute it so that I can use it more often and see what that does.

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge on these threads! Very helpful and interesting.

Sun Sep 11, 2011 1:15 am

LoriA wrote:

Thanks Kahoee, I was having some real trouble deciding which to get.
My issue isn't acne, but large pores and very minor indentations/marks due to long ago pimples. A few sun spots. I use tretinoin regularly & have used hydroquinon (a few months on, few months off) in the past, but I'm not hyper-pigmentation free yet!

I do actually have 30% aha and actually haven't had too much trouble using it straight, so I'm shocked. I've had it for a long time - it couldn't lose effectiveness, could it?

I've done this a couple of times in the past and once the other day - I just get some harsh redness/stinging (in certain places) the next day, some leathery skin the day after, and then peeling. This has only been on my chin and a small patch on my cheek - no reaction anywhere else. I wonder whether I'd inadvertently exfoliated in those places too soon before applying. And I wonder whether its caused discoloration marks on my chin, rather than "uncovered" it? I'm a little worried since I have brown skin which is prone to hyperpigmentation, so using acids is a little scary. I may just dilute it so that I can use it more often and see what that does.

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge on these threads! Very helpful and interesting.

Hi LoriA,

For treating enlarged pores, Dr. Neal Schultz recommends using both physical and chemical exfoliants every day (http://www.dermtv.com/what-causes-and-minimizes-enlarged-pores).

If you’re already using tretinoin, which is similar to BHA in its effectiveness in treating/preventing acne, AHA is probably what you want to incorporate into your routine.

Remember though, to use AHA and tretinoin separately, never together. Tretinoin is deactivated by acids such as AHA and BHA. You can use either one in the morning and the other at night, or alternate between nights.

To me, 30% AHA seems high for regular use. I personally use a 10% buffered AHA lotion every other night and it’s very effective in keeping my skin smooth. Is yours in a jar? I’m more worried about skin care products going bad if it’s in a jar as there’s a higher chance of contamination.

If you get some harsh redness/stinging and peeling on certain areas of your face, it might mean that those areas are more sensitive to irritation, or it might be as you say, that you may have over-exfoliated in those areas. Perhaps next time, wait 30 minutes after washing your face to apply the 30% AHA. Or use a lower percentage of AHA.

As for the discolouration marks on your chin, do you have a habit of using sunscreen everyday? AHA shouldn’t cause discolouration marks (not to my knowledge), but it does make your skin more sensitive to the sun. The same goes with tretinoin.

free skin care · Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:30 am

Thanks again kaloee! My aha 30% is in a small essential oil sized bottle, and (the bottle) is dark colored.

I'll be more careful in future about not exfoliating too soon beforehand and will wait longer after gentle cleansing.

Yes, I use spf 30 everyday now. I'm thinking the marks were already there and just looked darker becauses of the redness/inflamation. They're back to normal.

I'm anxious to get a little more serious about resurfacing so am looking into (a fresh purchase) of tca, which I hear is the safest for darker skintones... more for dotting on into the small flecks of hyperpigmentation & indentations. Since I'm ok with the 30% aha, I'm thinking of going for a 20% tca. Also thinking of trying cp's (the regular ghk one?) since I've also got a little bit of a droopy eyehood.

I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone here. Smile

I love eds.

I looked into the mirror yesterday and I can't believe I'm getting so persnickety... I can remember a time I would have died for the blemish-free, fairly even skin I have now. YAY!

Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:49 am

LoriA wrote:

Thanks again kaloee! My aha 30% is in a small essential oil sized bottle, and (the bottle) is dark colored.

I'll be more careful in future about not exfoliating too soon beforehand and will wait longer after gentle cleansing.

Yes, I use spf 30 everyday now. I'm thinking the marks were already there and just looked darker because of the redness/inflammation. They're back to normal.

I'm anxious to get a little more serious about resurfacing so am looking into (a fresh purchase) of tca, which I hear is the safest for darker skintones... more for dotting on into the small flecks of hyperpigmentation & indentations. Since I'm ok with the 30% aha, I'm thinking of going for a 20% tca. Also thinking of trying cp's (the regular ghk one?) since I've also got a little bit of a droopy eyehood.

I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone here. Smile

I love eds.

I looked into the mirror yesterday and I can't believe I'm getting so persnickety... I can remember a time I would have died for the blemish-free, fairly even skin I have now. YAY!

Yes, TCA is quite safe for even the darkest skin types. A TCA of 20% is much, much, much stronger than the 30% Glycolic you are using though. Unfortunately %'s in different acids can lead to confusion. Here is a little comparison chart that we have at Platinum.

Weakest - Strongest

1. 3% Salicylic
2. 30% Glycolic and 50% Lactic and 12.5% TCA (at 1 layer)
3. 50% Glycolic and 15% Salicylic
4. 25% Salicylic
5. 70% Glycolic
6. 20% TCA (1 layer) and Jessners (at 1 layer)
7. 30% TCA

I would start off using a Fading Gel. We have one with 15% Lactic acid and Alpha Arbutin. The AA helps to "turn down" the melanin production in your skin and if used for 2 weeks prior to a stronger peel (like a TCA 20%), it can help reduce the possibility of getting post inflammatory hyperpigmentation!
You CAN use the 20% TCA is you are really looking for a stronger peel, but ONLY 1 layer (you can go up to 5 for an "obaji" type peel). Then definitely go with Dr. Pickart's CP Serum. If you go for the regular CP Serum you can use it on your entire face (those eye droops). Add some Emu oil for deeper penetration as well. ;D Thank you.

free skin care · Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:33 pm

Thank you for that really valuable info! I just put in a small order for the fading gel, some other samples and a tca - I think I'll be ok since I'll only be dotting that on, probably thinning it out, and very carefully at that. You had some other cool products I would have liked to try but I had to pare it down due to the $20 shipping, plus the fact that I have a very limited budget and would like to shop eds where I can. Smile

Cheers!

free skin care · Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:34 pm

Proceed with caution, I can't tolerate either acid. It looks like my face has been chewed on even at low levels. A shame, it seems so convenient for glowing skin.

Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:52 am

LoriA wrote:

Thank you for that really valuable info! I just put in a small order for the fading gel, some other samples and a tca - I think I'll be ok since I'll only be dotting that on, probably thinning it out, and very carefully at that. You had some other cool products I would have liked to try but I had to pare it down due to the $20 shipping, plus the fact that I have a very limited budget and would like to shop eds where I can. Smile

Cheers!

I am very glad that I could help. Sorry about the $20 shipping. **Shipping costs go up every day, unfortunately. Especially with global orders. Even a UPS Ground order going IN the US can run anywhere from $10-$13. We are always hoping that costs will go down, but it looks very unlikely (due to the constant price updates they keep giving us). Ugh. Have a wonderful day!!! Thank you.

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