The effectiveness of Salicylic Acid on Acne?
Salicylic acid is a common ingredient used in a myriad of products including face cleansers, acne creams, anti -dandruff shampoos, ointments, lotions, creams, soaps and pads. It’s medicinal form is used to get rid of mild acne, hyper pigmentation and oily skin. These preparations do however pose some serious enough dangers that need to be considered prior to use on acne. Ignorance of this knowledge can lead to dire consequences.
How does Salicylic acid treat acne?
Salicylic acid has the effect of bulldozing its way through skin pores by burning away the lining of the follicles. This effectively means that salicylic acid strips away some of your skin, which incidentally also contains the pimples which are characteristic of acne.
Dangers of Salicylic acid as acne medication
While the effects of peeling skin may attain some degree of effectiveness to your acne it is maintained indefinitely. In other words if you stop using the Saliyclic acid your pores are most likely to be clogged with oil, causing acne breakouts once again. With this in mind ask yourself is it really a treatment you want to be using forever?
Many products containing Salicylic acid can be bought by anyone over the counter and these products usually contain no more than 2% of the acid ingredient. However due to the dangers of the acid some treatments are only available with a doctor’s prescription.
Whilst you may notice the benefits salicylic acid has on your acne don’t be tempted to try different products at once containing Salicylic acid. This kind of excessive use can cause your skin to become overly dry and in the long run do more harm than good. One well known skin care brand called Proactive offers a 4 step solution, and 3 of those products contain Salicylic acid. So Proactive is definilty one to avoid using.
If you have dark skin Salicylic acid can be damaging. This is because dark skin tends to be really sensitive —melanin also known as the pigmentation may work against your skin if the wrong products are used, causing discolouration which can stay on your skin for a long time. That’s the why the Food and Drug Administration recommends the use of sun protection when using skincare products containing salicylic acid on dark or sun-exposed skin areas.
Remember that what goes on to your body get’s absorbed through the skin, if you are pregnant steer clear of this product as it will directly affect the unborn child.
Common side effects :
- Dryness of skin
- Skin irritation
- Thinning of skin
- Stinging feeling in area where it is applied
Serious side effects
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Diarrhoea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Hearing loss or ringing in the ears
- Panting
- Extreme fatigue
- Confusion
There are various healthy alternative medication regimes for acne. These may safely be used in the management of acne without the possibility of side effects. Did you know that many of the most effective acne treatments contain only natural ingredients? These natural ingredients have usually been used by various cultures for hundreds of years and have recently been proven through scientific studies that they are safe and effective for use.
