What does Neostrata AHA mean?

Understanding skin structure and aging is helpful to knowing what AHA actually is. Your skin basically has two components, what you can see on your skin – and what is underneath (kinda). Aging, while effecting what you can see, seems to involve primarily the underneath process of how you make new skin effected by intrinsic and extrinsic aging factors.

Alpha-hydroxy acids are a group of organic compounds. AHAs most commonly used in cosmetic applications are typically derived from food products including sugarcane, milk,  apples, citrus fruits and grape wine. For any topical compound, including AHA, it must penetrate into the skin where it can act on living cells. Since AHAs create very small molecules that is important in determining compound’s ability to penetrate the top layer of the skin. The acid found in sugarcane has the smallest molecular size and is the AHA with greatest penetrating ability since it penetrates the skin most easily; this is why there is such a high popularity of this product in cosmetic applications.

Effect on Skin you can See:

AHA’s have a profound effect on skin formation; which is clinically detectable by the formation of a new outermost skin layer. It appears that AHAs help create this by working with the parts of your body that are responsible for skin growth.

Effect on Skin you can’t See:

AHAs that have smaller molecules appear to have deeper skin effects. Glycolic acid (sugarcane), lactic acid (milk) and citric acid (citrus fruits, like oranges), when put on to sun-damaged skin, have been shown to produce increased amounts of mucopolysaccharides and collagen and increased skin thickness without detectable inflammation, as monitored by skin biopsies

What concentration of AHA do I need?

In low concentrations, 5 – 10% as is found in many over the counter products it  promotes exfoliation of the outermost layer of the skin accounting for smoother texture following regular use. This relatively low concentration is perfect for daily use as a first step in facial clensing for such conditions as acne, sun-damage, and wrinkling.

What does more AHA Do?

In higher concentrations, between 10 and 50%, its benefits are more pronounced but are limited to temporary skin smoothing without the long lasting results. This is still a useful concentration to use as it can prepare the skin for even higher AHA concentrations (50 – 70%) as well as prime the skin for deeper chemical peels.

At higher concentrations, 50 – 70% applied for 3 to 8 minutes under the supervision of a physician, AHA promotes slitting between the cells and can be used to treat acne or sun-damage (such as mottled dyspigmentation, melasma or fine wrinkles).

It is important to understand that acid peels are chemical peels with similar risks and side effects as other peels. Some of the side effects of AHAs chemical peeling can include hyper-pigmentation, persistent redness, scarring as well as flare up of facial herpes infections (“cold sores”).