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Suggest Medication For Hyperpigmented Skin
Hi Doctor, I wanted some info on glycolic acid cream. My mother is 63yrs old. She was very fair and beutiful in her younger days but now with age she has lost the colour. I will be visiting her next month and want to buy some glycolic acid cream for her which she can use regularly. He face is highly pigmented due to sun exposure. Can you recommed any good medicated cream or peel that i can use at home for her to get back her fair colour.
Mon, 12 Jan 2015
Hello. Thank you for writing to us at healthcaremagic
Glycolic acid is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA), is a skin exfoliant and therefore also exfoliates pigment.
It is an active ingredient in many OTC products in concentration varying from 6% to 10% and is quite a useful pigment lightening as well as antiageing ingredient in these creams.
Glycolic acid is also available OTC as cleansing pads/wipes in concentrations of 10% or 20%.
Apart from AHA's /Glycolic acid she should also use a broad spectrum sunscreen throughout the day. Sun protection adds up to the overall response of pigment reducing agents.
Besides, she may also opt for a few sessions of chemical peeling from a dermatologist.
A dermatologist usually uses higher concentrations of glycolic acid for peeling purposes i.e 35% or 50% and even 70% as compared to that available in creams and therefore better results.
However, these higher strength glycolic peels are not recommended for home use because it can cause side effects like burn and pigmentation.
While using all these products and chemical peeling it is essential to protect the skin from sun, with a broad spectrum sunscreen.
Regards
Glycolic acid is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA), is a skin exfoliant and therefore also exfoliates pigment.
It is an active ingredient in many OTC products in concentration varying from 6% to 10% and is quite a useful pigment lightening as well as antiageing ingredient in these creams.
Glycolic acid is also available OTC as cleansing pads/wipes in concentrations of 10% or 20%.
Apart from AHA's /Glycolic acid she should also use a broad spectrum sunscreen throughout the day. Sun protection adds up to the overall response of pigment reducing agents.
Besides, she may also opt for a few sessions of chemical peeling from a dermatologist.
A dermatologist usually uses higher concentrations of glycolic acid for peeling purposes i.e 35% or 50% and even 70% as compared to that available in creams and therefore better results.
However, these higher strength glycolic peels are not recommended for home use because it can cause side effects like burn and pigmentation.
While using all these products and chemical peeling it is essential to protect the skin from sun, with a broad spectrum sunscreen.
Regards
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