Cleopatra
bathed in milk, and noble European ladies pampered
their bodies with wine baths to have silky smooth
skin. Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) have been used
to reverse the aging process for centuries before
their effectiveness was recognized by modern science.
Alpha hydroxy acids
are very familiar to all of us:
- Lactic acid
is found in milk
- Oranges and
lemons contain citric acid.
- Apples - malic
acid
- Aged wine is
rich with tartaric acid
- Glycolic acid
is extracted from sugar cane.
AHA are natural,
not only they are found in plants and natural
foods, but also in the human body!
Now alpha hydroxy
acids are the most popular choice to reduce wrinkles
and fine lines, dryness, acne, alligator skin,
and many other skin conditions.
Ok. Now let’s talk
about how AHA work and what they do to make skin
look younger.
Studies have shown
that AHA are especially effective on the horny
layer (the one made of dead cells). As you know,
as time goes on, our skin looses its ability to
get rid of old cells fast enough. Therefore this
outermost skin layer thickens; when thick, skin
looses its elasticity and fresh look. AHAs come
to the rescue: they break down sugars in the skin,
some of which are essential part of "skin
cement", the material that holds the cells
together. As a result, skin easily sheds unwanted
old cells, revealing newer and younger ones.
Let’s go deeper,
to the dermis. While making epidermis somewhat
thinner, alpha hydroxy acids seem to make ground
substance of the dermis thicker, thereby eliminating
wrinkles.
For some reason,
the amount of AHAs produced by our bodies is not
enough to counter wrinkles. It was found that
our bodies do even more: they produce alpha acetoxy
acids (AAA), which do the opposite to what AHAs
do. AAAs work for thickening of the horny layer
and allow whiteheads and blackheads appear on
the skin surface. Why this happens has yet to
be explained by scientists.
In the meantime,
AHAs’ ability to help skin shed unwanted cells
makes it very useful to eliminate wrinkles and
age spots, relieve alligator skin and associated
with dryness thickening of epidermis. They work
with acne on face, back, and chest. By the same
mechanism, AHAs get rid of precancerous growths!
High concentration
of AHAs produce very fast, dramatic results, especially
for serious skin conditions, but they are being
used only by doctors and are neither recommended
nor available for home use.
Luckily for all
of us, there are safe and effective products formulated
with AHAs that can be used every day. They might
not work as fast as more concentrated solutions,
but if you stick to them for a period of time,
you will be pleasantly surprised at the results
they can produce.
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