Should you choose AHA or BHA?
When I first started incorporating “acidic” into my skincare routine to prevent the expansion of acne. I was super concerned about the side effects of purging, which could lead to a severe breakout. I had much doubt about using BHA/AHA to make my skin look worse rather than improve it. However, after carefully researching and testing, my result turned out entirely successful.
(pic credit from a Reddit user to help explain the concept of purging https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/et0n9b/skin_concernflaky_skin_next_to_mouth_for_awhile/)
Purging Process:
This process is a type of skin renewal that could turn your skin bad at first before making it better. This concept is weird. However, it takes lots of patients to complete a skin renewal cycle.
When we incorporate the active ingredients into our skins, the acid will burn off all of your old dead cells and renew with new cells. This process takes from 6 months to 1 year of a renewing cycle. Typically, people would freak of the “early break-out” and stop using the product.
1/ Early break out cycle:
Our skin is the home of millions to billions of microorganisms; a lot of bad ones clog our pores and cause troubles. In other words, our skins are not "very clean." Many of you, especially those with the root of acne, is lurking deep under the skin. Acidic acts as a form of vacuum and sucks out all of your dirt from below. This process causes the pore to double clog with "dirt", which is why people tend to see small pimples, whiteheads that start emerging on the skin's surface. When we first use BHA/AHA, this is a common sign for your face to appear more pimple than usual. For the dry skin type, we might also see dead skin cells appears on our face.
2/ AHA/BHA:
AHA and BHA are two active ingredients that help speed up the purging process, and then they help with healing and closing the wound. After the acne is pushed out of the pore, AHA/BHA quickly active new skin cell to perform better and more refined looking skin surface. This process helps with a healthier pore and stronger skin performance.
After patiently waiting and trusting the products, you could see your skins are brighter and even looking because AHA/BHA can lighten scars and dark spots.
3/ Picking between AHA or BHA?
A- Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA)
BHA is a good choice if you have oily skin because this Salicylic Acid is oil-soluble chemical exfoliation. So it works by dilute the oil on the skin surface to access deeper into the pore. With its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, BHA can treat severe acne problems from big to vesicular pimples.
B- Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA)
AHA is designed for dry skin because it needs the oil base surface to keep the skin bounce and moisture. AHA is a type of Glycolic Acid, a water-soluble type that cannot penetrate deep into the pores like BHA, but it works amazingly on the skin surface. AHA helps to recover skin problems such as sun damage, uneven skin color, dark spot, and wrinkle. After improving from severe acne with BHA, we can add AHA to our routine to help with healthier skin.
- (I remembered taking my treatment process and healing with AHA/BHA, but I lost my camera 2 years ago, and all the pictures were gone. If I still have my photos, it looked a lot like this during the purging process)
4/ Tips and Tricks to living with purging:
When I use acidic to fight off acne, I am afraid to burn off completely my skin surface because it is already damaged. I read a lot of reviews and inspirational story of women who were also experiencing bad purgings, but with solid mindsets and persistence, they were fighting off their acne journey with beautiful & healthier looking skin after a year; some experienced this process after 2 to 3 years, but they never gave up.
I found out a really helpful way to live with purging.
A- Moisturize! Moisturize! and always Moisturize!!
When you started to use acid in your routine, you would notice your skin would turn really dry, even if you have oily skin. It might sound weird but with oily skin troubles, you still need the “oil” for the skin and “good bacteria” to live and swim around. A good amount of oil on your face helps the skin cells to function better. I would use lots of moisturizers with less active ingredients with lightless consistency to help my skin breathe and balance the pH level.
B- Switch up your skincare steps and test the process.
- It is recommended to use acidic daily, but I would reduce the amount by half. I used it only on the odds day 2-4-6 to help my skin got used to with the product first and then started to use it daily when I saw no adverse effect.
- I would put on moisturizer first to act as a soft layer and then use BHA/AHA to reduce the active process of breaking through the skin layers. I wanted to dilute the consistency thinner to not go through my skin super fast and made the skin cell surprised and screamed out without breaking out.
5/ Results:
I was happy with my results after 6 months. I think this is the fair process, and during the process of purging, I hide it with some most delicate makeup to help my skin looked even.