Too much glycolic acids?
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free skin care · Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:10 pm

what happens when you use to many products with glycolic acids in them ?

lassie 1234

free skin care · Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:07 pm

Are you still using the Future Perfect. I think that it may be the "ball" culprit. It's a gel and I think if it is overused and placed on top of anything but perfectly dry, bare skin, it will "ball up". If you are exfoliating as much as you say you are, I can hardly believe there would be any dead skin cells left on your face to "ball up".

You could test this by using an enzyme cleanser or peel (papaya, pineapple, etc.) The enzymes will "eat up" the dead skin so you should really, really be done with any old skin on your face.

As for too much glycolic, my understanding is that for them to be truly effective, it's best to use a cleanser, cream and occasional peel (all with glycolic acid in them). Otherwise you don't get the full-on effect of the glycolic acid dissolving the glue that holds together all those dead skin cells. I have not done this myself. My skin just can't handle that. Too irritating.

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 8:48 am

thank you.

lassie 1234

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 9:26 am

lassie1234

I'm certainly no expert but your routine sounds a little bit bonkers to me....laughing...

I don't think the problem is too much glycolic acid - and by the way, the only thing that you'll suffer from using too much glycolic acid is skin that is inflamed and red and peelie.

It sounds to me like you're just slapping on layers of stuff that are all intended to do the same thing. Why don't you just scale it down. Use an exfoliating serum at night, with a moisturizer if you need it, and your vitamin c serum followed by a moisturizer with sunscreen during the day? Or SOMETHING like that. Hard to say since I don't know what you're trying to accomplish.

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 9:54 am

thank you

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:25 am

OMG!!!!!

I wasn't laughing at you! I was laughing because we've all been there. I'm sorry that you took it the way you did. I WAS trying to be helpful - I think you're wasting products and not doing your skin any good.

If you really have "gone through hell" with your skin, I don't think you should do the equivalent of "self-medicating". You should try to see a dermatologist or a licensed aesthetician. If budget concerns prevent that, there are women's groups that will refer to people who will help without charge.

Good luck.

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:17 am

thank you

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:37 am

Whistling the theme from the Twilight Zone.... Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:38 am

Hi lassie1234 - IMO, katee has given you some good advice. You seem to be overloading your skin with too much product. When you do this, you run the risk of product incompatability. With the cost of these items, why risk cancelling out their effectiveness? And often, one must give products time to work their magic, so switching around too soon may be preventing you from discovering what will help you in the long run.

katee has given me good advice in the past -- the IS Clinical line she recommended deserves the praise she heaps on it. Please understand that we all want our fellow forum members to achieve their skin care goals as efficiently and effectively as possible.

You may be under a lot of stress right now because you're attempting to quit smoking. I know when I've tried to quit, I'm often a nervous wreck. It's not always easy calibrating the amount of nicotine replacement therapy, and sometimes when I've tried certain patches, I feel like I have electricity coursing through my body.

Hang in there and good luck!

free skin care · Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:06 pm

thank you

Thu Aug 25, 2005 2:32 am

Katee *has* given you good advice - it seems like you are overdoing it. Just putting too many products on your face can cause the balling up effect.

And, Lassie1234, I can understand that you're upset about your skin but particularly the second post in reply to Katee's was completely unnecessary in my opinion especially after she said that she did not mean it the way you took it. This is a public forum, you do not get to choose who helps you. You can choose to ignore a response if you don't like it but if you post responses like the one you just did then soon nobody will want to help you at the risk of somehow offending you and being the recipient of such an unpleasant outburst. Please get this thread back on topic or it will be locked.

free skin care · Thu Aug 25, 2005 6:36 am

At the risk of having a bucket of ice water thrown in my face, I’d like to make another suggestion:

I know this sounds really elementary, but are you waiting a few minutes before applying another layer of product to allow the previous product time to absorb into your skin first? I’ve experienced the rolly-balls happen to me a couple of times when I got in a hurry and didn’t wait several minutes for my Vit-C serum to become absorbed before I applied my Yonka Creme PG or Creme 15 on top of it, although I know that my own skincare regimen is nowhere near as complicated as your’s!

I also have to agree that trying to use too many products at once could be doing more harm than good, or one product might be cancelling out the benefits or effectiveness of another. Can you tell us a little bit about what your exact skin care goals are? Maybe one of us can help you identify exactly which product/s to use and how often so you’re not overloading your skin. If not, maybe you could slowly start back by introducing one product at a time and waiting a couple days between adding something new.

Anyway, I hope you accept this piddling bit of advice in the constructive manner in which it is intended....

Good luck and I hope you are able to find the answers you need and the results you are seeking.

free skin care · Thu Aug 25, 2005 8:10 am

hi
all the issue of balls are closed. my balls are taken care of. thank you all for your answers and recomenations.

lassie1234

Fri Aug 26, 2005 1:31 am

Okay, the 'balls' issue is taken care of, but I wanted to say something about the "too much glycolic acid."
I read (which doesn't necessarliy mean it's true) that for the most part, if something isn't made of at LEAST 8% AHA (glycolic or otherwise), you can basically act like the AHA isn't there. 8%-15% should be the most you use on your face at home AND you would probably be less likely to irritate your skin if you use *1* (high) AHA product [2 at the most]...
if most of your products have a negligable amount (which they probably do unless they're bosting their %...but you can always ask the makeup person), they 'don't count' against your "AHA product count for the day" therefore, you're probably not using too much.

free skin care · Fri Aug 26, 2005 10:08 am

thank you for the info . it was very understandable . i think my issues with too many products are resolved.for now.again, thank you for taking the time to write and for giving your advice.

lassie1234

free skin care · Sun Aug 28, 2005 4:34 am

I could just be that you aren't giving your skin enough rest from exfoliating. Exfoliating with either a chemical (AHA or BHA) or mechanically (scrubs) does remove the old, dead skin cells but it also promotes new cell growth. Your skin cells can only rejuvenate so much, so every two to three weeks giving your skin a week off from exfoliating will help!

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