Glycolic Acid Benefits
Glycolic acid is a type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that is partially derived from natural sources such as sugar, milk and fruit acids. This type of AHA is used to make your skin look younger, and to treat a variety of skin ailments such as scars, spots, dead skin and ingrown hairs. Does this Spark an idea?
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Acne Scars
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Pimples can destroy your skin tissue as they form, and leave behind scars after they are treated. Glycolic acid helps to reduce the appearance of raised (hypertrophic) scars by directly flattening them. According to 911skin.com, using glycolic acid twice a day may reduce acne scars within a year. The website also states that a product with a 15 percent glycolic content should do the trick.
Anti-aging
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Glycolic acid is used to minimize signs of aging, such as wrinkles. When you regularly apply glycolic acid to your face, the top layer of skin is removed, which helps speed up skin cell turnover. When turnover is slow, wrinkles tend to form. Removing the top layer of skin also stimulates the production of elastin and collagen, which make your skin look smoother and younger. According to 911skin.com, skin cell turnover begins to slow down around the age of 28. Glycolic acid will help to prevent the formation of wrinkles at this stage, when your skin is more vulnerable to them.
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Antioxidant
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Glycolic acts as an antioxidant, which fights against free radicals. Free radicals, such as those from pollution, destroy healthy skin cells. Glycolic acid attaches to any free radicals that enter your skin, thereby stripping away the ability of such free radicals to harm your skin cells. Thus, glycolic acid prevents skin damage from occurring to begin with.
Ingrown Hairs
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Pseudofolliculitis barbae, or ingrown hairs, occur from hair removal methods like shaving. When a hair is removed, the pore sometimes gets inflamed, and skin cells grow over the top before the new hair has a chance to grow to the surface. Thus, the hair is trapped and pus forms. Glycolic acid prevents ingrown hairs by preventing the skin from covering the pore opening before the hair grows back.
Skin Texture
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Products with glycolic acid exfoliate your skin and improve its texture. Dead skin cells are removed, including patches of thick dry skin, improving your skin's appearance. The exfoliating process also opens clogged pores and treats and prevents whiteheads, blackheads and pimples. Exfoliated skin cells lose moisture at a slower rate, and can also make your skin look younger.
Skin Tone
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Glycolic acid is used to improve your skin tone by minimizing dark spots. These spots occur from pigment discoloration as an aging process, as well as sun damage. Glycolic acid, however, will not prevent new dark spots from forming on your skin.
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