Oily Skin
& Alpha Hydroxy Acids

Oil glands in the skin have a hair-trigger response and can be stimulated by factors both inside and outside the body. Hormones, foods that are high in fat, as well as hot, humid weather can provoke oil glands to work overtime.

The traditional approach to caring for oily skin has been to use cleansers and toners that strip the skin of all available oil, and scrubbing grains to remove some of the cellular debris that builds up on the surface. Results are not always that wonderful. Frequently, this type of aggressive cleaning leaves the skin dry and irritated. Some women maintain that when they remove the oil from the skin, it actually seems to stimulate the oil glands to produce even more oil a few hours later.

Fruit acids don't dissolve the oil, nor do they stop the skin from producing oil. Rather, they work on removing the top dead layer of skin, which is a combination of stale oil and dead, dry cells. This removal takes away the excessive oils without stripping the body of its natural moisture. Moreover, the removal of this layer stimulates the lower  skin levels  to produce a healthy, normal level of skin growth. Fruit acids may help diminish obvious pores because this top dead layer often becomes caught in the follicle, stretching the opening. By keeping the pores free of unwanted material, the pores can shrink in size.

The use of fruit acids for oily skin will refine and brighten the complexion, making it look soft, less oily, and smoother. One final bonus is the effect on water balance. All skin needs moisture--whether it be normal, dry, or oily. In the traditional treatment of oily skin we remove the moisture when we remove the oil. Fruit acids stimulate the skin to produce natural moisturizing factor stimulated by a fruit acid holds a thousand times its weight in water. The result is a natural plump texture without excessive oiliness.

Copyright (C) 1998 All rights Reserved.Revised: December 28, 2004.