One of the primary manifestations of sun-damaged skin is that the outer layer of skin becomes thickened, similar to a callous. This thickened layer is your skin’s response to the damage caused by unprotected exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. While this thickened layer provides a minimal amount of sun protection (it is thought […]

The reasons for exfoliating dry skin are different from the ones for treating oily, blemish – prone skin, though the objective is the same: removing dead skin cells that are not shedding normally. Skin can be dry for many reasons, including lack of moisture, a buildup of dead skin cells that don’t easily shed, and […]

All skin types can benefit from exfoliating but those who have oily or blemish-prone skin, or clogged pores can benefit significantly. Blackheads or blemishes can occur if the oil gland produces too much sebum. Sebum is a soft wax that should liquefy when it reaches the surface of the pore, spreading a thin, imperceptible protective […]

The search for an effective form of AHA or an extra ingredient that can enhance per­formance and reduce irritation has been a popular topic of discussion among cosmetics formulators. Gluconolactone is a type of polyhydroxy acid that NeoStrata (the company that developed and patented this ingredient) believes serves both ends: It is supposed to be […]

What about exfoliating too often? In terms of overdoing it, yes, you can, and then your skin will respond with irritation and inflammation and that isn’t good for skin. But does exfoliating skin hinder or harm cell production? Some of my readers have asked me about something known as the Hayflick Limit. The Hayflick Limit […]

Removing the outer layer of skin can be taken too far. But that’s not because of any danger to the skin, it’s just that too much skin irritation can cause its own problems. Higher concentrations (above 10%) of AHAs may be too much for skin and the FDA agrees with this assessment (Source: www. fda. […]

Products boasting that they contain a natural source of salicylic acid (BHA) usually add willow bark. Willow bark contains salicin, a substance that when taken orally is converted by the digestion process to salicylic acid. That means the process of converting willow bark to salicylic acid requires the presence of enzymes to turn the salicin […]

There are AHA sound-alikes, including sugarcane extract, mixed fruit acids, fruit ex­tracts, milk extract, and citrus extract. You may think you’ve purchased a more natural AHA product when you see these less-technical names, but that isn’t the case. Although glycolic acid is derived from sugarcane, and lactic acid from milk, that doesn’t mean that sugarcane […]

Without getting too technical, pH is a measurement referring to how acidic or alkaline a product is. The pH scale is numbered 1-14, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. Tap water is right in the middle of the scale, with an average pH of 7, which is considered pH-neutral. […]