Actives - giving your skin a workout with the help of AHA, BHA, Vitamin C and Retinol

You got your skin routine down. You cleanse and tone, hydrate in layers and seal it all with an occlusive. You wear sunscreen all the time. Your skin is hydrated, moisturized, and softened basically you have a good skin routine down.
Now it is time to introduce the real game changers: actives.  The ones that make the actual difference.
So what are actives?
Dictionary says: Components of a chemical product which help directly in achieving its performance objectives.
 Basically they are the ingredients that deliver on promised. They effectively target and treat various skin issues from acne to anti ageing. Actives provide chemical exfoliation, reduce hyper pigmentation, prevent and help combat acne and fight signs of ageing in the form of cell renewal and boosting of collagen production.  Now many skincare products can have active ingredients but these are most effective when applied directly after cleansing. To get the most out of actives they need to be formulated in a concentration and pH environment that will allow them to be most effective.  There are many actives but I will go here through the most popular and frequently used ones which have in common their ability to increase skin turnover. Only thing left for you is to decide what are your skin goals and pick the right actives to help you get there.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is a wonderful active, a real brightening and anti-aging powerhouse but a bit of a bitchy princess in a sense that it needs things to be perfect for it to work and to keep. It is a water-soluble vitamin and a powerful antioxidant. It helps fight photo aging and fights free radicals, some of the main reasons for skin ageing. Topical application of vitamin c if formulated right can help with lightening of hyperpigmentation and acne scars and smoothing of skin roughness as Vitamin c is an exfoliant as well. Applied under sunscreen it will increase your sun protection, but to do all that it needs to be formulated with pH of 3.5 or lower to be able to enter the skin (source). Such low pH can make use of vitamin c a bit of an unpleasant experience for people with sensitive skin. So it is good to start slowly with introducing it into your routine.

However, as all antioxidants, vitamin C is vulnerable to destabilizing when exposed to heat, air and light. That means it should be packed in an opaque air restrictive container and kept out of heat and light. I keep mine in the fridge. You will know your vitamin C has oxidised (gone bad) when it changes colour to darker yellow or even brown.

 AHA

Now i wrote a huge post about AHA's and you can read it here. B ut to summarise it alpha hydroxy acids are applied to the skin for their moisturizing and exfoliating properties, for treating acne and improving the appearance of acne scars, for improving the appearance of photo-aged skin, and firming and smoothing skin. They are used mainly as chemical exfoliators but also as humectant moisturizers (AHAs attract water to skin).

AHAs exfoliate the skin by promoting keratolysis. Keratolysis is the process of breaking down the layer of dead skin cells that make up the outer layer of the skin. Result is a thinner layer of dead skin cells, which gives a brighter, younger-looking appearance to the skin.

AHA is water soluble, pH sensitive product which means that it is more effective in an acidic product with a low pH. The higher the pH, the less effective it is. Effective AHA product should have pH of less than 4, and AHA concentration of 4-10%.

 BHA

Beta Hydroxy Acid is oil soluble acid and same as AHA it can penetrate the skin surface and break down dead skin cells and as such it improves the look of skin by resurfacing it. Most frequent BHA in use is salicylic acid.  And unlike AHA because it is oil soluble, BHA can also penetrate into pores clogged with sebum. So AHA is usually recommended to people with dry skin and ageing skin and BHA to people suffering with clogged pores. Effective BHA product should have a pH of less than 3.5, and BHA concentration of 1-2%.

 Retinol

Retinol is a form of vitamin A known for its cell communicating ability. Other forms of vitamin A in skincare are usually issued by prescription as acne treatment like Accutane. Retinol can help improve fine lines and wrinkles, skin roughness and dullness, skin firmness, pigmentation from age spots and acne. Retinol increases the amount of collagen in skin by inactivating enzymes that break down collagen. Retinol also increases cell turnover (replacement of old cells with new) and as an antioxidant it fights free radicals. Unlike vitamin C, AHA or BHA, retinol needs higher pH (5.5-6). The best thing would be not to use it at the same time as other pH dependent actives or if you have patience (I don't) leave enough time after using a low pH product for skin to go back to its normal pH level before using retinol.

What all of these have in common is that they make skin more sensitive to sun. So to make sure that all the good you did with these actives is not reversed by sun damage wear sunscreen all the time.