Skin Care - How Do You Use AHAs and BHAs?

Many people use products with AHAs (also known as alpha-hydroxy acids, primarily for dryer skin) and BHAs (also known as beta-hydroxy acids, primarily for oilier skin) every day. But in our cost-conscious times, it is really important to know how to use expensive skin care formulas effectively. Here are the basics for using AHAs and BHAs for best results.

First of all, make sure your skin care issues do not become your eye care issues. You can apply either AHAs or BHAs around your eyes, but never on the eyelid or the eye itself.

Do not apply AHAs or BHAs to dirty skin. Use them after you have washed the skin, and, if you are using one, your toner has dried. Apply AHAs and BHAs before you use sunscreeen, foundation, moisturizer, or eye cream.

Get your AHAs and BHAs in a liquid or a gel, not with your moisturizer. You don't need moisturizer every day. There will be times you need to exfoliate but not to moisturize. Save money by getting the products separately.

Never buy cleansers that contain AHAs or BHAs. Water-soluble cleansers are too easy to get in your eyes, where AHAs, in particular, but also BHAs can cause inflammation and worse. Additionally, AHAs and BHAs have to be absorbed into the skin to begin their work. If you get them in a cleanser, you may wash them away before they do your skin any good. And you should never leave a cleanser on your face to let it soak in.

Finally, more is not better. If you have one good exfoliant, that's enough. Concentrated AHAs and BHAs do not work any better than 8 to 12 per cent solutions, and you need either AHAs, or BHAs, or maybe PHAs (polyhydroxic acids), but not some mixture of all three.