What is the best strength of glycolic acid to start with?
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Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:06 am

I'm torn between 30 and 40%. I've heard that it's best to start off low if you're a beginner, but I have experience. I've used TCA 20% in the past and I've been using Tazorac for 7 months now. So I'm not new to exfoliating. Any suggestions?

free skin care · Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:36 am

Did you use TCA 20% at home or through a dermatologist office? Even if you are not a beginner at exfoliation, I would still suggest to start off at a low dosage to ensure that you don't have an "adverse reaction" to glycolic acid. Do a patch test first if you will be doing this at home.

Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:58 am

jade-1234 wrote:

Did you use TCA 20% at home or through a dermatologist office? Even if you are not a beginner at exfoliation, I would still suggest to start off at a low dosage to ensure that you don't have an "adverse reaction" to glycolic acid. Do a patch test first if you will be doing this at home.

At home. I only used it once on my entire face and just spot treated my nose the other times I used it. So you're suggesting the 30%?

free skin care · Mon Feb 25, 2013 8:18 am

Hi lisavarner, it somewhat depends on where you buy you glycolic peel. The ph/buffering of say a 30% can vary between makers. The lower the ph the stronger the peel is even if they are both 30%.

I have used glycolic peels off and on for years. I started out with 30%. I now use a stronger % but haven't done a peel in quite a while. You can always leave the 30% peel on for a longer time to increase the effect. If you do that the weaker % can sometimes equal a stronger % that was left on for a shorter amount of time. Also you didn't say what type of skin you have but the more sensitive you skin is the weaker % you should start with. I would be careful at first and go the more conservative route. You can always leave it on for longer but if you get the stronger one and it messes up you skin you can't go back. I'm not writing this to scare you. I like peels and think the work really well. Just better safe then sorry.

Two places that I have purchased peels over the years have been Platinum Skin care and makeup artist's choice. They both have good product. Good luck and welcome to EDS.

Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:38 am

CookieD wrote:

Hi lisavarner, it somewhat depends on where you buy you glycolic peel. The ph/buffering of say a 30% can vary between makers. The lower the ph the stronger the peel is even if they are both 30%.

I have used glycolic peels off and on for years. I started out with 30%. I now use a stronger % but haven't done a peel in quite a while. You can always leave the 30% peel on for a longer time to increase the effect. If you do that the weaker % can sometimes equal a stronger % that was left on for a shorter amount of time. Also you didn't say what type of skin you have but the more sensitive you skin is the weaker % you should start with. I would be careful at first and go the more conservative route. You can always leave it on for longer but if you get the stronger one and it messes up you skin you can't go back. I'm not writing this to scare you. I like peels and think the work really well. Just better safe then sorry.

Two places that I have purchased peels over the years have been Platinum Skin care and makeup artist's choice. They both have good product. Good luck and welcome to EDS.

Hello. :)Thank you so much, Cookie. What an informative post. My skin type is oily. The peels I'm interested in come from SkinObsession. One is ph1 (40%) and the other is ph2(30%). I don't know how reputable they are with you guys, but hundreds of people on Amazon (and their personal website) seem to like them.

free skin care · Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:46 pm

lisavarner wrote:

CookieD wrote:

Hi lisavarner, it somewhat depends on where you buy you glycolic peel. The ph/buffering of say a 30% can vary between makers. The lower the ph the stronger the peel is even if they are both 30%.

I have used glycolic peels off and on for years. I started out with 30%. I now use a stronger % but haven't done a peel in quite a while. You can always leave the 30% peel on for a longer time to increase the effect. If you do that the weaker % can sometimes equal a stronger % that was left on for a shorter amount of time. Also you didn't say what type of skin you have but the more sensitive you skin is the weaker % you should start with. I would be careful at first and go the more conservative route. You can always leave it on for longer but if you get the stronger one and it messes up you skin you can't go back. I'm not writing this to scare you. I like peels and think the work really well. Just better safe then sorry.

Two places that I have purchased peels over the years have been Platinum Skin care and makeup artist's choice. They both have good product. Good luck and welcome to EDS.

Hello. :)Thank you so much, Cookie. What an informative post. My skin type is oily. The peels I'm interested in come from SkinObsession. One is ph1 (40%) and the other is ph2(30%). I don't know how reputable they are with you guys, but hundreds of people on Amazon (and their personal website) seem to like them.

Hi lisavarner, I checked the ph levels of the peels I have bought before. The Makeup artist choice ones are 30% at 2.8ph and 40% at 2.4ph.
The Platium skin care one is 30% at 2.1ph. It looks like the ones from SkinObsessions should be stronger then these one because of the lower ph. If it was me I would go with the 30% because with a ph level of 2 that is going to be strong enough to begin with. You can always leave it on for a longer period of time as you become more familiar with how you skin reacts or doesn't react to the acid. The SkinObsession 40% at 1.0ph is really strong. If you buy that one make sure you really follow the instructions. I haven't bought anything from this company but I think other on EDS have so hopefully they will chime in with their thoughts. Good luck.

Mon Feb 25, 2013 11:50 pm

CookieD wrote:

lisavarner wrote:

CookieD wrote:

Hi lisavarner, it somewhat depends on where you buy you glycolic peel. The ph/buffering of say a 30% can vary between makers. The lower the ph the stronger the peel is even if they are both 30%.

I have used glycolic peels off and on for years. I started out with 30%. I now use a stronger % but haven't done a peel in quite a while. You can always leave the 30% peel on for a longer time to increase the effect. If you do that the weaker % can sometimes equal a stronger % that was left on for a shorter amount of time. Also you didn't say what type of skin you have but the more sensitive you skin is the weaker % you should start with. I would be careful at first and go the more conservative route. You can always leave it on for longer but if you get the stronger one and it messes up you skin you can't go back. I'm not writing this to scare you. I like peels and think the work really well. Just better safe then sorry.

Two places that I have purchased peels over the years have been Platinum Skin care and makeup artist's choice. They both have good product. Good luck and welcome to EDS.

Hello. :)Thank you so much, Cookie. What an informative post. My skin type is oily. The peels I'm interested in come from SkinObsession. One is ph1 (40%) and the other is ph2(30%). I don't know how reputable they are with you guys, but hundreds of people on Amazon (and their personal website) seem to like them.

Hi lisavarner, I checked the ph levels of the peels I have bought before. The Makeup artist choice ones are 30% at 2.8ph and 40% at 2.4ph.
The Platium skin care one is 30% at 2.1ph. It looks like the ones from SkinObsessions should be stronger then these one because of the lower ph. If it was me I would go with the 30% because with a ph level of 2 that is going to be strong enough to begin with. You can always leave it on for a longer period of time as you become more familiar with how you skin reacts or doesn't react to the acid. The SkinObsession 40% at 1.0ph is really strong. If you buy that one make sure you really follow the instructions. I haven't bought anything from this company but I think other on EDS have so hopefully they will chime in with their thoughts. Good luck.

I bought the one from MUAC. Thank you.

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