Natural AHA Alpha Hydroxy Acid Alternatives to Chemical Facial Peels using Fruit and Vegetable Acids in Skincare

Anti-aging and skin care products added with AHA are flooding the market. Alpha hydroxy acids are supposed to smooth fine lines and surface wrinkles, improve skin texture and tone, unblock and cleanse pores. They also improve oily skin or acne, and improve skin condition in general. AHA or Alpha Hydroxy Acids are not new to skin care. Legends of Cleopatra’s milk baths are well known in beauty and skin care. Polynesians used sugarcane and fruit juices to soften their skin. The factor common to the properties of these natural products is this group of natural substances found in sugarcane, fruits, milk, molasses, etc., called AHA.

Let’s face it, fruits and vegetables are no longer just as important in our dietary regimens. They offer a natural AHA  (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), alternative in our skincare arsenal. The main benefits in a product that contains a natural AHA is to help combat the signs of aging. It helps with fine lines, dry patches of skin, mild cases of acne, or uneven skin tone from sun exposure. As it is fairly mild, AHA is often incorporated in creams and lotions as daily maintenance to keep the skin looking younger and healthier.  If you ever experienced a facial chemical peel, let’s just say it makes the statement “beauty is pain” true! Yeahhh, tried it once and decided it wasn’t quite for me. Glycolic acid also known as an AHA peel falls under the alpha hydroxy acid group. AHA’s are natural-occurring acids found in fruits and vegetables. They are also the mildest of all chemical peels and are considered superficial peels because they don’t penetrate deeply into your skin and are therefore relatively safe to use. Used over a period of time, these peels can bring light back to your complexion.Thankfully, I was able to discover an alternative that works wonders and allows me peace of mind.

So what are some of the natural sources of AHA, benefits and how do they work you ask? Let’s take a look below:

How AHA Works

To find out how AHA works for skin care, let us see how the skin grows old, and how to keep it younger. Cells in the outer layers of skin are bound together by inter-cellular fluid. As one ages, this glue-like substance binds the skin cells tighter and denser. Dead skin layers build up and unlike young skin, natural exfoliation becomes difficult. This group of natural acids has the ability to loosen this inter-cellular fluid, and allows the top layer of dead skin to slough off easily. Thus AHA products cause exfoliation, or shedding of the surface skin. The extent of exfoliation depends on the type and concentration of the AHA, its pH (acidity), and other ingredients in the product. Most skin care cosmetics sold to consumers contain AHA at levels up to 10 percent.

Natural Sources of AHAs

• Lactic Acid – from soured milk or buttered milk, molasses, yogurt, honey, or bilberries, (Lactic Acid molecules are second only to Glycolic Acid in their small size and should be used in lesser amounts due to the higher degree of penetration that smaller molecules are capable of.) .
• Tartaric Acid – from grapes, berries, currants, passion fruit, honeysuckle, and red wine.
• Citric Acid – from citric fruits of all types
• Malic Acid – from apples
• Glucnoic – acid from sugar cane or corn (the smallest molecule of all AHA’s, therefore the strongest and most irritating.)
• Glycolic acid can be found in many common fruits and vegetables, but most notable of them is sugar cane juice. Other fruits and vegetables that contain glycolic acid are tomatoes, pineapples, sour milk, and papaya.

Benefits of AHAs

• AHA’s dissolve the glue like lipids holding dead cells together.
• When dead cells are decreased, fewer cracks and fissures can lead to irritation.
• Surface lines even out.
• Dead cells plugging pores dissolve.
• Pigment that has built up in surface skin is removed.
• Cell renewal is returned to a rate of 30 years of age.
• Increased cell renewal causes cells to become denser and more compact, making your skin a more effective barrier to outside irritants.
• Denser skin means moisture is held in and skin becomes more pliable and supple.
• With the outer layer, corneum, less clogged and “cross-linked” with dead skin cells, the skin becomes nourished and moisturized from below, allowing the skin to become more elastic and less wrinkled.
• AHAs increase the acidity of skin, which helps cell renewal.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor.