Ingredients 101: Glycolic Acid
How many times have you heard about a new skincare product on social media and immediately thought, “I need that!” …only to found out later that it completely wrecked your skin? Been there. Influenced by that.
One of the first things we decided on, collectively as a team, was to know ingredients; what they’re for, what they do, how they change the skin, etc. When you seek out professional help for your skin, you want to be able to trust your esthetician to know what to do, right? You may have gone to some places that just smeared good-smelling stuff on your face and wiped it back off without really educating you on the how, the what, and the why. Some of those products may have not agreed with your skin. This is how Wild Indigo Esthetics differs from those in our industry. We pride ourselves in knowing what ingredients do to the skin and which skin is appropriate for what ingredients. If you ask a question and we don’t know, we will then research it and learn about the topic to provide you with the best education we can provide.
All of that rambling to say we are life-long learners here. We absorb education to then utilize and teach. It’s important to us that you know what you’re using, why you’re using it, and how it works. That being said, let’s dive into an ingredient commonly found in skincare that can make or break your skin.
Glycolic Acid
This commonly used alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) is derived from sugarcane. It is used for exfoliation of varying degrees depending on the concentration and formula. You can find it over-the-counter and in establishments that perform chemical peels. Glycolic acid is a very tiny molecule and is hydrophilic (interacts with water). It can be buffered or non-buffered, which will have a massive effect on the sensation you experience, as well as what it does to the skin. Not only does the main active ingredient, glycolic acid, matter but the formula that the manufacturer uses will either make you love or hate this AHA. In non-buffered formulas, you will immediately experience burning, redness, and will most likely flake or peel after using it. The molecule is so "spicy" because it quickly penetrates the skin layers and reaches the nerve.
What would make you want to use glycolic acid? This acid has been shown in numerous studies to break down the bonds holding skin cells together, allowing for the dead, upper layers of skin to be removed. This provides access for the underlying "baby skin cells" to come to the surface, showing brightness, decreased pigment or redness from old acne, smoothness, and less scarring. Sounds good in theory, but remember that the formula and concentration matter. Your skin health also matters. Let's talk about that.
If you see a professional who will willingly do a chemical peel on you without first knowing your skin, you are taking a risk. Many acids cause the melanocyte (cell that produces the pigment in our skin) to get over-excited. This can cause an unwanted effect of having more pigment produced when you actually wanted to remove the pigment. It's important that your esthetician does a thorough analysis of your skin prior to a peel, evaluates what your skin routine is, and ensures your skin can tolerate this ingredient prior to using it on your face or body. The way our unique skin tolerates and responds to the unprotected sun will determine what we can handle when it comes to acids. For the majority of the public, we all need to be using a tyrosinase-inhibitor before ever having a peel. We'll get into that topic another day. What it means in a nutshell is your skin needs to get used to certain ingredients so it doesn't overreact when a stimulant is placed topically. Also, the darker your skin is, the more sensitive it is to stimulating ingredients. Instead of lightening unwanted pigment, you may end up with a lack of pigment or darker pigment. This is why it's important to seek a professional who know what they are doing.
Back to glycolic acid.
When you use this AHA, you will most likely feel some sort of sensation. Once you're used to the feeling, it may not be as strong as it once was, but you will usually always feel it, unless the formula is buffered well. It can be left on the skin from 1 to 10 minutes (read your label) and then it needs to be neutralized to be removed. Usually this involves a sodium bicarbonate solution, but some over-the-counter options just use water. It's very important that you wear SPF after using AHA's because the outer layer of skin (your stratum corneum) will be gone. This layer is the dead skin layer that protects your baby skin cells from UV damage, pollution, etc. and if you leave it unprotected, you are more likely to harm those cells before they die off naturally. The repetitive damage of cells is what leads to mutations (aka "cancers") so be protected. After using glycolic acid, your skin should feel soft and silky. If you are experiencing sensitivity, warmth, and redness, apply a healing ointment and sometimes cold can help. You will most likely have skin shedding a few days after using it, which can be normal for the formula. Sometimes, however, your skin isn't in the healthiest state to be using these ingredients and you end up with burning, itching, extreme redness, and sensitivity. This usually indicates a stripped barrier. Let's talk about that.
Stripping your barrier is, unfortunately, quite common these days with the access to skincare formulas of varying degrees. Your "barrier" is the common name for your "acid mantle." This is a very thin layer on top of your skin that contributes to keeping a healthy balance of oil, microbes (yes, we have microorganisms on our skin), and provides structural stability. It is a very acidic environment, hence "acid" mantle. When you use certain soaps on your skin, those ingredients change the pH of your skin. Soap is very alkaline, which is the opposite of acidic, and can destroy the goodness your body has produced to keep your skin happy. There's a fine balance, or "homeostasis," involved in skincare. Too acidic = angry skin. Too alkaline = angry skin. This is important to know because it will make your life easier when you have to adjust something in order to make your barrier happy again. When your barrier is unhealthy, or unbalanced, it makes your skin very reactive to active ingredients, like AHAs. Sensitive and sensitized skin are two different things, but, again, that will be for another day. You can sensitize your skin from what you do to it. You can also desensitize your skin by feeding it with healing ingredients. In order to get the best results from your AHAs, you have to have a healthy, desensitized, barrier. If you are feeling like your skin is getting sensitized from a product, it's important to immediately stop all active ingredients (ingredients that are designed to change the skin) and use very healing skincare to restore homeostasis.
If you stuck around this long, I thank you. We will continue to dive into ingredients in the coming weeks so you can feel empowered to get your skin to the healthiest state possible! Thanks for following along and check back for more skincare knowledge. Until then, make good choices and be kind!
~ Andrea