Knowledge Base

Glycolic Acid

A good all-around acid for normal-oily skin types to exfoliate the skin.  More harsh than lactic acids.  An alpha hydroxy, this peel penetrates the epidermis-only.

Salicylic 20 Acid

Salicylic acid is very beneficial to acne because it reduces the inflammation associated with the acne, and the salicylic is oil soluble so it can penetrate the sebum clogged pores better than Glycolic or Lactic which are both water soluble. It is relatively gentle and a great exfoliator.

Of course nothing is without a downside.  Salicylic can be very drying to the skin, and it works at the surface of the skin, so it does not work as well at fading pigmentation as the Glycolic or the Lactic.

Lactic 50 Acid

For pigmentation problems I would recommend the Lactic 50% peel. It is safe for use on dark skin, and is very effective against hyperpigmentation.

Using Salicylic 20 and Lactic 50 in conjunction

The Lactic and Salicylic peels complement each other perfectly. The Salicylic is great for acne, but also drying, and works less well on fading pigmentation. The Lactic acid fades pigmentation and pulls moisture into the skin. So by alternating between the peels you get the benefits of the Salicylic without the excessive dryness, and you get faster improvements to pigmentation and tone.

Correcting pigmentation problems can be done, but it is a gradual process. You should start to notice some changes within a couple weeks, but the progress is incremental.