Do AHAs Really Work for Acne Treatment?

Heidi Harsini

May 12th, 2018

What Are Alpha Hydroxy Acids?

Alpha Hydroxy Acids are acids which are found in many foods. There are a variety of different compounds out there which come under the heading ‘Alpha Hydroxy Acids’. The most common of them are:

1. Citric Acid (found in citrus fruits)
2. Glycolic Acid (found in sugar cane)
3. Lactic Acid (found in sour milk)
4. Malic Acid (found in Apples)
5. Tartaric Acid (found in Grapes)

There are a few other Alpha Hydroxy Acids other than these, but these are the ones that you will most commonly encounter in your day-to-day life.

Effectiveness of AHAs for Acne Treatment

While Alpha Hydroxy Acids can be used for a variety of different purposes, they are most commonly used for dealing with acne. Their main purpose is to help exfoliate the skin. This ensures that the dead skin cells that remain on the surface of the skin are removed. As you may well know, it is these dead skin cells which contribute to blocked pores. It is blocked pores which will lead to a person dealing with acne.

In addition to this, there is some evidence that the Alpha Hydroxy Acids can help to rejuvenate the skin. This means that there is a chance that you will end up with smoother looking skin, free of acne scars. However, it must be stressed that this is not something which occurs in all people. If you are dealing with particularly severe acne scars, then this treatment may not help to clear them up and you will need to look into other methods that you can use.

It is worth noting that not all cases of acne are going to be cured with Alpha Hydroxy Acids. It is all going to be down to the root cause of the condition. Sure, it should be able to deal with the most severe flare-ups in most people, but it may not completely stop the condition. This means that you will need to find out how to deal with the root cause of your acne. However, at least in the meantime you are not going to have to worry about the acne flare-up being all that bad.

If you have tried other acne treatments on the market and have yet to see any benefit from them, then you really should try out Alpha Hydroxy Acids. They work in more people than it does not. Study after study has demonstrated this.

It is worth noting that if you do go down the route of Alpha Hydroxy Acids, which you are advised to do, if you have sensitive skin, then you will need to be very careful. While the acids can have an impact on you, you will want to buy a ‘weaker’ concentration of the mixture. We recommend somewhere between 5% and 7%. This means that the majority of the acne products that you find on this list are going to be suitable for you. This means that you should have absolutely no issues using them to eliminate your acne.

Potential Side-Effects to be Careful of

For the most part, Alpha Hydroxy Acid products are safe to use, particularly if the concentration of acid is less than 10%. If it is higher than 10%, which is very rare, then the risk factor will go up ever so slightly. However, even then, the risk of any side effect will be minimal. The most common side effects found due to the use of Alpha Hydroxy Acid include:

• Mild skin irritation
• Redness of the skin, particularly areas where the acid has met it.
• Itching
• Skin Discoloration

There are side-effects related to taking Alpha Hydroxy Acids orally, but it is very rare that you will need to do that when you are trying to deal with acne. Certainly, none of the products on this page are going to require you to consume them orally, so this is not an issue that you are going to need to worry about too much.

How to Use AHA Products with Care

As mentioned previously, it is unlikely that any side-effects will occur because of your usage of Alpha Hydroxy Acids. However, here are a few things that you will need to bear in mind. This will just ensure that the risk is kept to an absolute minimum.

First and foremost, you should only ever use the product as directed, particularly if there is a concentration of Alpha Hydroxy Acid that is greater than 10%. If you use too much of the product, then the chances of you ending up with skin irritation, or perhaps even worse, will go up drastically.

It is worth noting that when you use a product like this, your skin is going to be a lot more vulnerable to the sun. This means that you should always use sunscreen on your skin. It does not matter how cold it is outside, the sun rays could still end up damaging your skin if you are not careful. That being said, a few of the products that you will find on this list will be inside of a sunscreen already, so you do not have to worry about any additional products.

If you do notice any side-effects related to your usage of Alpha Hydroxy Acid products, then it is vital that you discontinue using them immediately. There is no getting ‘used’ to this product. If it causes a flare-up right at the start, then things are unlikely to improve. You will not need to see a medical expert unless the symptoms persist which, again, is going to be very rare.

 

Some recommended products which have AHAs:

ZO SKIN HEALTH

ZO Exfoliation Accelerator

ZO Complexion Renewal Pads

ZO Invisapeel

IS CLINICAL

iS Clinical Cleansing Complex

iS Clinical Active Serum