Everything you always wanted and should know about acids

Acid treatments are very popular. They are suitable for many people and bring really great results. How do acids work, how to use them and how many types of these substances are there? This knowledge will certainly help you improve the condition of your skin.

Is it worth going for acid treatments?

There is no unambiguous answer to this question. One will benefit from the use of acids, while others – won’t. It depends on many factors:

• effects you want to achieve;
• the type of skin and its condition;
• time spent on therapy;
• the intensity of the treatment;
• skin tolerance for a given ingredient.

The purpose of acids is to exfoliate the skin by irritating it. Not everyone will be happy with this. It will be least peasant for sensitive, dehydrated and delicate skins. They may react with allergies, erythema, pain and even acne. Nevertheless, acids have the ability to remove imperfections, regulate sebaceous glands, relieve inflammation and improve the overall condition of the skin.

The size of particles in the acid

The size of molecules and acid solubility play an important role in therapy. The latter can be changed under the influence of pH and the use of special substances (coatings). The lower the pH, the better the acid molecules penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin.

Acids with small particles will penetrate the hydro-lipid barrier better and provide a greater exfoliating effect. Thanks to them, the skin surface will become smoother, the discolouration will be less visible and the wrinkles become shallower. What’s more, small molecule acids dissolve impurities accumulated in the pores of the skin. However, acids with large molecules have a milder effect, which consists in creating a protective coating around the skin.

Acid types 

We can distinguish several groups of acids. These include: AHA (shikimic, pyruvic, glycolic, almond, lactic, citric, malic, guava) acids, PHA (gluconolactone, lactobionic) acids, BHA and LHA (salicylic, lipohydroxy) acids, and others (azelaic, TCA, or trichloroacetic).