Drop Some Acid (on your face)

Drop Some Acid (on your face)….

Yeah, it sounds scary: Acid. But not all acids are bad for you—indeed, some are absolutely necessary for your health: Malic acid is important for digestion. Folic acid is a necessary and important B vitamin and your body needs amino acids, linolenic and omega fatty acids to maintain good health, and so on.

So, what are we talking about when we talk about putting acids on our skin? Some of the more mild and effective acids widely found in tons of skincare products and cosmetics are citric acid-based—the same acid found in lemons, oranges and limes. Citric acid is an alpha hydroxy acid and in more concentrated forms, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) can produce fabulous exfoliation and moisturizing products; they are also known to help control acne and fine lines and are widely recommended by dermatologists for their safety and efficacy. 

Some of the most common AHAs used in skincare and cosmetics are glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric and mandelic acids. They are well-tolerated by almost all adults--but should be avoided by those with extremely sensitive skin or with skin diseases or open lesions on the skin.

It can cost well over $100 dollars to get a facial with some of the stronger AHA-based “peels,” but why spend the money when you can buy even better products for a fraction of the price and give yourself a great exfoliating facial at home?

Even better: YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE SKIN PEELING in order to get great benefits from AHA-based peel products. Some of the best you should try include:

1. TCA 7% for sensitive skin.*Tca will strengthen by how many layers you apply, so this is excellent for everyone. 

2. Mandelic acid 22% can even be used on rosacea skin. Mandelic 40% is excellent for everyone and especially beneficial for acne and pigmentation issues. 

3. Glycolic acid is a wonderful general acid that is beneficial for many people. It is the most common of all the hydroxy acids and is a great place to start if you are unsure of where to begin - *of course, contact Platinum first and we can pin point you to the perfect acid for you!

For all-over face and body moisturizing and smoothing, you can’t beat the addition of a little AHA. For the face, try the Basics Night Cream, and for daytime, the Basics Day Alphabet Cream. For all-over body, you just can’t beat the Triple Treat Body Lotion with three of the most effective AHAs as well as shea butter!

You can safely go stronger for even greater effect, and some of the stronger preparations might cause some peeling and flaking – which is a good thing because you’ll get faster results. Also, by giving yourself stronger peels over a period of weeks, you won't experience any "down-time." 

Spas and salons often call these facial peels "lunchtime peels" because they are quick, and you can go right back to work afterwards. Doing peels at home over a period of several weeks can give you the same or very similar results of more drastic laser or stronger one-time chemical peels (which take 1-2- weeks of "down-time" to recover). Glycolic Acid is the "original lunch time peel". A 30% is the perfect choice here. 

It is recommended that you get a FREE consultation with Platinum Skincare before deciding on any of the stronger at-home peels, unless you are familiar with these sorts of products. For instance, there are physician-grade TCA and Jessners peels available at Platinum Skincare, as well as stronger AHA preparations.

THE BOTTOM LINE: No peels--not even those done by a doctor--can "lift" sagging skin or erase deep wrinkles. Only surgery can lift skin, and deep wrinkles need surgery or injectable fillers. But with the more mild at-home peels, you can minimize or eliminate fine lines, erase or minimize discoloration (melasma) as well as sun and age spots, improve uneven skin tone, and improve acne. Combined with Retinols, you can have even more amazing improvement in your skin--all achieved at home.

Where can I buy Dana's Book?

The Skin Regime; Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin, available as a Kindle download or Buy paperback to buy your paperback copy from Platinum Skin Care. You can also read the first chapter--FREE--by click here to read 1st chapter.