The sour and refreshing summer refreshes the height of beauty

This is the 3350th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Every summer, the skin will have various problems such as roughness, acne, dullness, blackheads, etc. When traveling and taking photos, thick beauty filters must be added to cover them. My best friend who was traveling with me has always had good skin and is hardly affected by the heat and sun. My best friend secretly told me that she had just gone to the hospital for an "acid peeling". Acid peeling has been very popular in the skin care market in recent years, but there have also been many complaints about "rotten faces" after acid peeling.

Is acid peeling really effective? How to use acid peeling scientifically to improve skin problems?

What is an acid peel?

Acid peeling is a medical cosmetic method, a minimally (non) invasive facial cosmetic treatment technology, and a chemical peel. This therapy, also known as chemical peeling, mainly involves applying acidic medical topical agents on the skin surface to cause mild and controllable chemical damage, activate and renew skin elastic fibers and base components, accelerate the shedding of aging cells, promote epidermal regeneration, and achieve the effects of improving skin color, inhibiting acne, and skin rejuvenation. This therapy is highly safe, easy to operate, and effective, and is highly praised by the skin beauty industry.

When is acid peeling suitable?

Acid flushing treatment is mainly suitable for:

1. Mild to moderate acne

2. Pigmentation, pigmented skin diseases such as melasma

3. Skin photoaging-induced sagging, roughness, fine lines, enlarged pores, etc.

4. Epidermal proliferative diseases, such as keratosis pilaris

In order to achieve the therapeutic effect, acid peeling should be performed in a regular medical institution and a comprehensive skin assessment should be conducted before the operation. Acid peeling is more effective when used in combination with drugs, radio frequency, laser and other photoelectric beauty technologies. The "acid" used in acid peeling treatment is a medical chemical preparation (not a cosmetic), and the operating physician needs to undergo professional medical training. It should be noted that "acid" is also added to some cosmetics, which can achieve a certain degree of skin cleansing and beautification, but because of its limited types and low concentrations, it does not have a medical effect, which is essentially different from the acid peeling treatment mentioned in this article.

What kinds of acids are there?

In acid peeling therapy, according to the type, concentration and time of acid staying on the skin, it can be divided into superficial peeling (epidermis), middle peeling (upper part of the reticular layer of dermis), and deep peeling (middle part of the reticular layer of dermis). All skin types can use superficial peeling, but people with dark skin should use deep peeling with caution to avoid scarring and abnormal pigmentation reactions. Acid peeling treatment should start with low concentration, and gradually increase the intensity after skin tolerance is established. With the increase of concentration and the increase of action time, the effect of chemical peeling becomes more and more obvious.

Commonly used "acids" include:

1. Alpha Hydroxy Acid: A superficial chemical peeling agent extracted from dairy products and fruits, mainly glycolic acid. At a concentration of 20%-50%, it can act on the shallower layer of skin, and at a concentration of 50%-70%, it can act on the entire epidermis. It is currently the most widely used.

2. β-hydroxy acid: A superficial chemical peeling agent, mainly based on salicylic acid (currently supramolecular salicylic acid is mostly used), with a common concentration of 10%-30%. It is relatively mild and can resist inflammation, relieve pain, and inhibit oil secretion.

3. Retinoic acid: A superficial chemical peel with a common concentration of 1%-5%. It can resist abnormal keratinization and pigmentation of the skin, and is relatively irritating.

4. Trichloroacetic acid: A chemical peel for the superficial and middle layers, with a common concentration of 10%-100%. When used, the skin may experience varying degrees of "frosting" reactions. Frosting reactions are a normal phenomenon of rapid degradation of epidermal proteins by trichloroacetic acid, and are often used as the endpoint of treatment.

Things to note after acid peeling

After the acid acts on the skin, itching, stinging, redness, and burning will occur. These are all normal symptoms of the effect. If the effect is strong and the stinging and burning sensation is obvious, you can relieve it with cold compresses and soothing masks. Then pay attention to the following points:

1. Do not apply hot compresses within one week after acid peeling, and do not go to hot springs, saunas, steam rooms and other high-temperature places. Strict sun protection is required within six months.

2. Daily skin care after acid peeling requires the use of mild cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen products, and exfoliation is not advisable.

3. If scabs and desquamation occur on the epidermis, wait for them to fall off naturally. Forcible tearing may cause pigmentation.

4. If serious adverse reactions occur, seek medical attention immediately and stop the acid flushing treatment.

For acid with shallow effect and low concentration, you can still apply it yourself in front of the mirror; for acid with deep effect and high concentration, you can't be careless and apply it randomly. If you do it carelessly, it will only hurt your face. You must go to a regular medical institution and have professionals help you complete it. The effect of acid peeling is unquestionable, and the scientific method of acid peeling is also very important. In the hot summer, you may want to give it a try if you have skin problems!

References:

[1] Zhou Zhiqiang, Yang Rongya. Clinical progress of minimally (non) invasive facial skin rejuvenation[J]. Journal of Practical Dermatology, 2015, 8(06): 438-440+445.

[2] Liu Huiming. To explore the efficacy and safety of fruit acid peels in the treatment of acne[J]. Dermatology and Venereology, 2019, 41(04): 591-592.

[3] Yang Rongya, Jiang Xian. Expert consensus on the clinical application of chemical peels[J]. Journal of Practical Dermatology, 2019, 12(05): 257-262.

[4] Chen Fuqi, Huang Binbin. Mechanism of action of fruit acid and its clinical application in dermatology[J]. Dermatology and Venereology, 2015, 37(03):156-158+188.

[5] Chen Xiaomei, Li Yong, Li Li. Application of chemical peels in dermatology[J]. Journal of Dermatology and Venereology, 2016, 38(03):173-176.

Author: Wang Yi, Li Fulun