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Glycolic Acid to reduce urges
Hello everyone! I pick my skin (as you can imagine, since I am here!), mostly my calves and shins, but also sometimes the bottom of my feet and my bottom lip. My biggest thing is that I see an "ingrown hair", also known as a normal looking pore, and try to squeeze it out. It finally got the better of me, and I got a fun bacterial infection! So I went to the dermatologist for the first time since I started picking, and he gave me this awesome stuff called Glytone, that has glcolic acid in it. It is a body wash (so I wouldn't use it for your face) that super-exfoliates. Since it isn't mechanical, I won't scrub my skin off, but it makes my legs so soft that I am better able to resist my urges -- even when I want to pick, there is no dead skin or roughness to pick at!
These ingredients are in a product I use on my face twice a day. It has Salicylic acid and other types of similar ingredients. It's by Skinceuticles and very pricey ( I'm 51 and thank God I'm able to buy this) but what I wanted to share is that Salicylic acid alone is fantastic!!!!! I'm really glad you were told about this body wash. Murad has a salicyic body spray that will spray from any angle so it's great for your back or any part of your body. If I don't use it I get those raised bumps that you have to scratch, they bleed, scab and of course the cycle just keeps going. Before I pulled out the big guns for a serum, I would use the Murad body spray on my face as well. I'd pat it in with my hands. It did keep bumps away on my arms, chest and back. It works great on my face as well. I'm sharing these other ingredients so you can reference them. You may want to mention them to your doctor. You never know what less expensive product or combination of products he can give you as well. It's really important for me to use a facial/body scrub GENTLY!!! To exfoliate the dead skin from either product. You don't want to have something to pull at, scrape or pick and even if it's not visible to mess with, it still needs to be removed. It will clog pores in the newly revealed skin. Forgive me if you know a lot of this info. I'm new here, saw your post and started typing. I probably missed a lot.
2% Dioic Acid: Naturally derived from vegetables, this ingredient helps reduce excess sebum
0.3% LHA (caproloyl salicylic acid): A lipo-hydroxy acid, LHA, evenly exfoliates skin, decongests pores, and refines the skin’s surface
1.5% Salicylic Acid: A beta-hydroxy acid refines pores and helps reduce the formation of acne
3.5% Glycolic Acid and 0.5% Citric Acid: These alpha-hydroxy acids work synergistically to smooth skin and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
You would love glycolic acid peels. Very effective at smoothing pores and removing the top layer of dead skin cells. At low percentage they can be safely administered at home as long as you do a patch test first to see how your skin reacts. I've been doing TCA and salycilic acid peels and they help prevent breakouts, minimize pores, smooth lines and wrinkles, and even improve the appearance of scars if done numerous times. There's also lactic acid peels which helps to lighten pigment and hyperpigmentation. Perfect Image brand makes some great products which are both affordable and effective. Just mentioning what has worked for me.
Serene.....for your face? Or body?
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I use the peels for my face since it's mostly where I pick. The peels would work just as well on the body, particularly if you use a fan brush to evenly distribute the solution over large areas.
What peel brands and lactic acid brands do you use, and how often?
I'm with you on that description too! It is amazing how using any kind of serum or mask with acid clears up bumps and pimples. If I have nothing to pick at or squeeze my face looks pretty good. There are just maybe five or six scares but they are fading because I haven't messed with them. If I do pick I wash my hands. I get under my nails a nail brush that I keep in a little bowl with water. It also has soap and a splash of alcohol. If I use tweezers to pull out a teeny white dot from my face, I swish it in the water. If I push or squeeze, I wash my hands when I move to another area. In between, I put a bit of silicic where I've touched. Big hugs and tenacity to you. I'm waiting for a relapse because I'm not yet completely in control, but I'm doing everything I can. Cognitive therapy at the LA Center for OCD. An app called Insight Timer for mindfulness and I ripped my magnifying mirror out of the wall. I take my rearview mirror too but that's probably not a great idea LOL
I use the Perfect Image brand peels. I order them from Amazon. I specifically prefer their TCA peel which is effective at minimizing indented scars. All of the peels help to smooth the skin and get rid of any red or brown hyperpigmentation. To start out I do a few shallow peels to make my skin accustomed to the acid. So a 5 minute peel with two layers every two weeks. Then I build up to leaving the peel on longer with more layers. ( Each person is unique so you have to take things slow when starting out). When the skin becomes accustomed to the acid and builds up a thicker dermis, it's easier to do midium depth peels...which are most effective at shaving down the scar. For deeper peels I do them once every month (ideally). Just to keep up the results and to constantly stimulate new collagen. When you apply the peel it burns and the top of the skin frosts, turning white. This is protein coagulation..it's exactly what needs to happen for the collagen in the dermis to be stimulated in order to even out the scars. I've had the same treatment at a dermatologist who charged me hundreds for one treatment. I figured out it's much cheaper and just as effective to do peels at home. But of course you have to do a patch test to see how your skin reacts and take time building up the peel as your skin becomes more accustomed to the acid. There is stinging and discomfort involved..but that's just the price to pay in order to see results. Results happen gradually because the skin needs time to regenerate. But it does improve overall skin texture and evens out the tone.