Skinfare Skin Care Blog

Exfoliation is an important part of any skin care treatment plan and perhaps the best method to use when removing dead skin cells and debris from pores are Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids. There are many variations of alpha hydroxy acids (about 5 of which are routinely used in skincare products) yet only one beta hydroxy acid.

Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA)

First introduced by Avon in the early 90’s, AHA’s are commonly used in skin care in the form of glycolic, lactic, malic, citric and tartaric acids. Glycolic and lactic are by far the most frequent since they have strong abilities to penetrate the skin as well as the most research history.

What these acids do is “unglue” the outermost layers of dead skin cells allowing them to be removed and also allowing new, healthier skin layers to take their place. This can improve skin texture and color, unclog pores and add to the effectiveness and absorption of moisturizers.

AHA’s are water soluble. Because of this, they do not penetrate the skin layers as deeply as BHA but are still an excellent choice when looking for a product to help with the appearance of sun damaged, wrinkled, dry or thickened skin.

Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA)

Beta Hydroxy Acid works in the same manner as AHA’s and is known by the name salicylic acid. There are over 400 studies proving BHA’s effectiveness. Because it is oil soluble, BHA is able to penetrate deeper into the pore and through the skin’s oil (sebum). This allows it to actually help remove debris and skin cells in the oil gland itself. As a result of this, BHA is also recommended for the treatment of blackheads and blemishes whereas AHA is better suited for things affecting the outer layer of the skin.

Both of these acids work through a chemical and not a mechanical process within the skin so they usually produce better results that most cosmetic scrubs and other anti aging skin care products that work on a superficial level. One other benefit is that there is a “falloff” rate and they will not remove healthy layers of skin.