AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid)

I recently use AHA/BHA toner

Lately I use skin care product contain AHA in it. Many skin care product contain with this AHA. So what are this AHA? And what is this AHA benefit for skin?

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) essentially originate from milk and fruit sugars. The most common AHA are lactic acid & glycolic acid. These two acids in particular penetrate the skin very well and are often used in skin care products.

The main benefit of an alpha hydroxy acid is its ability to exfoliate the skin. They essentially remove the "glue" from the upper layer of skin that holds onto the old, dead skin cells. By effectively removing that top layer of skin, the alpha hydroxy acids serve to help new skin grow.

Alpha hydroxy acids reduce the look of wrinkles, help to reduce the likelihood that wrinkles will develop, make skin smoother and can help skin that's uneven and hyper pigmented become smoother and more even.

AHA seem to work best for most people in a concentration of 5% to 7%, and that's the concentration found in most products that contain the AHAs.
When you use an AHA product, you make your skin more vulnerable to damage from the sun. It's recommended that if you use an AHA product, you also use a high-quality sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun.

There are two major side effects to using AHA products: sun sensitivity and irritation. AHA products can increase your sensitivity to the sun by as much as 50%, so it's essential that a good sunscreen is used. Irritation is another possible side effect of AHA use. Some of these symptoms might include redness, burning and itching. If the symptoms continue after you have used the product for some time and your skin has had a chance to adapt, try using a product that contains less of the AHA concentration.

Because of concerns over the side effects of AHA, the FDA in 1997 announced that AHA are safe for use by consumers with the following guidelines:

• The AHA concentrations is 10% or less
• The final product has a pH of 3.5 or higher
• The final product must have an effective sunscreen in the formulation or warn people to use sunscreen products.

AHA are found in a variety of skincare products, including moisturizers, cleansers, eye cream, sunscreen, and foundations. However, it is best to pick one product that contains the proper formulation of AHA to use as your exfoliant and then choose other skincare products or cosmetics that don't contain AHA to reduce the likelihood of skin irritation.

Using an AHA in a moisturizer base may be the best combination of products. Cleansers containing AHA are not very effective because the AHA must be absorbed into the skin to work. Cleansers are washed off before this absorption occurs.

Sunscreen must be applied liberally when using an AHA product. The sunscreen should have an SPF of at least 15 for UVB protection and contain avobenzone, titanium dioxide or zinc oxide for UVA protection.
AHA work best in a concentration 5 to 8 percent and at a pH of 3 to 4.

Cr: glycolic acid, verywell