How To Use Lactic Acid For Skin Lightening?Acne, fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, and even skin discolouration can all be effectively treated with AHAs. Dead skin cells are driven deeper into the skin by inflammation and then expelled through oil glands in hair follicles and sweat glands.
Due to its ability to penetrate skin and remove dead cells, it’s a popular ingredient for lightening the appearance of freckles, sun spots, and PIH (post inflammatory hyperpigmentation). This article will go over how you can use lactic acid for skin lightening. Read on to learn more Lactic Acid For Face and Lactic Acid Serum.
How To Use Lactic Acid For Skin Lightening
It’s said that Cleopatra, the beautiful Egyptian queen, would bathe only with milk. Well, turns out she probably did it to maintain her beauty. She might have discovered the power of lactic acid before all of us!
You might have come across various products highlighting lactic acid as a key ingredient and wondered how exactly lactic acid can solve your skin problems. Turns out, it is an AHA and can take care of all your ageing-related woes.
What exactly are AHAs?
Alpha-hydroxy acids, known as AHAs, are a group of plant or animal-based acids. There’s been plenty of research on how AHAs can be useful when it comes to keeping wrinkles at bay, lightening the appearance of fine lines, and ensuring your skin stays free of acne.
There are various types of AHAs, but only two have been proven to be effective in combating your skin-related problems without being too harsh. These are glycolic acid and lactic acid. By now, you’re probably acquainted with glycolic acid’s ability to give you a smooth, even-textured skin. It’s lesser-known cousin, lactic acid, however, is only now gaining the attention it deserves.
Lactic acid is actually the mildest AHA and is very gentle on the skin. At the same time, it is also extremely effective. Here’s how lactic acid works on your skin to ensure you get even-toned and glowing skin.
1. Exfoliation
Just like other AHAs, lactic acid is known for its strong exfoliation action. It removes dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin, ensuring new cells get generated. Lactic acid will get rid of the dead cells, ensuring your skin looks bright and is healthy from within.
2. Moisturisation
When compared to its other members of the AHA family, the unique thing about lactic acid is that it moisturises the skin. Research published in the journal Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology found that lactic acid can actually mimic the skin’s own mechanism of moisturisation and improve its ability to keep itself hydrated, thus preventing dry skin. Ensuring that the skin stays well-moisturised also minimises the risk of fine lines.
3. Collagen stimulation
You see, we need collagen because it is a building block for the skin and ensures your skin stays youthful. After the age of 25, its production starts to decline. Turns out, you can apply lactic acid on your skin to stimulate collagen production! This will ensure that you stay clear of signs of ageing.
Lactic Acid For Face
Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid that is used on the skin to remove dead skin cells and help fade dark spots and soften fine lines. It comes in different strengths and can be found in OTC cleansers, lotions, and at-home masks. You can also get professional lactic acid peels at a spa or in a dermatologist’s office.
Lactic acid is a naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acid that is found in most mammals, including humans. This acid is produced by the body as a natural process to help remove dead skin cells and promote new cell growth. It is also used as a topical treatment for acne.
Lactic Acid For Face
Benefits Of Lactic Acid For Face
The benefits of lactic acid for face include:
Reduces wrinkles and fine lines
Treats acne and blackheads
Helps clear up hyperpigmentation and melasma.
Here are some ways that you can incorporate lactic acid into your skincare routine:
Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that works by peeling away dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. This exfoliation process reveals smoother, brighter skin.
Lactic Acid for Face
Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that works by peeling away dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. This exfoliation process reveals smoother, brighter skin.
Lactic acid is derived from milk and milk products like yogurt and cheese. Due to its natural origins, lactic acid is considered a safe and gentle chemical exfoliant for treating wrinkles, acne scars, age spots and sun damage. It also improves hydration in the upper layers of skin leaving it soft and supple.
How to use:
- Take the same amount of yogurt and rose water in a bowl, and add in 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin.
- Mix all the ingredients well to make a paste. The consistency of the mixture should be thick enough for it to stick to the skin. If it’s too runny, add a little bit of sandalwood, gram flour, or oatmeal powder to give it volume.
- Before going to bed, rub this paste all over your hands or just your knuckles until it seeps completely into the skin.
- Wash your hands with cool water the next morning.
2. Pomegranate juice
Pomegranate juice can also be used to lighten hyperpigmented knuckles. (8)(9) It also exerts an antioxidant effect due to its phenolic content. (10)
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How to use:
- Apply pomegranate juice to your darkened skin.
- Let it dry before rinsing it off.
3. Honey and milk
Honey contains several polyphenols and flavonoids with skin-lightening properties. (11) Plus, it is deeply hydrating, promotes faster skin healing, and protects against further skin damage.
How to use:
- Take half of a ripe avocado in a bowl, and mash it with a fork to make a thick, lump-free paste.
- Pour in 2 teaspoons of raw, organic honey and 1 teaspoon of milk, and give the mixture a final stir so that all the ingredients are well blended. You can also use medical-grade honey if you can’t get your hands on the organic varieties.
- Smear the paste all over the knuckles.
- Let it dry on its own and then wash it off with lukewarm water.
4. Turmeric, gram flour, and milk cream
Turmeric can also help lighten darkened knuckles (12)(13) and heal sunburnt skin. (14)
How to use:
- Put 2 teaspoons of milk cream, 2 tablespoons of gram flour, and a pinch of turmeric powder in a bowl, and mix all the ingredients well to make a smooth paste.
- Apply this mixture to your hands or just your knuckles.
- Let the paste dry for 15 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water.
Lactic Acid Serum
Lactic acid is one of the most popular alpha hydroxy acids available. It is a common ingredient in OTC skin care products. It is also used in stronger professional peels and treatments.
Lactic acid is naturally found in dairy products. It’s what gives yogurt and soured milk their distinctive tangy taste. Dairy products have been used for centuries by people across the world to soften and beautify the skin.
People still take milk baths, but most lactic acid used in skin care products and peels today is made in a lab (synthetic).
Skin Benefits
Lactic acid helps remove old, dull cells on the skin’s surface by dissolving the bonds that hold them together (exfoliation).
Lactic acid also makes cell turnover happen faster and stimulates the processes by which your skin sheds old cells and replaces them with new ones (cell renewal).1
As a result, lactic acid gives you a brighter complexion, as well as smoother and softer skin.
Lactic acid is popular for two main reasons:
- It can create real change in the skin if used regularly.
- It’s one of the more gentle hydroxy acids used in skin care.
There are also some other possible benefits of lactic acid for your skin, including:
- Thickens and tightens your skin
- Helps clear pores
- Brightens and smooths your complexion
- An effective antimicrobial
- Balances the microbiome of the skin for people with sensitive skin and acne
All alpha hydroxy acids exfoliate and improve skin texture, but lactic acid has an extra benefit that you won’t get from other AHAs, like glycolic acid and mandelic acid.
Lactic acid helps improve your skin’s built-in process for keeping itself hydrated (natural moisture factor).2 Basically, lactic acid helps to keep your skin moisturized and feeling less dry.
Using lactic acid regularly can also improve signs of aging by stimulating the renewal of a fiber that helps keep skin firm (collagen).
Lactic acid can fade sun spots or age spots and smooth and soften fine lines and wrinkles. However, lactic acid will not improve deeper lines.
Lactic acid is a main ingredient in OTC lotions and creams for those “chicken skin” bumps on the backs of the arms (keratosis pilaris). Lactic acid helps dissolve the plug of skin cells that build up around the hair follicle and smooth out the bumpiness.3
Possible Side Effects
Even though lactic acid is gentler for the skin than other AHAs, it is still a strong treatment. Here are a few possible side effects of using lactic acid on your skin.
Sun Sensitivity
The most important thing you need to know before you start using lactic acid is that it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. As the acid sloughs away skin cells, it leaves your skin more likely to be damaged by ultraviolet light from the sun.
Some studies have suggested that sun sensitivity can last for four weeks after you’ve stopped using a lactic acid product or peel treatment—maybe even longer.4
Use SPF 30 or higher sunscreen daily to protect your skin from sunburn and sun damage, even on cloudy days. If you don’t protect your skin, you could undo the benefits of lactic acid, like its ability to fade spots and soften wrinkles.
Skin Irritation
Lactic acid can also cause skin irritation. Be on the lookout for the following:4
- Redness
- Burning
- Peeling
- Dryness
- Itchy skin
- Swelling
You may have mild redness, burning, and itching when you first start using a lactic acid product. As long as it is not bad and goes away within an hour or so, it’s nothing to worry about.
However, if the redness, burning, and itching are moderate to severe or do go away, or if you have swelling or a rash, wash the product off immediately and do not use it again. Call your healthcare provider for advice on what to do for your skin.
Contraindications
Lactic acid is the gentlest of alpha hydroxy acids. Most people can use it safely. Still, some people should not use products with lactic acid.
If you have very sensitive skin, lactic acid can irritate your skin. Start with using a product that only has a small percentage of lactic acid (e.g., 5%) and see how your skin reacts to it. If you notice any irritation, stop using the product.
If you use topical retinoids like Retin-A or Refissa, you won’t want to add lactic acid to your skincare routine. These products are already exfoliating your skin, so if you also use a product with lactic acid, your skin could get too sensitive.
Some people can use lactic acid products every day, while others have more sensitive skin and need to use the products less often. Check with your provider about how often you should use lactic acid.
If you are using any prescription skin care medication, check with your provider before trying any lactic acid treatment. You may not be able to use these products together.
What to Look For
Over-the-counter (OTCO lactic acid products come in different concentrations, from 5% to more than 30%. A higher percentage is not always better, though. Jumping right to a high percentage product can irritate your skin.
If you’ve never used lactic acid, start with a very low-strength product—5% to 10% max. This will let you see how your skin reacts and also give your skin some time to get used to the acid.
You may find that after using up your product, you’re happy with the results. In that case, you can stick with the strength you’ve been using.
If you’d like to go up in strength, do it slowly. Always monitor your skin for irritation. If it seems like it’s too much for you, go back to a lower-strength product.
As far as the type of lactic acid product to choose, go with something you feel comfortable using. You have a few different options.
Cleansers
Lactic acid cleansers are easy to fit into your skincare routine. Use them just as you would a regular cleanser.
It’s best to avoid applying around your eyes because lactic acid cleansers can irritate delicate skin and leave it dry, flaky, and red.
Lactic acid cleansers are a great choice for sensitive skin because you rinse them off. Since the acid does not stay in your skin very long, it helps reduce irritation.