Alpha Hydroxy Acid

Human skin is composed of two basic layers, the upper layer, or epidermis, and the lower layer, or dermis. The dermis is living tissue, whereas the epidermis is composed of dead skin cells.

Alpha hydroxy acid or AHA belongs to a group of organic compounds and are commonly sourced from food products such as sugar cane (glycolic acid), sour milk (lactic acid), citrus fruits (citric acid), grapes (tartaric acid), and apples (malic acid).

AHAs are effective make good facial scrubs because their small molecule size is able to penetrate the lower layers of the epidermis and react with living skin cells. Glycolic acid has the smallest molecule size of all the AHAs and is accordingly the most widely used AHA in wrinkle reducing skin care products.

AHAs have the ability to react with skin cells so as to promote the formation of new skin cells, particularly collagen, and are very helpful in addressing skin problems due to past exposure to excessive sunlight.

An excellent alpha hydroxy acid gel cleanser for exfoliating your skin is Exfoliation Plus+.