7. SUN SENSITIVITY - MANY PEOPLE TELL ME THEY DON'T WANT "THIN SKINNING" - CONSIDER ADDING BETA HYDROXY ACID.

AHA are naturally occurring acids derived from a variety of sources. A specific example of an AHA and the most common used in skin care lines is glycolic acid which is a derivative of sugarcane. The most common BHA used in skin care lines is salicylic acid. The benefits of both are similar and include: improving the appearance of fine lines, helping to even the skin tone by fading dark spots, and promoting exfoliation giving skin a fresh look and feel.

AHA and BHA are available in a variety of forms so you can incorporate them in a way you find most convenient and best suits your skin type. You can also have AHA or BHA treatments in our office. These “peels” are stronger preparations of the acid applied as a liquid and left on for a certain amount of time. They are more intensive intermittent treatments to attain and maintain the benefits outlined above.

Generally they can be done at the end of a day and you can apply makeup the next day with minimal peeling. An exception to this is the BHA peel, which may have more fine peeling afterward, sometimes up to 2-3 days. Because these are mild treatments you do need to do a series of them for the best results.

They can be done every 2-4 weeks at the beginning of treatment and then a maintenance schedule for peels can be determined but is usually 6-8 weeks. It is important to understand that these are meant as intermittent treatments and you should also maximize your daily regiment to maximize and maintain results.

The confusing part is choosing from all the AHA products that are available. Be weary at the drug store or cosmetic counter. Claims on boxes or from sales people are often misleading. The effectiveness of the AHA’s depends on how much acid is available in the product. Therefore, questions you should be able to get the answer to are: What is the AHA contained in the product?

What is the percentage of AHA? What is the pH of the product? The last question is an important one because a product may have a high percent of acid (acids have a low pH) but if it is in a base with a high pH most of the acid is neutralized and not available to exert its effects. It is for that reason that we sell lines of AHA products in our office that we have experience with and can recommend with confidence.