It seems like the beauty world can’t get enough to acids for the skin, but if you’re not familia with them, you may freak out to begin with! You will have probably heard that acids are beneficial for your skin, and you may have heard the terms AHA, BHA and PHA. Sooooo, what exactly do these abbreviations mean for your skin? What benefits can you expect, and how on Earth do you know what suits each skin type?
In a nutshell, acids work to exfoliate and renew the skin. They loosen the older, sluggish cells on the surface and reveal fresher, newer, glowing skin. Acids can contribute to healthier and younger looking skin, but certain ones can contribute to easing acne or fine lines, too. Let’s take a look.
AHA ACID
AHAs, or Alpha Hydroxy Acids, are a group of acids that you can naturally find in things like fruit, milk and sugar cane. You might have seen products that contain fruit acids, and if so, it’s likely they contain AHA’s for skin renewal. The AHAs are exfoliating to varying degrees, with glycolic acid being the most powerful in the group. Glyvolic is brilliant for anti aging or pigmented/scarred skin. Here’s a few skin types that will benefit:
Mature skin: AHAs help to speed up the skin’s cell renewal. By using AHA’s you can help your skin to smooth out the texture, fade scars and wrinkles, and even out pigmentation.
Dry skin: Lactic acid suits a dry skin best as it binds well with moisture in the skin.
Sensitive skin: This group also includes mandelic acid, which is ideal for a slightly more sensitive skin type or acne-prone skin due to its anti-inflammatory effect.
Problem skin: Although BHA’s are your blemish acids, an AHA that is brilliant is azelaic acid. It is great to be used for skin lightening in patchy or blotchy areas of your skin due to melanin. It is also a chosen one for fading old blemish marks. Azelaic acid can reduce inflammation too, making it an effective treatment for symptoms of rosacea.
BHA ACID
BHAs, or Beta Hydroxy Acids, are a group of acids that are predominantly made up of salicylic acid in skin care. If youy have suffered from acne, you’ll be familiar with this! This acid is found naturally in the tree white willow. You’ll benefit from BHA’s if your skin is:
Oily skin: BHA is fat-soluble and has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it excellent for those who have oily skin, with clogged pores or inflamed acne. Mnay people choose cleansers or on the spot products packed with Salicylic acid, as this goes down into the pores and dissolves excess sebum. It is kinda to the skin more than Benzoyl Peroxide, which doctors tend to prescribe to acne sufferers.
Mature skin: BHA increases cell renewal, which gives great results on fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage.
PHA ACID
The less common or widely talked about acid group is PHAs, or Poly Hydroxy Acids. These have larger molecules than the AHAs, which means that they penetrate more slowly into the skin and do not exfoliate as strongly as AHAs and BHA. A gentler acid group, PHAs also bind moisture to the skin and acts as antioxidants. Examples of PHAs in skin care are gluconolactone and lactobionic acid.
Sensitive and dry skin: These mild acids are excellent for all types of sensitive and dry skin conditions such as eczema or rosacea.
Mature skin: Their antioxidant benefits will help to protect the skin’s collagen against degradation.
Can I use a variety of acids?
You can, but you do have to be careful before choosing to do this. Once you have analysed your skin type with a skin professional or dermatologist, assess which acids work well together and don not clash. If you are using stronger acids, like glycolic or lactic acid, it is best not to mix these with any others.
Using acids and the sun
This is a no no! They make your skin much more sensitive, so it is especially important to apply a high factor UV protection when using acids. You can still use them, but only with a quality SPF or you could end up unneccasaily burning your skin.
If you are going to use acids daily, consider using an SPF before your moisturiser, even in the Autumn and Winter months, as the sun may still be out, you just don’t feel the heat as much.
Which acids are right for me?
This depends on your skin type and skin concerns. The main acids people tend to use include hyaluronic acid – the holy grail for skin moisturisation, glycolic acid -amazing for aging and skin texture, lactic acid -renewing the skin and deep exfoliating, azaelic acid – fading marks and scars, and salicylic acid – busting away oil and breakouts!
It’s key you do your own full research first. However, there are so many skincare brands online now that specialise in smart skincare with acids, like Paula’s Choice, The Ordinary, NIOD, Murad and The Inkey List. Take a look at them first and see what feels right for you.
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