Glycolic acid, along with some other vitamin C peels are the most commonly used rejuvenation treatments for facial skin care. Glycolic facial peels and other members of the Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) group like lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and citric acid peels are all chemically composed of carbon backbones. As naturally occurring chemicals, the AHA based treatments are one of the best categories of natural skin care products available in the market today.

Obtained from sugar cane, glycolic acid facial peels is the most popular and commonly used facial skin procedure among the AHA treatments.

Effects of glycolic acid peel

With time and exposure to sunlight, there is a gradual slowing down of the rate at which old cells are replaced by newer cells. The surface of the skin with old cells sticking to it provides an aged appearance to the skin.

A treatment with glycolic acid peels loosens the inter-cellular substances that hold the surface skin cells to each other. When the intracellular cement is loosened, it allows the dead skin to peel off readily. Shedding of the old, sun-damaged surface of the skin helps to encourage new growth of the cells in the skin underneath. The new growth of cells results in a fresher, healthier looking skin with more even color and texture.

Glycolic acid facial peels are generally known as superficial peels, because these peels penetrate only through the epidermis and papillary dermis to an average depth of 0.06mm. However, the repetitive use of glycolic acid facial peels has a profound effect on improving the texture of the skin.

The effect of glycolic acid facial peels on the deeper layers of the skin has also been observed with high concentration and long-term use. The deeper penetration of glycolic acid peels has been shown to help in collagen and elastin regeneration helping the fine lines of aging to disappear.

On the whole, the effects of glycolic acid facial peels on the skin can be listed as follows:

• Smoothening of rough, dry skin

• Exfoliation of the dead cells

• Slowing down of the ageing process

• Improving the texture of sun-damaged skin

• Normalizing of oily, acne troubled skin

• Control of acne

• Glycolic acid peels can also be mixed with bleaching agents to correct pigment problems

• Glycolic acid peels can be used as pre-treatment before a TCA peel

Histological effects of glycolic acid treatment are manifested by reduction of stratum corneum thickness, increased epidermal thickness, more orderly differentiation of skin cells and dispersal of melanin within the basal layer.

Candidates for the glycolic acid peel

The biggest advantage of glycolic acid facial peels is that they can be safely used for all skin types. The treatment with glycolic acid peels is useful for the people with:

• Superficial wrinkles of the face, neck, upper chest and arms

• Uneven pigmentation

• Enlarged facial pores

• Superficial acne scars on the face

• Oily skin

• Age spots

• Newly formed acne

Procedure for Treatment with Glycolic Acid Peel

Performing a glycolic acid peel just takes 15-20 minutes. Repeated peeling offers good anti-aging benefits to the skin.

The strength of glycolic acid has been found to affect the results. Generally the strength of each peel ranges from 20-70%, depending on skin sensitivity and the state of the skin at the start of the procedure.

After the face is cleansed thoroughly, the peel solution is applied for a few minutes or longer. The exact duration depends on the particular type of solution and its strength. The peel may sting mildly during the treatment.

The skin may be a little pink immediately after treatment. A little peeling may occur over the next few days. It can be disguised with moisturizer or normal make-up. Remember, protecting your skin from the sun is also important following these mild acid peels. Ask your doctor to recommend a sunblock with adequate UVA and UVB protection and use it every day.



Thanks to Catherine Halls for contributing this article to our Anti-Aging blog:

Anti-Aging Tips

Reducing wrinkles is something that many of use look forward to doing. As the body ages, so does the skin. Just our hereditary genes play a role in just how much we have to deal with this condition. Also the sun and our personal diet has a major impact on the aging process of our body.

One thing is for sure. If you don’t want to look your age, wrinkles are something that should be on your mind. Engraved in the minds of all of us is that thought that if we have wrinkles, that it is a sign of being old? Yet, remember that wrinkles can happen at virtually any time during your life. That means you may look older than you feel or actually are.

One of the most important things for you to do in order to tackle the well being of your skin is to be educated about it. Start by taking a look at what a wrinkle actually is. That is a ridge where the skin is no longer flat.

Fine wrinkles just look like tiny lines but they are the first stages of much more drastic looking wrinkles. The folds of your skin, which is what wrinkles really are, can happen for a number of reasons. In theory, they are due to the skin becoming more elastic and the tissue underneath the skin becoming too loose or even removed partially.

Why did you have to get wrinkles? Most of the time, wrinkles are a part of everyone’s aging process. The skin becomes looser as a result of losing collagen underneath. When that happens, the skin will fold naturally with gravity. For some, the extreme amount of wrinkles that they have can be due to over exposure to the sun, to a lack of a nutritious diet and even to hereditary factors.

Is there something that you can do about these conditions? There are. In fact, there are many things that you can do. Start with giving yourself the nutrients that your body needs to keep your skin looking amazing.

There are over the counter treatments for wrinkles, too. Some of these work, while others do not. You can resort to plastic surgery or to chemical injections to restore the missing collagen. There are a number of ways to improve the look of your face and skin.

One simple and least costly way of improving your looks is a healthy diet. When it comes to having a healthy diet, experts will tell you that most people just don’t get it. If you are aging, now is the most important time in your life to be thinking about this factor. What you eat plays a large role in the healthy glow that you have. If you don’t eat well, you are more prone to having to deal with dreaded wrinkles. If you would like to reduce wrinkles, one of the best things for you to do is to eat a well balanced diet.

Many things that play a role in the health of your body. While germs and hereditary do play a role to some degree in your wrinkles; it effects a lot more than just that. In fact, many women and men will have wrinkles well before the age deems it to be necessary. This has a lot to do with the healthy diet that you probably are not getting.

How can your diet actually affect your wrinkles? We must at first understand that wrinkles can be caused by a number of things including the inability of the body to keep hold of a substance called collagen. When your body loses this, it is your skin will become looser and that leads to wrinkles. If you give your body the right nutrients to power through these situations, you can actually walk away with fewer wrinkles and improve skin care.

One thing to consider eating is more vegetables. Vegetables contain antioxidants, which are true warriors in fighting many health risks. These compounds get into your blood stream and literally clean out the cells. By doing this, they allow blood to easily work through the body. When that happens, your skin looks amazing and full. In fact, antioxidants are a play a key role in reducing your wrinkles.

What should you eat? To reduce the wrinkles that you currently have or to help prevent even more from showing up, consume a diet that is rich in antioxidants. Eat a diet that is balanced in fresh vegetables, lean meats and unsaturated fats. These things will lead to a healthy diet that offers many benefits to your overall well being. When you give your body the tools that it needs, it will be better able to reduce wrinkles and give you glowing beautiful skin.



Thanks to Jim Moore for contributing this article to our Anti-Aging blog:

At Home Microdermabrasion System

Can you answer Rupert Y’s question about Anti-Aging?:

I am a sensitive person and want to get a face filler like restylane. I would feel a lot happier using a filler where I know it won’t cross the blood brain barrier. Does anybody know where its documented anyway whether the hyaluronic acid can/can’t cross it? I know from research that a hyaluronan molecule is large but I’d much prefer to see it in writing specifically about the filler. Thanks.

Of course i could get a collagen filler, as there is no way that collagen can pass blood brain barrier.

Have you claimed your Genesis site?

Restylane is the trade name of non-animal sourced hyaluronic acid, which is most commonly used for lip augmentation. Restylane has been approved by FDA in U.S to be used as cosmetic injection into sub dermal facial tissues. It is also used to restore volume and fullness to the skin and is injected under wrinkles and aging lines of the face such as the nasolabial folds, melomental folds, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles. It may also be used for filling aging-related facial hollows under and around the eyes. More and more doctors and patients are buying Restylane for the facelift treatment.

Restylane is a natural facelift treatment that has been used by millions of women across the world to get a more youthful appearance. Made from hyaluronic acid, it is a water acting substance and is already present in everyone’s skin. The treatment with Restylane just boosts the moisturizing affect, making it a completely natural and safe treatment. To avail this natural and safe treatment buy Restylane and fee its effect. The easy and simple treatment with Restylane is appealing to most of the women and they buy Restylane to avail this simple and best treatment.

Restylane is a smooth gel, which is injected into the skin with a very fine needle to restore and enhance the skin’s appearance. The glow in the face is maintained by removing fine lines from the face and moisturizing the skin’s appearance from within. Our body’s hyaluronic acid attracts water in the skin, thus improving the texture, tone and overall health of the skin. One buys Restylane and gets this treatment to cure years of sun damage, air pollution and natural aging.

Restylane works much like inject able collagen, injected by a syringe into a wrinkled area of the face thus literally filling up the wrinkles that occur there. Collagen is injected superficially but Restylane is injected deep into the skin to have much better result. No serious side effects are known but minor ones can occur to some patients. Some minor side effects include inflammation, bruising, and swelling at the injection site, and bumpiness or lumpiness after injection. Some skin allergies can also be rarely found. Apart from nominal side effects and allergies one can easily buy Restylane and avail its treatment.

Restylane requires no pre-testing, since it is made from non-animal sourced but still patients should take few precautions before buying Restylane and being treated. Some of the precautions that is required before undergoing the treatment is that patients should avoid using aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, or high doses of Vitamin E supplements prior to treatment, because these may increase bruising or bleeding at the injection site. If patients have previously suffered from facial cold sores then there is a risk that the needles punctures could contribute to another recurrence.



Thanks to Article Manager for contributing this article to our Anti-Aging blog:

Makeup For Aging Skin