The Skinsmith’s Guide To Acids Vs Enzymes
The Skinsmith | 30th September 2024
Guide to Acids Vs Enzymes -
(photo credit - medium)
If you want to understand more about acids and enzymes and how they benefit the skin, read on as this guide to acids vs enzymes will look at why you need to exfoliate and how acids and enzymes work.
Now, I get that acids can be a scary word especially when we think of it in association with our skin… but there are good acids and “bad” acids. Skincare products use the good ones!
Did you know your skin produces its own acids? We have amino acids and hyaluronic acid, both are essential for a healthy skin. Amino acids are builders not destroyers and are the building blocks of many different cells throughout our bodies and hyaluronic acid is our natural water and hydrates our skin.
(photo credit - foreo)
Why Do We Need Exfoliation?
When we ask why bother to exfoliate I am sure you will think of a few good reasons including:
- To remove dead skin
- To brighten a dull complexion
- To smooth rough textured skin
But did you also know that exfoliation can also:
- Help your products absorb better allowing them to improve your skin faster and saves you money in the long run!
- Exfoliation helps to stimulate new cell production, keeping your skin looking healthier and more youthful
- Different exfoliators have different benefits for your skin helping to treat different skin conditions, some of those benefits include:
- Brightening and lightening areas of uneven skin tone or hyperpigmentation
- Stimulates collagen production, minimising fine lines and wrinkles
- Hydrates and plumps the skin
- Soothes sensitivity and inflammation
- Helps treat and prevent acne and breakouts
- Stimulates circulation bringing oxygen and nutrients to your skin cells
Wow… when you look at all the benefits of exfoliation it is a wonder that it isn’t more popular!
It is important to note that we need to be careful with exfoliation as over-exfoliating can cause irritation or redness but rest assured though, as long as you follow the instructions the benefits will far outweigh any negatives.
(photo credit - daily dose)
So, Let’s Look At Enzymes First
Enzymes are proteins, we have enzymes in our bodies naturally, and they help with things like digestion, our skin also produces enzymes to promote the shedding of those dead skin cells naturally. For more about enzymes you can take a look at our blog “The Skinsmiths Guide To Enzymes”.
In skincare we use fruit enzymes from pineapple, papaya, pumpkin and kiwi. They are naturally occurring enzymes which our skin finds easy to recognise. Enzymes break down the bonds that hold the dead skin cells together, when these bonds are broken the dead cells can slough away easily.
Simply, these fruit enzymes help to loosen and remove the dead skin cells on the surface layers of our skin. Although the removal of dead skin cells can help to speed up cell renewal, enzymes don’t really stimulate this process.
Enzymes are much gentler than acids, working on the outer layer of skin and targeting only the dead skin cells not live ones. Because they are picky and gentle on the skin it makes them an excellent choice for sensitive skin types and conditions including rosacea. Enzymes are also anti-inflammatory so again this benefit is the perfect choice for sensitised skins and reactive skin conditions.
You can generally use an enzyme only exfoliant a little more often than an acid only or one that has a blend of acids and enzymes.
“Super sensitive skins can tolerate this style of exfoliation as well as younger skins with a build-up of blackheads. I love the versatility of enzymes because our skin recognises enzymes as part of itself. It’s what we call Biomimetic technology. So, your skin allows the enzymes in without any irritation or inflammation. It’s like giving your skin a natural helping hand”. Serenity Skin Spa Australia.
Now, Let’s Look At Acids!
You have probably figured out that acids are a little more intensive than enzymes! There are also different acids with different strengths and benefits to the skin.
Acids work in a different way to enzymes; they are less picky and react with all skin cells not just the dead ones! Acids can penetrate deeper into the skin and trigger the death of older skin cells making them shed faster leaving room for new cells to take their place. This forced cell turnover speeds up our natural cell renewal process and promotes collagen production too, resulting in a younger looking, brighter complexion.
The Benefits Of The Different Acids:
(photo credit - get healthy skin)
We mentioned there are a variety of different acids, each acid works at a different level within our skin and they have different benefits for our skin as well.
You may have heard of AHA’s (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and BHA’s (Beta Hydroxy Acids) both commonly found in skincare products and treatments, but did you know there is also a PHA (Polyhydroxy Acid)?
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the most common AHA’s the BHA and the PHA:
Alpha Hydroxy Acids are water soluble acids and work really well on pigmentation, ageing and normal to dry skin types, here are two of the most commonly used AHA’s:
AHA – Lactic Acid – mostly derived from dairy or soy – lactic acid is a large molecule and works more superficially in the skin. Lactic acid is known to hydrate skin as it stimulates our skin cells to produce hyaluronic acid which is super hydrating.
AHA – Glycolic Acid – from sugar cane - glycolic acid has a smaller molecule than some AHA’s allowing it to penetrate into the skin where it helps to stimulate fibroblasts into producing collagen fibres. Some people can find glycolic acid a little irritating so you may need to “build-up” to using this more intensive AHA.
Next we have our Beta Hydroxy Acid and the Polyhydroxy Acid
BHA – Salicylic Acid – mostly derived from willow bark this BHA works slightly differently to an AHA. First of all, a BHA is oil soluble and can therefore penetrate into pores and help clear them and unclog them. Both AHA’s and BHA’s will exfoliate the skin, but this one is perfect for oily, breakout prone skins as it has that pore cleansing benefit too.
PHA – Polyhydroxy Acid – found naturally in fruit acids polyhydroxy acids have the largest molecule of all. They are related to AHA’s and offer a very gentle superficial exfoliation of the dead surface layer of skin cells. They are so gentle they can be used daily to keep your skin radiant, smooth and healthy.
After All This Exfoliation – You Need Protection!
There is a key factor to remember when we talk about exfoliating your skin and that is protection! By protection we mean protecting your skin from environmental stressors and especially damaging UV rays.
Eminence will always recommend you do a patch test before using exfoliants on your skin and you may need to start with a gentle exfoliator and build up to a more intensive one. However, whether you are using a gentle exfoliator or a deeper one we will always tell you to apply an SPF afterwards to ensure your skin is protected from UV rays. A mineral SPF with zinc oxide will also help to calm and soothe the skin as well as offer broad spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
So Which Exfoliant Is Best For You?
You may find you have to experiment a little to find out your best option but here is a simple guide to help you on your exfoliation journey:
Sensitive Skin – Enzymes and PHA will be a great starting point for sensitive skins, they work gently on the skin and have anti-inflammatory properties too. Even rosacea skins can try exfoliation with either of these options
Dry Skin – Enzymes, PHA’s and AHA’s work best for a dry skin. Lactic acid will help hydrate and plump the skin too so is an ideal option
Normal Skin – Start with enzymes and build up to AHA’s. If you have the odd breakout you can also incorporate a BHA from time to time to help reduce those pesky breakouts
Oily Skin – Enzymes and BHA’s are the perfect choice for an oily skin. Some enzymes called lipase enzymes can also help balance oil production as they are oil-loving enzymes.
Combination Skin – Enzymes, PHA’s, AHA’s and BHA’s, you may feel you want to use a blend of enzymes and acids to get the benefits for the drier areas and the oilier areas. Or you can target oily areas with enzymes and BHA’s whilst using enzymes and AHA’s on the dry spots.
Discover The Benefits of Exfoliation By...
You can also speak with a member of our experienced and friendly team today on 01305 300950 or by emailing info@theskinsmith.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.
