AHA and BHA are hydroxy acids that people use khổng lồ treat skin conditions such as acne. People also use hydroxy acids for cosmetic purposes to lớn improve the skin’s appearance.
AHA stands for alpha-hydroxy acid, and BHA stands for beta-hydroxy acid.
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The most common hydroxy acids include glycolic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid.
People can find these ingredients in a variety of cosmetic products claiming lớn treat different skin conditions & improve skin features.
Choosing the most appropriate sản phẩm to get a specific result can be challenging.
This article explores the differences between AHA và BHA, which conditions they treat, & how best to lớn use them.
AHAs include five naturally occurring organic acids:glycolic acidcitric acidmalic acidtartaric acidlactic acid
These are weak acids that may improve the appearance of the skin. People can find AHAs in the size of skin peels to lớn treat:
acnescarsmelasma (brown or gray patches of skin)hyperpigmentation (patches of darker skin)roughnessage spotsseborrhea (rash with red and itchy spots and white scales)People use BHAs lớn reduce the appearance of wrinkles & fine lines on the skin & improve the skin’s overall texture.
Salicylic acid, which is a type of BHA, is a common ingredient in acne products.
Different BHAs include:
salicylic acidbeta-hydroxybutanoic acidtropic acidtrethocanic acidThe most used hydroxy acids are glycolic acid, lactic acid, & salicylic acid.
Shared benefits of both
One of the most common benefits of hydroxy acids is their ability to lớn improve sun-damaged skin.
To measure improvements in sun-damaged skin, doctors kiểm tra skin roughness, changes in skin color, và collagen density.
Because of the reported benefits of hydroxy acids, many skin care companies have developed cosmetic products that include them.
AHAs and BHAs both work as exfoliants, but they work in different ways.
AHAs work by reducing the concentration of calcium ions in the skin. This promotes the shedding of skin cells at the surface.
BHAs are also a skin peeling agent, but salicylic acid has additional antibacterial actions.
Despite the many studies on AHAs & BHAs, experts still lack adequate information on their safety và efficacy.
Studies typically use products with different active ingredients và different instructions for use, making comparing products a challenge.
Many products with hydroxy acids are exfoliants & moisturizers.
People can also find them in low concentrations in over-the-counter prescription creams & lotions.
People can find hydroxy acids in higher concentrations in chemical peels used for treating calluses, acne, photoaging, skin growths, và psoriasis.
AHAs and BHAs are both exfoliants, but each hydroxy acid has other properties that make it more appropriate for treating certain skin conditions or improving certain skin features.
Compared with the AHA glycolic acid, salicylic acid causes less irritation.
Another difference between AHAs & BHAs is that BHAs increase the skin’s resistance khổng lồ ultraviolet skin damage and also have antibacterial effects.
The antibacterial effects of BHAs make them appropriate ingredients for acne products.
AHAs provide more aggressive exfoliation, which may be more appropriate for repairing sun-damaged skin và improving the effects of aging.
They also have effects on collagen & procollagen production. These are substances that can improve the appearance of photoaged skin.
Since AHAs are more aggressive, their use requires caution because of the potential for sun sensitivity.
A person should base their choice of skin sản phẩm on which hydroxy acid is most suitable for their specific need.
BHA seems khổng lồ be more effective for treating skin conditions lượt thích acne because of its antibacterial properties.
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AHAs, such as glycolic và lactic acid, may be effective in treating changes in skin màu sắc such as melasma, solar lentigines, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Experts believe that the quicker kích hoạt of AHA makes it a better option for improving skin color than BHA-containing products.
Also, because of AHA’s more aggressive mechanism of action and its effects on collagen, people looking khổng lồ improve sun-damaged or aged skin might prefer AHA-containing products. Lactic acid, another AHA, is an excellent moisturizer.
However, it is worth noting that much of the existing research appears gathered from studies whose participants had lighter skin tones. The safety & effectiveness of these products in populations with darker skin tones requires further study.
Products that contain AHAs report several benefits, such as:
smoothing fine lines và surface wrinklesimproving skin texture and toneunblocking & cleansing poresimproving skin appearance in generalAHAs work by exfoliating the skin. Exfoliation sheds surface skin cells. How much a hàng hóa with AHAs exfoliates the skin depends on the concentration of the AHA ingredient, its acidity, & other ingredients found in it.
Side effects
Using AHAs comes with certain side effects. Most often, these side effects occur in skin peeling products. Side effects are local, meaning they affect the area of skin where the hàng hóa was applied. They may include:
burning sensation on the skinrashswellingchanges in skin colorblisters or weltsskin peelingitchingskin irritationchemical burnsincreased risk of sunburnTo use skin products containing AHA safely, follow the directions on the product’s label carefully. Be aware of any warnings on the product label.
People who use products containing AHA should regularly use sun protection. Sun protection includes wearing sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, và limiting sun exposure.
The Cosmetic Ingredient reviews (CIR) Expert Panel suggests that products containing glycolic acid và lactic acid are safe if:
The concentration of AHA is 10% or less.They have a pH of above 3.5.The product protects the skin from increased sun sensitivity, or the package recommends daily sun protection.Before choosing a hàng hóa with AHA, people should speak with a doctor or dermatologist to ensure the product will be safe & effective.
According lớn the CIR Expert Panel, products containing BHA, such as salicylic acid, are safe if their formulation was designed lớn avoid both skin irritation & increased sun sensitivity.
If the producer of the skin care sản phẩm expects that the user may experience sun sensitivity after applying their product, there must be warnings clearly displayed on the hàng hóa packaging.
Precautions
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recommends certain precautions when using products that contain BHA. These precautions include:
testing products that contain BHA on a small area of the skin before applying lớn a larger surface of the skinfollowing the instructions on the sản phẩm label closelyavoiding exceeding the recommended applicationsavoiding using BHA-containing skin products on infants & childrenpracticing sun protection when using BHA-containing productsBefore using a hàng hóa with BHA, people should speak with a doctor or dermatologist to find the safest & most effective product.
Since both AHAs và BHAs are exfoliants, they can be very irritating to the skin if combined.
If a person wants to use both AHA và BHA products for different skin problems, they should consult a doctor. Excessive skin irritation may worsen skin conditions & appearance.
Some types of AHA are less aggressive và may be more appropriate lớn combine with BHA.
Products that contain hydroxy acids may also not require daily use, which can help with skin irritation if people need more than one product.
Spot treating the skin with different products may also help prevent irritation to lớn the entire skin. For example, a person can try applying an anti-aging or sun damage repair product on their entire face, but spot-treat areas of the skin with acne with a BHA-containing product.
Many skin care companies showroom hydroxy acid ingredients to lớn their products because of their reported benefits.
AHA và BHA both exfoliate the skin.
AHA seems to be more effective for treating issues with skin pigmentation.
BHA is less aggressive và irritating và has additional antibacterial properties.
Both AHA and BHA repair sun-damaged skin.
To choose the most appropriate product, people should speak with a doctor or dermatologist who can help diagnose skin conditions and recommend the safest và most effective product.
