Lactic Acid for a smoother softer skin

Can lactic acid benefit the skin?

Lactic Acid is one of our favourite ingredients and can work wonders for you as well. It is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) derived from yogurt. AHAs have seen success for their application within the cosmeceutical industry. There are multiple reasons I use Lactic acid over other AHA’s such as glycolic acid. Predominately because it has additional benefits to the skin, other than just exfoliation.

As with Glycolic Acid and other AHA’s, Lactic Acid is a keratolytic agent. Which means it provides effective exfoliation. It works to dissolve the desmosomes (bonds) that hold keratinocytes (skin cells) together.

This gentle but effective exfoliation is great for increasing cellular renewal. Helping to keep the texture of the stratum corneum smooth and even.

Lactic Acid has a larger molecular size than Glycolic Acid. Meaning it doesn’t penetrate the skin as deep. It is, therefore, a better option for sensitive/sensitised skin. The small molecular size of Glycolic Acid can cause irritation in some skins.

However, exfoliation is not the only skin benefit that Lactic Acid provides.

It increases ceramide production, helping to  repair skin barrier function. It also helps to improve skin hydration levels and helps to regulate pigmentation production.

L-Lactic acid is a purified version of Lactic acid, the purification process is known as Chiral Correction. Simply put a straight up Lactic Acid molecule has two sides (or isomers) a D and an L. In chemistry terms it would be listed as D, L-Lactic Acid. The purification process separates the two isomers. With the L side being the proportion of the molecule that is recognised by the skin cell receptor.

You can read more about L-lactic acid and the benefits of Chiral Correction by Andy Millward.

Andy uses the Rejuvenated range to add extra benefits to his treatments.