AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) and BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) are both types of chemical exfoliants commonly used in skincare products. Both have the ability to improve the health and appearance of the skin. However, they vary in terms of the skin concerns they address:
1 | Chemical Structure
AHA: Alpha Hydroxy Acids are water-soluble acids derived from various natural sources such as sugarcane, milk, sugar, and apples. Water soluble acids dissolve in water and interact with the hydration levels of the skin.
BHA: Beta Hydroxy Acids are oil-soluble acids, such as salicylic acid are typically derived from willow bark or synthetically developed. Oil soluble acids only dissolve in oil and interact with the skin’s oils and other oily substances.
2 | Depth of Penetration
AHA: AHAs are water-soluble, and work primarily on the skin’s surface to remove dead skin cells, promoting anti-aging, smoothness, and a more even complexion.
BHA: BHAs are oil-soluble, allowing them to penetrate deeper into pores. BHAs are particularly effective for individuals with oily and acne-prone skin types. BHA’s dissolve excess oil, clear out clogged pores, and reduce oiliness.
3 | Exfoliation
AHA: AHAs are effective in removing dead skin cells from the skin’s surface, leading to improved texture, reduced fine lines, and a more even skin tone.
BHA: BHAs also exfoliate the skin’s surface, but their unique property of oil solubility allows them to get into the pores, helping to prevent and treat blackheads, whiteheads, and acne breakouts.
4 | Skin Concerns
AHA: AHAs are great for addressing sun-damaged, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and surface-level imperfections. They can provide a gentle exfoliation suitable for most skin types, except for very sensitive or reactive skin.
BHA: BHAs are particularly useful for those with oily, acne-prone, or congested skin. They help to unclog pores and reduce inflammation associated with acne and rosacea. BHAs can also be helpful for individuals dealing with blackheads, whiteheads, and congestion.
5 | Sensitivity
AHA: Some AHAs can be slightly irritating to sensitive skin, especially when used in higher concentrations or for those not accustomed to chemical exfoliation.
BHA: BHAs are generally milder and better tolerated by sensitive skin compared to AHAs. Salicylic acid, the most common BHA, has anti-inflammatory properties that can calm irritated skin.
Professional Peels
Your skin care professional will ensure your skin type and specific concerns are considered when choosing between AHA vs BHA acid for your treatment. In some cases, your technician will use both acid types in your treatment, alternating them on different sessions to get the benefits of both acid types. Overall, Acid Peels are a tried-and-true method for treating various conditions and delivering lasting results.
While there are many pros to microblading, like anything else, there are also cons. Many of you know the pros, for example, full, natural looking brows that do not wash off. However, some of you have asked,
“What are the negatives to microblading?”
In our opinion, the number one negative is the pain. Unlike a brow waxing service where you get through that little bit of pain, microblading takes much longer. While we use numbing cream to minimize discomfort, we have seen a full spectrum of pain tolerance. To clarify, most clients take well to the numbing cream.
Another negative to microblading is the recovery time of the service. This is where some people may have trouble. People may reconsider their decision because of the look of the brows during the recovery period. Brows in recovery can either look extremely dark or off due to the swelling.
During the recovery phase you are limited to what you can do afterwards, not only because of the skin recovering but also because of the look of them.
A third negative we can think of is specific to people who have really thick and/or oily skin. Their pigment retention is lower so they will have to get their refresher sooner rather than later. We recommend refreshers as early as 6 weeks post procedure and as late as 12 months post procedure.
A minimum of 40% of the initial shape must be present for your Refresher. This time varies per person. Oily skin reaches a 40% fade rate closer to the first 2-3 months, while other skin types can stretch the refresher closer to 10-12 months post procedure.
Heel fissures are deep cracks in calloused areas of the foot. Callous is an overgrowth of dry dead skin. This is often caused by improper foot care. For instance, not removing callous on a regular basis and allowing it to get abnormally thick. However, there are other causes of fissures. Medications that dry out the skin, bad foot wear, and improper weight distribution can cause excessive callous which can then lead to fissures.
How long does it take to heal a heel fissure?
Fissures do not go away on their own. They need to be shaved down. Heel fissures treatment includes a series of pedicures to safely and effectively remove excess callous.
Careful though…
Sometimes, excessive callous is caused by bad pedicures. If too much callous is removed, the skin will overcompensate and build twice as much callous. Fissures can be taken down by means of either a pedicure blade, drills, and rasps in a spa pedicure.
Garbage to some, gold to others.
Aftercare includes using a foot cream that contains urea. Urea is derived from urine. More specifically, it is a waste product excreted by your kidneys when you urinate. Though this sounds gross, urea helps to soften and eat away the dead skin. While your kidneys may consider it garbage, urea is gold to your sad feet! Urea has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that heal and protect your feet.
Tips: Moisturizing often, regular pedicures, and home care.
After applying foot cream, try to use soft socks, for example, cotton socks. Avoid pantyhose as they can get caught in the fissures. Consequently, this can cause snagging and even bleeding which can lead to infections. Moreover, using a foot paddle or pumice stone in the shower will help maintain foot care.
A bunion is a bony overgrowth at the metatarsophalangeal joint. Bunions are hereditary, however, some factors are known to cause flareups.
For example, people who wear tight and/or pointed toe shoes, stand for a long time, or do a lot of walking tend to see exacerbated symptoms.
Bunions are a painful condition that feels like a throbbing ache.
Bunion treatment
Bunions will not go away on their own, but the symptoms can be alleviated. Bunion treatment varies by severity. In mild cases, changing your footwear and regular pedicures should do the trick. Massaging the joints and warming them with paraffin alleviates the pain.
Ask your Service Provider for foot care tips. Practicing regular foot care helps improve the esthetic appeal of your feet. It also helps maintain the overall health of your feet.
Other treatments for mild cases include toe separators. Wearing them throughout the day or sleeping with them on will reduce tension. More serious cases require a bunion corrector that will fix the issue, not simply reduce the tension. Bunion correctors are a step before surgery.
Weather-wise it’s been a great summer in Edmonton, Alberta. Now that it’s coming to an end, it’s time to consider a skin recovery plan. Hiding behind a tan is the damage left behind by heat and harmful sun rays.
Whether you’d like to remove sun spots, or regain some elasticity, a photofacial is great for skin recovery. Throughout September 2022, receive 25% off ANY full face photofacial. This special is not valid with any other promotion. Offer is valid from September 1-30, 2021. No pre-purchasing.
Like mother earth deep cleaning to make room for new life, a facial provides a deep cleanse to make room for fresh skin cells. Our facials include all the essentials such as deep cleansing, exfoliation, steam, and extractions. The products used in our facials are handpicked at each visit in order to adapt to the skin’s changes and progress. Throughout April, receive a complimentary peel (acid) boost with your RELAX or BEAUTY facial. This special is not valid with any other offer or promotion. This offer is valid from April 1-30, 2022.
What are acid boosts?
Boosts are mild skin acids. While the acids used in boosts are not as strong as in our chemical peels, they sure do pack a punch!
BOOSTS can be used to pre-treat the skin before transitioning into stronger skin peels. In addition, they are great for seasonal maintenance and anti-aging. Furthermore, they can be added to other skin care services, such as facials or dermaplaning, to amplify results.
Please review the treatment criteria before booking your treatment. There is an expected downtime of 1-3 days depending on your skin.
AHA (10-20%)
Add this boost to your facial to relieve dry skin. Similarly, this boost reduces fine lines and pigmentation. Ideal for dry or mature skin. Reg. $55
BHA (10-20%)
Add this boost to your facial to treat active acne. The boost is applied after extractions. Ideal for oily skin. Reg. $55
Vitamin C
Add this boost to your facial to give your skin extra protection from reactive oxidizing agents and other free radicals. Reg. $65
Q: “My body hair ranges from dark blonde – light brown… Does IPL / LASER work on blonde hair?” – N.N
A: Yes, you can achieve results! Advanced IPL / LASER operating systems can now effectively treat lighter hair tones.
Hair colour plays an important role when setting expectations for treatment outcomes. The light energy pulsed by the operating system targets pigment cells found in the hair bulb. As a result, the more pigment cells present, the more energy is absorbed and therefore, producing optimal results.
Those with dark blonde – light brown hair tones are categorized as “Light” hair on the treatment scale. Light natural hair tones usually contain enough base pigment to properly absorb the energy into the hair bulb. In most cases, there is enough pigmentation to achieve significant hair reduction. Therefore, you can expect 25 – 75% reduction given proper aftercare.
In conclusion, IPL/ LASER treatment offers optimal results for those looking for carefree maintenance and to clear their skin of unsightly stubble. In addition, it saves the skin from the routine of painful removal procedures.
“Ask Dérmica” is a blog dedicated to answer your questions. Ask us anything regarding skincare, for example, treatments, products, home care, myths, facts…ANYTHING! We look forward to your questions and will try our best to respond as soon as possible. Some questions may be published anonymously.
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