You may have heard about salicylic acid and its amazing benefits for the skin. You may often see products with salicylic acid especially those for breakouts or acne. Whatever your skin problems are, salicylic acid may work as an integral part of your skincare routine.
If you have been looking far and wide for more information about salicylic acid, including the various salicylic acid benefits, read on to know more about this wonder ingredient.
What Salicylic Acid Is
Before we get into the many salicylic acid benefits, you first need to know what salicylic acid is. According to our friends over at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), salicylic acid may be classified as a type of beta-hydroxy acid (BHA). BHA or Beta-Hydroxy Acids act as exfoliants (somewhat like alpha hydroxy acids) and are effective in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, and improves overall skin texture.
Salicylic Acid Benefits for the Skin
Since we are now oriented about what salicylic acid is, we can move on to what salicylic actually does and how it can benefit the skin. Dermatologists usually prescribe salicylic acid for acne as a treatment. Because of its exfoliating properties, salicylic acid can reduce the buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. This can ultimately reduce breakouts because clogged pores lead to breakouts, and salicylic acid helps out with just that. If used religiously, added salicylic acid benefits may include reduced fine lines and wrinkles.
Adding Products with Salicylic Acid to Your Skin Care Routine
There are so many products that in the market which you can use to gain all the salicylic acid benefits mentioned. You can find tons of these products with salicylic acid such as cleansers, face scrubs, moisturizers, cleansing cloths, and body wash.
But of course, you should test out any new salicylic acid product first on a small area to see how your skin would respond before using it. This is called a patch test and is one of the most important things you should do before trying out new products, especially for your skin. If your skin doesn’t react to products with salicylic acid after doing a patch test, then you can go ahead and include those in your skincare routine.
Remember also, that new products do not work instantly. You must be patient as you would start seeing changes from around four to eight weeks from using the products with salicylic acid. And you need to remember that sun protection is important when using products containing BHAs like salicylic acid because they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. You can use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and try to limit your sun exposure during the sun’s peak hours. When you’re outside, try to avoid direct sun exposure, wear long-sleeved shirts to cover up exposed areas, wear a hat and some cool UV-blocking sunglasses.
Salicylic Acid for Acne – What Else Do You Have to Know?
For mild acne, aside from adding products with salicylic acid to your skincare routine, it is also important to use skincare products that are non-comedogenic or non-acnegenic, which means they do not clog up your pores.
If you are planning on using products with salicylic acid (or any other ingredients like hyaluronic acid and lactic acid) for your skincare problems, be sure to know all the details about them first.
Keep in mind that great skin doesn’t just happen overnight! If you’re patient enough, we are sure you’ll reap all these wonderful salicylic acid benefits and get that glow your skin deserves!