AHA products-how frequently to apply?
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free skin care · Wed Mar 08, 2006 6:58 am

I was wondering how often you need to apply these kinds of products to be effective?I'm using Paulas Choice 8% and used it every night for two months until recently I started to notice it was starting to sting when I applied it so cut back to only 2 nights per week.
Is it really that necessary to use it everyday?Surely we dont get that many skin cells built up everyday.
I just think my skin was starting to get a little sensitive.I also use a BHA 2% strengh
So back to my question,how many nights a week should I use it?
Thanks Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:41 am

No, I don't think that using it every night is essential, I used to do that with salicylic acid and it left my skin too dry. I would use it to where you aren't stinging or getting irritated from it, everyone's skin is different and your skin will let you know when too much is too much. What kind of BHA are you using? If it is salicylic acid, and you don't have oily skin, I wouldn't recommend using it, especially with the glycolic, as it is very drying and made more for younger people with acne and excessive oiliness. Lactic acid is gentler than glycolic and can usually be used more frequently, but I personally only use glycolic acid once a week, especially in the cold winter months. But using a BHA with glycolic can be excessively drying and irritating to the skin. As you use an acid product, it peels off the hard, dead skin and lets the new skin come to the top, and the new skin doesn't need as much exfoliation, so you're probably getting stingy from the new skin that needs moisture rather than a heavy amount of glycolic, so I would back off a little bit to where your skin is comfortable with the dose and use a good moisturizer over the top when you do use the acid, after the glycolic has sunk into the skin a little bit. Surprised

free skin care · Wed Mar 08, 2006 5:42 pm

I'm using Paulas Choice BHA with salicylic acid because my skin is a bit oily with blackheads.It does seem to be helping but hasn't rid me of them completely Sad

I think I'll cut back on the AHA a bit.
Also I've noticed when I use my AHA lately its making my skin oilier,could it be getting overstimulated?

free skin care · Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:29 pm

Probably, the skin will produce more oil especially on the nose area when the skin is dired out on the surface, I like using a good vitamin C serum along with copper peptides, alternating the two, and then using an AHA glycolic as an alternate from those to control oil skin. Also retinol helps with blackheads too. Smile

Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:27 pm

I waned to revive this old thread because I've been super confused on my chemical exfoliants.

I too have been switching between PC AHA8% gel and BHA 2% liquid. I'm 40 and so don't have wrinkles yet, with the exception of the crows Feet that form when I smile. But I digress..

I started an entirely new routine a few months ago which now includes the AHA and BHA. I noticed the BHA is too drying so I stick more the the AHA on my face. But what I also noticed was that using too often actually made my skin look really..bad. I don't know how to explain it bc it wasn't anything in particular just an overall dull, bad look about it. When at first using the AHA, my skin looked great.

So I've realized that I shouldn't use every day/night like i was. I've cut back to 1-2x per week and even then I'm nervous bc I've seen the horrible effects of over exfoliation and it's scary. I'm wondering what other peoples' experiences have been with either AHA or BHA. Turning 40 was the hardest thing for me, and I've always looked very young for my age. I still do, but I also see pores, blackheads, and dullness that just wasn't there two years ago. I love the advice given on these threads so I'm hoping someone finds this in the near future. Smile

Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:29 pm

I waned to revive this old thread because I've been super confused on my chemical exfoliants.

I too have been switching between PC AHA8% gel and BHA 2% liquid. I'm 40 and so don't have wrinkles yet, with the exception of the crows Feet that form when I smile. But I digress..

I started an entirely new routine a few months ago which now includes the AHA and BHA. I noticed the BHA is too drying so I stick more the the AHA on my face. But what I also noticed was that using too often actually made my skin look really..bad. I don't know how to explain it bc it wasn't anything in particular just an overall dull, bad look about it. When at first using the AHA, my skin looked great.

So I've realized that I shouldn't use every day/night like i was. I've cut back to 1-2x per week and even then I'm nervous bc I've seen the horrible effects of over exfoliation and it's scary. I'm wondering what other peoples' experiences have been with either AHA or BHA. Turning 40 was the hardest thing for me, and I've always looked very young for my age. I still do, but I also see pores, blackheads, and dullness that just wasn't there two years ago. I love the advice given on these threads so I'm hoping someone finds this in the near future. Smile

free skin care · Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:35 pm

My personal experience is that my skin does not do well with the AHA glycolic acid. I have tried to use this in the past (in my mid 30s) and had horrible experiences with dehydrated, irritated skin and it made my acne much worse. I originally started using it everyday and thought cutting back on how often I used it would help but I could never get my skin to do well with glycolic acid. I think glycolic acid is great for occasional peels but otherwise I think many cannot tolerate using it on a regular basis. After my fiasco with glycolic acid I avoided AHAs for a long time but then I got interested in lactic acid. I had been using lactic acid on my hands for years but in my early 40s I thought maybe it would be worth trying on my face too. I started using Skin Biology Lactic Power 10 and my skin loved it. Nice hydrated skin (lactic is a great hydrator) and no irritation and no acne. Although to be honest at 43 years of age acne was a thing of the past so it is hard to say if the lactic would have made it worse when I was younger. I did not start using it everyday but started using it a few times a week and worked up to everyday. For quite a while I used the Lactic Power 10 every day or I would alternate it with Cearve PM. I only used lactic acid moiturizer of the Cerave in the AM because I use RetinA in the PM.

As for BHA, I thought for years that my skin could not tolerate it at all. But somewhere in my 40s I decided to try the Skin Biology LacSal cream which is lactic acid and salicylic acid (BHA). My skin did very well with this too and I was shocked to know that my skin could tolerate BHA. So once in a while I would use the LacSal instead of the Lactic Power 10. Within the past year I have tried and love the Pauls'a choice BHA Lotion which is 2% BHA. So right now I am using PC BHA lotion and Lactic Power 10. I alternate these every other day in the morning and my skin loves this routine.

Keep in mind that my skin is sensitive and I also use RetinA. Also, keep in mind that I have always been very gradual in introducing any active ingredient products into my routine. You might be able to work up to daily use or you might not. I would suggest trying lactic acid instead of glycolic acid if you want to use AHAs. As far as BHAs go I would suggest finding an alternative to the Paula's choice BHA liquid. I tried this one and despite the same precentage of BHA as the Paula's Choice lotion my skin hated the BHA liquid. Overall you would probably be better with creams/lotions than liquid or gel formulas. Also, given your situation with blackheads if you are going to do either one then I would recommend BHA over AHA.

All that being said, I would even suggest at your age starting with retinoids first and then after many months of using retinoids adding in lactic acid or BHA if you feel you need something additional. But then again I am a strong believer in retinoids. It is up to you which actives you want to give priority to.

Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:02 pm

Hkitty, Thank you for your response! That's too funny that you mentioned the PC 2% lotion because I literally just wore that today. I had a few samples and although I tried in the past - I couldn't remember if I even liked it. And I believe I do like it, as it's not nearly as drying as the 2% liquid.
The thing that confuses me is when I started the 8% AHA, my skin wasn't used to any chemical exfoliation and therefore reacted super to the AHA that first week. My skin was literally glowing, not a pore in sight, no blackheads, and my brown spots were disappearing before my eyes. But after continued use, all that wonderfulness completely disappeared. And this is how I'm learning about AHA/BHAs.

Another thing about the BHA when I used for several days in a row - it looked like my pores and blackeads were way way worse. Is that possible? Someone at Paula's Choice customer service said that was "purging" and I simply needed to power through that, as my pores would shrink back down (and blackheads eventually disappear). I just can't stand looking at my face that way, and therefore i had to stop.

And you mention Lactic acid - that is a remarkable idea. I have some samples of Lactic and Mandelic acid peels from MUAC, of which I've already used both (but didn't really notice any difference with either). I'll continue to use those peels, I'll switch off week after week, and see if I don't notice a difference. I think I'll do that instead of the Gylcolic, per your advice. Thank you for that!

And I'll also use the BHA lotion during the days. Another good idea. Ok so I have a plan here haha..BHA lotion, and Lactic peels (and maybe Mandelic as well). And NO Glycolic.

I'm also currently using the PC 1% Clinicl Retinol. And again with this product, I initially saw fantastic results. I worked up to nightly use. And then one day, I noticed an orange peel like texture on my chin. And huge pores. And I was dry dry dry. So that was from the Retinol. I had to scale back with that as well. I'm trying to work back up to every other night with that one.

THANK YOU for your advice!

free skin care · Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:06 am

Hi Littleness!

I think that short term AHAs produce results and some of them like glowing more refined skin happen quickly. Your skin seems to be doing well but behind the scenes the acids are thinning the outer layer of the skin which results in a weakening of the skin barrier as you continue to use the product. When that happens your skin becomes dry, dehydrated and looses it's plumpness. It also becomes more prone to irritation and if you are not super diligent with sun protection it becomes more prone to hyperpigmentation. Everyones skin is different and some could probably tolerate daily use of AHAs right from the start but most cannot and need to gradually build up so that the skin barrier stays healthy. I am guessing that you really dehydrated and dried your skin and your skin tried to compensate by producing more oil but since there are dry skin cells that haven't shed the oil gets trapped, oxidizes and you have blackheads (or for those prone to it acne). The larger pores could be due to increased oil production as your skin tries to compensate for the dryness or it could also be due to the fact that dehydrated skin is not all plump and to some degree this plumpness of hydrated skin will make pores look smaller. One of the reasons I like lactic acid over glycolic acid is because it is more hydrating and has been shown to increase ceramide production (which is helpful for the skin barrier).

I am not sure what to make of Paula's Choice comments on purging and BHA resulting in more blackheads. I think if purging does occur it more so tends to show as actual acne and not as blackheads but I am not sure if that is correct or not. If anything I think the PC BHA liquid was probably way overdrying your skin and it was not due to purging. See how the lotion works for you. I have never had an issue with large pores or blackheads and I would get facials once in a while and be suprised how refined my pores (which I thought were fine before the facial) looked after the facial. Well after using the PC BHA Lotion I felt the same way about my pores in that they went from looking fine to looking very refined. Pretty amazing!

I think glycolic would be okay for peels but lactic would be fine too. I had to look at the MUAC website to see what strength peels they have. IMO none of their peels are appropriate for using once a week. I would say some of the milder ones maybe twice a month but for most of them once a month would probably be okay.

Retinol is the same as acids in that it weakens the skin barrier at least until your skin becomes accustomed to it.

What are you using for moisturizer or to add hydration to your skin? If you are using all sorts of actives especially if they are in gel bases you probably need some serious moisturizing!

Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:34 am

Hkitty,

Thank you so much for all your advice!

I'm using an antioxidant moisturizer from MUAC (it's their AAA moisturizer) which I really like, AND i'm using the PC Oil Booster with that if I need extra moisture. Today my skin seems ok - not dry, not oily. Just fine. But I still see pores, blackheads, and an orange peeled chin! In some lights I do, anyway. In other lighting my skin looks good. So I don't know. I'm going crazy over here over-analyzing my face.

This is my second day in a row with the 2% BHA lotion. Still like it. Still not dry. I'm just paying careful attention to how my skin reacts as I work up to daily use. Do you use the BHA lotion daily? AM or PM? I'm not sure if I should use every day (would be AM) or if I should use every other day or what. Do you know how to get rid of the orange peel chin? Gah! I just can't take any of this.

And I'll do the peels 1-2x a month. And I'll stay away from AHA for now. In fact, the only exfoliant I'll use will be the BHA lotion if anything at all. And if I find that's not working, then I'll just stop exfoliants completely, or I was thinking of trying the PC 1% BHA lotion instead (maybe a lesser strength would be better for me?)

I also just ordered that Bounceback cream that has been so widely recommended by people on EDS. I'll start using that once I run out of my AAA moisturizer.

free skin care · Thu Jan 07, 2016 4:07 pm

Hi Littleness!

Your plan of working up to daily use of BHA and not using AHA at all except for occasional peels sounds good. I looked at the MUAC moisturizer you mentioned and it seems like a good choice for hydrating and overall it has some nice ingredients. Unfortunately, I personally could not use it because of an allergy to the preservative they use! The Bounceback cream looks like a pretty good moisturizer too. I am not sure it is worth the price but that is another topic....

Is your skin still doing well? How about the orange peel look? I really don't know what to say about getting rid of the orange peel look. I have never had what I would call orange peel skin but on occasion when I overdo it or my skin gets very dehydrated it has shown up on my chin specifically compared to other parts of my face. It should resolve in time (maybe a month at the most) as your skin becomes more hydrated and as your skin barrier fully repairs. I don't think you are seeing things but I also would not worry about it too much at this point.

I use the BHA lotion every other day and alternate with the Lactic Power 10. Sometimes I will use the BHA lotion two days in a row but usually every other day. I always use it in the AM since I use Retin A just about every evening. I mentioned this in another post recently but I do not wash my face in the morning and simply rinse with water then apply my BHA or AHA. This works for me. I am not sure if you are still using PC retinol in the evening but if you are then AM applicaton would probably be best for the BHA. If you are using retinol every other evening then you could alternate retinol and BHA in the evening.

Thu Jan 07, 2016 6:51 pm

Hkitty,

I've been using the 2% BHA lotion every am for the past several days. I figured if I noticed an adverse reaction I'd scale back. But I haven't noticed anything yet. Still paying close attention tho..

And I've been using the PC 1% Retinol every other night. I will say that I'm not noticing my skin glowing like I noticed it did two weeks ago, before it got a bit irritated by the Retinol. I don't know. At least it's not irritated now. I'm going to continue the Retinol every other night for a while and see what that does. I'm scared to use every night.

My skin looks ok right now. Pores are a tiny bit less noticeable and same with blackheads. My chin may very well be dehydrated, so I'm hoping the ingredients I'm using will help (btw- I've also been using PC vitamin c booster and an antioxidant serum every am/pm for several months)

I started collagen and HA supplements a few days ago as well. And I believe I've gotten a nasty side effect from the collagen :/
I'm going to cut the dose in half tomorrow and see if that makes a difference. Apologize in advance for the TMI, but I have pretty bad diarrhea.

Thanks again for helping me through this! As you can see, I'm a myriad of issues lol. Anything to preserve young skin, eh?

free skin care · Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:58 pm

Are you using the C booster twice a day?? That could partially explain why you had issues when you added AHA and the retinol. Heck, even using C serum once a day and trying to use AHA and/or retinol could cause problems. To me C Booster is firmly in the category of active ingredients which can dry the skin and compromise the skin barrier. I am not saying you cannot use C serum and retinol because some individuals can use both but some cannot and just about everyone would have to work up to using both in their routine. Maybe try using the C Booster only once a day and see if that helps too.

On the topic of C serum, do you notice any correlation at all between your increased blackheads and adding the C Booster? I have read on forums and blogs where some get blackheads from using C serums and am wondering if it might be contributing to yours or it you had issues with the blackheads before adding the C Booster or only after you added the retinol and AHA/BHA.

I think what you said about your skin not glowing is maybe a good sign for now. Yes, eventually your goal should be to have glowing skin but it needs to come from healthy well functioning skin. Often I think that what we see as a glow is actually mild irritation or inflammation. In your case I am pretty sure your glow was subtle irritation which in short order turned into obviously unhappy skin.

Unfortunately I cannot comment on the supplements I am pretty clueless on collagen and HA supplements.

You are welcome! It is so easy to get overwhelmed by all this skincare stuff and this aging stuff too.....

Fri Jan 08, 2016 2:22 pm

Hkitty, I love your responses thank you so much!

I've been using the C-15 booster for over three months. I started with that and a very very mild "retinol serum" which I used for 5-6 weeks with no irritation, and no results. :/ SO I started adding things in.

I had blackheads and brown spots before the C-booster, and I still have them. That vit c really never irritated me, nor does it help much, but I can't really believe that either bc I know it's a good serum and a must have in skin care. So I continue using (along wih the antioxidant serum) and I figure it just takes a really long time to notice remarkable changes.

Right now my skin is pretty ok with the 2% BHA lotion every morning, the vit c/antioxidant every am and pm, and the 1% retinol every other night. It's not fantastic skin, but it's not irritated at least. I'm hoping for improvements eventually. I plan on using the entire bottle of retinol, but maybe won't continue when it's done. Also, I'm happy that the BHA isn't nearly as irritating as AHA.

Thank you so so so much for all your advice!! Seriously, it's definitely been helping me. So THANK YOU.

free skin care · Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:14 am

nice post... thinking about using AHA for blackhead and big pore...

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