Is Glycolic Acid Skin Care An Answer for Acne?

Glycolic acid skin care is often recommended as an approach for treating the inflammatory skin condition known as acne. But is applying glycolic acid to the pimples, blackheads, blocked pores, and irritated skin that characterize acne the answer for the average acne sufferer?

Glycolic acid skin care may be right for you. It depends on your condition. Keep in mind it is  not a stand-alone treatment, but part of a greater process.

Treating acne effectively requires three things:

• First, you need to reduce the amount of sebum (oil) that is being produced on your skin. Too much oil, combined with dirt, pollen, or anything else floating around the air, will clog your pores.   
  
  
• Second, skin cell turnover should be sped up. This means dead skin cells are removed from the surface of your skin and replaced by new skin cells. The process that accelerates the skin cell turnover is exfoliation.  
  
  
• Third, address any possible bacterial infection. Benzoyl peroxide is a common antibacterial agent that can be used to combat infection.
  

Basic good skin care practice can help reduce the amount of oil on your skin. See Oily Skin Care - 12 Ways to Reduce Excess Sebum for additional tips and advice on reducing skin oil.

Glycolic acid skin care may be used to help speed up skin cell turnover.

Glycolic acid works to remove, or peel away, the top layer of your skin, getting rid of the dead skin cells on the uppermost layer of the epidermis.

In its concentrated form, glycolic acid is used by various industries as a rust removal agent. In a much less concentrated form, it is a highly effective exfoliant. A solution of under 10% is usually used when applying to human skin.

Its very effectiveness as an exfoliant raises the question of whether glycolic acid skin care is right for all acne sufferers.

Some doctors have raised concerns about patients using glycolic acid unsupervised in their homes, and rightly so.

Not all forms of acne will benefit from glycolic acid skin care because not all forms of acne  tolerate exfoliating well.

People who have pustules, or highly irritated skin, for example, should not exfoliate. Not only will the peeling process of exfoliation likely cause pain or discomfort, it can open the pustules and spread infection to other areas of the skin.

You might want to try applying glycolic acid on a very limited basis to see how your skin tolerates the exfoliation.

But before you try your hand at glycolic acid skin care, it’s to your advantage to take stock of your overall condition.

If you have a sudden outbreak of acne, for example, retrace your steps. Ask yourself a few questions. Did I start using new cosmetics? A new skin care product? A different type of shampoo? 

If you are young, have you just started having periods? If older, are you entering menopause? Maybe you’ve become pregnant? Has your doctor prescribed any new medication or  contraceptive? All these things can affect your hormone levels, which in turn can provoke acne outbreaks.

Knowing what causes flare-ups will help you manage and control your skin disorder.

Use common sense. Consider other day-to-day factors before committing to glycolic acid skin care, or any other skin care program or regimen. We recommend you read Good Skin Care - 14 Ways to Improve Your Skin before you do anything to your skin.

Stress, alcohol, smoking, bad diet, lack of rest. All these things throw your body’s chemistry out of balance. We are not suggesting that eating deep fried foods will cause acne, but we are saying that a bad diet will deprive your body of the proper balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals it requires, and consequently, your skin will not be nourished properly and it will show.

Most people who suffer from acne outgrow it eventually, though adult acne is an ongoing problem for some. The distress and anxiety caused by acne might lead you to seek professional help.

A good dermatologist can offer advice on treatments that can help control acne flare-ups and reduce scarring. A professional might even recommend glycolic acid skin care as a way to help you manage and control your skin disorder.