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Glycolic Acid products and antiaging.
Would you like to..
- Rejuevenate your skin?
- Remove fine lines and wrinkles?
- Remove discoloration?
Glycolic acid is one of the most popular treatments for aging skin. I find most people assume all it does is peel off a layer of skin to reveal fresh new skin underneath - but thats not all it does! It actually increases skin thickness by making your skin produce more skin cells and elastic fibers and increases collagen production! I have included some extracts of experiments involving glycolic acid further down. If the Glycolic has a low ph, or the skin is prepped beforehand, this increases the bioavailability of the Glycolic Acid (makes it more easily used by your skin).
Except for cleansing pads, I would only recommend Glycolic products over 8%, as these are the only kind that are proven to reduce wrinkles. Although many people use 30% glycolid acid and 40% glycolic acid, you can get similar results using anything over 8%. It takes a little longer but it is gentler if you have sensitive skin.
Benefits, sides effects and experimental results
Glycolic acid peeling is known to improve photoaging processes such as wrinkling and roughness, but this effect has not been clearly defined, even though functional activation of fibroblasts [fibroblasts make the framework that surrounds skin cells in your skin such as collagen and elastic fibers - Sasha] has been suggested.
The study was aimed to determine the effects of glycolic acid and malic acid (AHA: alpha hydroxy acid) on cultured dermal fibroblasts. Whether it directly increases cell proliferation [grows new cells] may be an important factor influencing the production of extracellular matrix such as type I collagen. Cultured human skin fibroblasts were treated for 24 hours with glycolic acid and malic acid at different concentrations... and cell proliferation was measured... Then quantitative analysis of collagen synthesis was performed... The results showed increased cell proliferation and collagen production in response to glycolic acid in a dose dependent manner. The range of cell proliferation and collagen production were significantly higher with glycolic acid treatment than with malic acid or control.
It was suggested that the favorable effects of glycolic acid treatment on aging skin were mediated by increased cell proliferation in addition to functional activation of fibroblasts
So that suggests as well as a healing response in your skin, glycolic acid causes more skin cells and collagen to grow.
Glycolic acid (GA), one of the alpha-hydroxy acids, is widely used as an agent for chemical peeling. Although there are several reports about the clinical effects of GA in the literature, its biological mechanism [how exactly it works] remains mostly unclear, and there are only a few reports about its effects on skin rejuvenation mediated by keratinocytes [the main type of skin cell in the outer layer of skin]. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of GA on the dermal matrix [the framework between the skin cells] metabolism of keratinocytes and fibroblasts using in vitro [in a test tube] and ex vivo [living] systems.
Our study shows that GA not only directly accelerates collagen synthesis by fibroblasts, but it also modulates [controls] matrix degradation and collagen synthesis through keratinocyte-released cytokines [cytokines are inter-cellular signalling substances].
Safety and efficacy of glycolic acid facial peel in Indian women with melasma
BACKGROUND: Melasma is a common disorder of facial hyperpigmentation. Many modalities [ways or types] of treatment are available, but none is satisfactory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five nonpregnant female patients with a minimum melasma area and severity index (MASI) of 15 were recruited in the study. After a detailed history and clinical examination under natural light and Wood's light, MASI was calculated and color photographs were taken of all patients.
Patients were advised to carry out a prepeel program of daily application of topical sunscreens (sun protection factor-15, SPF-15) and 10% glycolic acid lotion at night for 2 weeks. Patients were then treated with 50% glycolic acid facial peel once per month for three consecutive months. At regular intervals and at the end of the follow-up period (3 months) after the last peel, the degree of improvement in pigmentation was assessed by remeasuring MASI. Side-effects, if any, were also recorded. The data obtained were statistically analyzed..
RESULTS: Improvement in melasma (reduction in MASI) was observed in 91% of patients (P < 0.01). Patients with epidermal-type melasma demonstrated a better response to treatment than those with mixed-type melasma (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prepeel program followed by 50% glycolic acid facial peel once per month for three consecutive months proved to be an effective treatment modality in Indian patients without any significant side-effects
Glycolic acid treatment increases type I collagen mRNA and hyaluronic acid content of human skin
BACKGROUND: Chronic solar irradiation [sunburn] results in both morphologic and functional [looks different and behaves differently] changes in affected skin. Alpha-hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid, have been shown to improve photodamaged skin.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate alterations in collagen gene induction and epidermal and dermal hyaluronic acid production as a result of administered glycolic acid. METHODS: In this study we compared collagen gene expression from skin biopsy specimens, and epidermal and dermal hyaluronic acid immunohistochemical staining between glycolic acid-treated and vehicle-treated [a vehicle treatment contains no active ingredient] skin. Forearm skin was treated with 20% glycolic acid lotion or a lotion vehicle control twice a day for 3 months.
RESULTS: Epidermal and dermal hyaluronic acid and collagen gene expression were all increased in glycolic acid-treated skin as compared to vehicle-treated controls. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that epidermal and dermal remodeling of the extracellular matrix results from glycolic acid treatment. Longer treatment intervals may result in collagen deposition as suggested by the measured increase in mRNA.
However..
Topical glycolic acid enhances photodamage by ultraviolet light.
"Short-term application of 10% glycolic acid sensitizes the skin to the damaging effects of UV light. This photosensitivity is reversed within a week of terminating treatments."
Sasha recommends..
I'd say glycolic acid is an essential part of a beauty routine, but not if you are going to go out in broad daylight without your sunblock. It is important to wear a sunblock at all times while using AHA or glycolic products and for at least a week after - preferably a month.
glycolic products
