AHA's vs. BHA's

What's the Difference?

We all know we should exfoliate our skin as it ages and cell turnover slows, right?

And we've read that BHA's (beta hydroxy acids) are the gentler form of hydroxy acids for skin exfoliation. So any Age warrior who is sensitive to AHA's (alpha hydroxy acids) is looking for BHA products and needs to know what to look for.

I noticed that the FDA classifies the following as BHA's: "salicylic acid (or related substances, such as salicylate, sodium salicylate and willow extract), beta hydroxybutanoic acid, tropic acid, trethocanic acid"; yet Paula Begoun's Beautypedia ingredient dictionary says salycylic acid is the only BHA.

A bit confused, I wrote to Beautypedia and was pleased to receive a very prompt reply.

According to Bryan Barron, Writing and Editorial Assistant to Paula Begoun, the FDA-listed ingredients are "chemically similar to salicylic acid, but there are functional differences and ... they are not used in cosmetic or medicinal products.

Why the FDA has them listed is odd, because their use is limited and it gives consumers the false impression that they can look for products with those ingredients."

I thanked Bryan for the clarification and looked a bit further. Here's the bottom line.

If you can tolerate AHA's, they are the best option for sloughing off the dead dull surface skin cells that accumulate as cell turnover slows with age. AHA's are water-soluble and do not penetrate the skin's surface barrier.

If you have oily skin or cannot tolerate AHA's, the BHA salicylic acid may be better for you. Salicylic acid is oil-based and does not work on the surface, but rather penetrates oil-clogged pores and breaks down the dead skin cells found there so they can slough off.

The results are similar though the underlying conditions differ.

Figure out which hydroxy acid your skin requires and keep exfoliating to maintain your skin's youth. Chemical exfoliation of sluggish skin is a definite age-reversing treatment.