Glycolic Acid Peels – User Guide & Tips
Glycolic acid is used for cosmetic and superficial purposes. It’s a naturally created acid extracted from sugar cane, pineapple, cantaloupe, and grapes. Glycolic acid is alpha hydroxyl acid and it’s exfoliating characteristics allows it to penetrate skin deep to remove wrinkles, age spots, acne blemishes and fine lines. The acid naturally stimulates cell regeneration in the skin by increasing the skins collagen production. Although fast acting, glycolic peels can be gentle at low concentrations (10 to 20%). The natural ability for glycolic peels to freshen the skins appearances in an initial 10 minute sessions makes it an ideal way to make your skin radiant and flawless.
The benefits of glycolic acid peels are huge; you need to make sure you allow the skin to get use to using them. There are varying acid strengths from 20% to 70% concentrations. Many people buy their glycolic peels off websites, please be cautious of these sites as some mixture can have higher then labeled concentrations. Some people like to go into professional clinics to have these peel preformed but the choice is ultimately yours!
A safe way to perform this at home peels is to try an initial test spot, have it somewhere on the face that isn’t very visible, and leave this spot untreated for a few days to witness any reactions. If everything seems fine then it may be safe to proceed with an actual peel.
When purchasing peels start with a very low concentration (10 to 15%) and move up gradually ( (25 to 30%) and then to (40 to 50%) past this point I would suggest having a professional perform the peel for you (50% or more).
How to Use Glycolic Peels and Recommended Glycolic Peels
Glycolic acid peels need to be done with a break of one or two weeks between peels. This will allow the superficial layer of skin to repair itself; thus will allow the best results from the peel.
Many people will need to do anywhere from 8 to 10 peels to witness full results. After this point a maintenance phase can be established to preserve results. These peels can be done once every month or when results start to diminish.
To begin a peel make sure the skin is clean with rubbing alcohol to remove any makeup, oil, or impurities on the skin. Allow skin to dry and then perform peel.
The skin should be coated with the peel starting from the forehead, make your way down your temples on both sides, making sure to get your cheeks and noise thoroughly. The chin and sides of the face should also be done and make sure to start from the top of the face and work down. This will ensure you hit all your troubled areas. Spot treating with glycolic acid can also be done but please follow the same process by cleansing with alcohol then performing the peel.
The peel can be left on for a few minutes. To start, leave on the face for 2 to 5 minutes. Work your way up to 10 minutes but never leave the peel on for longer than that. Make sure to have a neutralizer handy. A neutralizer can be made with baking soda and water.
After performing a glycolic peel make sure to keep the face moisturized at all times and to wear a sunscreen with at least an SPF 15. This will ensure your face doesn’t burn due to the thinning of the skin membrane on your face.
Glycolic peels are a great inexpensive way to treat wrinkles and face imperfections. If you have moderate to severe acne I would consult a dermatologist before performing any kind of peel as they can worsen your acne causing scaring and further breakouts. If acne is isolated then using a glycolic peel will only help your condition and you can perform them right away.