POSTED: 11 Jul 2017

SPOTLIGHT ON… GLYCOLIC ACID SKINCARE

One of the hottest trends which is generating a lot of buzz in the skincare and beauty community right now is Glycolic acid skincare. Known for its skin resurfacing, exfoliating and smoothing properties, it has been touted as the essential treatment for softer and more youthful looking skin.

What is Glycolic acid?

Glycolic acid belongs to a group of chemicals known as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). Citric acid and lactic acid are also two other AHAs which you may have come across as they are widely used in skin care treatments like masks and chemical peels. You can derive AHAs from food products like fruit (citric acid), milk (lactic acid) or sugar cane (glycolic acid).

Glycolic acid penetrates the superficial surface of the skin. It helps to exfoliate the layers of dead skin cells and enable the regeneration of new cells.

Which skin problems are Glycolic acid skincare products good for?

Due to its exfoliating properties, glycolic acid is really good for dry, dull and flaky skin. It also helps smoothe rough texture and hence is good for acne scarring and oily skin. Its resurfacing and regenerative properties are above all great for smoothing lines and providing a younger appearance to the ageing skin.

How to incorporate Glycolic acid skincare into your routine?

It is really easy to incorporate glycolic acid skin care products into your beauty regime. You can also boost the effects of these everyday products by getting a glycolic acid peel. This would resurface the skin to provide a smoother base which you can then maintain with the glycolic acid skin care products.

Glycolic acid cleanser

Regularly using glycolic acid cleansers will help to deeply clean the skin. It is ideal for ageing skin as well as acne-prone, scarred and hyperpigmented skin. It helps smooth, refine and renew the complexion to give softer, brighter and fresher looking skin.

Glycolic acid toner

Glycolic acid toners can gently help clear congestion, reduce pore size and help smooth down texture. They also help reduce uneven pigmentation and soften skin.

Glycolic acid peel

Glycolic acid peels are an increasingly popular way remove dead skin and stimulate skin cell renewal. They come in various strengths but have the benefit of little downtime and are known as “lunchtime peels” for this reason. You can have these treatments every 4-6 weeks. We usually recommend a course of 3 treatments to achieve a smoother and softer base. Using glycolic acid skin care products alongside the chemical peels will enhance and build on the effect.

Glycolic acid peels are a really easy and effective way to get smoother, brighter and younger-looking skin. There is a range of glycolic skin products and clinical glycolic treatments available. However, remember is to make sure that you use sun protection as glycolic acid resurfaces the skin. As such the new skin is vulnerable to sun damage. You can also find more details about glycolic acid peels on our advanced clinical facials, bespoke skin treatments or chemical peels pages.

Authored by:

Dr Amel Ibrahim
Aesthetic Doctor & Medical Director
BSC (HONS) MBBS MRCS PHD
Founder City Skin Clinic
Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Associate Member of British Association of Body Sculpting GMC Registered - 7049611

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