Treating Wrinkles With Beta Hydroxy Acid - Salicylic Acid

AHAs are exfoliants derived from fruit and milk sugars such as glycolic acid produced from sugar cane and lactic acid produced from milk.

There is only one BHA - salicylic acid.

How Beta Hydroxy Acid Works
BHA works mainly as an exfoliant. It causes the cells of the epidermis to become "unglued" allowing the dead skin cells to slough off, making room for regrowth of new skin.

BHA is reported to improve wrinkling, roughness, and mottled pigmentation of photodamaged skin after at least 6 months of daily application.

BHA found in skin-care products works best in a concentration of 1% to 2% and at a pH of 3 to 4.

The Difference Between Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids
The main difference between AHA and BHA is their lipid (oil) solubility.

AHAs are water soluble only, while BHA is lipid (oil) soluble.

This means that BHA is able to penetrate into the pore which contains sebum and exfoliate the dead skin cells that are built up inside the pore.

Because of this difference in properties, BHA is better used on oily skin with blackheads and whiteheads.

AHAs are better used on thickened, sun-damaged skin where breakouts are not a problem.

Beta Hydroxy Acid and Sun Sensitivity
The use of BHA can increase sun sensitivity by 50% causing an interesting dilemma.

It appears that BHA may be able to reverse some of the damage caused by photoaging, but at the same time it makes the skin more susceptible to photoaging.

It is clear that anyone using BHA must use a good sunscreen that contains UVA and UVB protection.

Beta Hydroxy Acid and Irritation
BHA appears to be less irritating than AHA even though it penetrates deeper into the pore.

This occurs because salicylic acid is derived from acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin.

Aspirin has anti-inflammatory properties, and salicylic acid retains many of these anti-inflammatory properties.

Despite this fact, BHA can still cause skin irritation.

Symptoms of irritation include redness, burning, itching, pain, and possibly scarring.

People with darker colored skin are at a higher risk of scarring pigment changes with BHA.

Using a Beta Hydroxy Acid
BHA is found in a variety of skin care products including moisturizers, cleansers, eye cream, sunscreen, and foundations.

Here are some guidelines to use when trying to decide which hydroxy acid formulation to use:

• It is best to pick one product that contains the proper formulation of BHA to use as your exfoliant, and then choose other skin care products or cosmetics that don't contain hydroxy acids to reduce the likelihood of skin irritation.
  
• Using BHA in a moisturizer base may be the best combination of products.
  
• Cleansers containing BHA are not very effective because the BHA must be absorbed in the skin to work. Cleansers are washed off before this absorption occurs.
  
• At this time there are no effective products that combine BHA and sunscreen, because sunscreen is not stable at the pH required to make the BHA effective.
  
• 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.
  
• BHA works best in a concentration of 1% to 2% and at a pH of 3 to 4.
  
• Unfortunately, cosmetic manufacturers are not required to display pH information on the label. The only way to know for sure the pH of a product is to test with a pH strip.
  
• Unlike AHA that must be listed in the top 3 ingredients to indicate the appropriate concentration, BHA can be listed in the middle or even towards the bottom of the ingredient list because it is effective at lower concentrations.

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