Sometimes called the superficial chemical peel or the light chemical peel the glycolic acid peel is considered to the most light of the peels mainly because it is made up of the acid which is mainly AHA and is found in the Sugar cane.
The way the glycolic acid peel works is that concentration of about 50% is used. These definitely are higher concentrations and you need to very careful when you are using these concentrations.
There are a lot of at home glycolic acid peels which are available over the counter and these formulation may have the concentration only up to 3-10% as these can then be easily managed at home.
How does it work?
This peel basically does the Exfoliation. Now exfoliation is a process by which the old dead skin cells are naturally removed and the newer looking skin come from beneath however that said the slow are at which exfoliation happens is given a boost with these external exfoliating agents.
The way to apply it is to use the sponge and apply on the targeted areas and the leave it there for a few minutes. The time for which this should be kept is again based on the kin of skin you have and you can get that confirmed by visiting a dermatologist.
The glycolic acid will penetrate the upper layer and loosen the bond that binds the upper dead skin to the lower layer. As the bond loosens the skin gives away the dead skin cells and you get a newer skin from below.
While using at home you can easily use this solution by cleansing the face and the applying the cleansing glycolic acid peel for some time and then rinsing off the solution. The total time may be up to 20 minutes. There will be mild burning or tingling sensation and then later you will have somewhat of a redness and or pink colored skin. It may take a while to go off and you cane easily use a makeup to make sure that it is not visible.
In general there are various strengths of glycolic acid peels that are used and these are
10% glycolic acid – This is the mildest form and can be sued at home
30% glycolic acid
50% glycolic acid
70% glycolic acid – Strongest form and is recommended to be used by professionals.