Salicylic Acid vs Glycolic Acid: BHA vs AHA

Have you ever looked at that section of our store that sells skincare products? If yes, you must have noticed that it contains bottles with names that are confusing and resembles a high school chemistry lab.

You really need to get rid of a pimple and get rid of some dullness, but what you are doing is trying to figure out whether or not you should put something called an acid on your face. Doesn't it sound scary? Because applying acid to your skin does seem like a bad idea.

Yet in fact cosmetic acids are the very best method of achieving smooth, radiant, and clear skin. The two most well-known names that you'll encounter everywhere are Salicylic Acid vs Glycolic Acid.

They hold the position of heavyweight champions in the current skincare world, with almost every Cleanser, toner, serum, and peel pad containing one of these two ingredients.

The problem is, however, that they carry out entirely different functions. If you apply the wrong one to your face, you'll not achieve that shiny, glass skin appearance; on the contrary, it may instead leave your face dry, flaky, bright red, or cause you to break out even more than before.

This comprehensive blog will help you in deciding between salicylic acid and glycolic acid a lot simpler since it doesn't involve any complicated medical terminology. It will be simple for you to use the knowledge regarding BHA vs AHA to help you make the right choice.

Key Takeaways:

1. Glycolic acid acts as a skin cleanser, ensuring that it has a shiny appearance whereas salicylic acid works deep inside the pores, clearing away the oil.
2. Salicylic acid should be used to treat oily skin, blackheads and red spots whereas glycolic acid is effective on dry skin bumps and old dark spots.
3. Remember not to use these two acids at the same time. You should know that it is best to begin gradually by using them twice a week as well as to apply sunscreen during day time.

What Are the Basics of Ahas and Bhas?

The skincare acids can be broadly categorized into two categories such as AHAs like glycolic acid and BHAs like salicylic acid, which are analogous to two separate cleaning active ingredients for your face.

AHAs are attracted to water and remain on the surface of the skin, where they function like a small broom that removes dry and dead skin cells in order to eliminate dullness and dark spots. Conversely, BHAs prefer oil, enabling them to penetrate the heavy grease and go deep into your pores to remove the dirt that gets trapped there and causes blackheads and pimples. 

A simple way to remember the difference is that AHAs clean the roof of the house (the surface of the skin), while BHAs go inside and clean the plumbing (your pores). In order to help you see this clearly, here is a quick comparison of BHAs and AHAs:

What Do You Mean by Glycolic Acid?

Just like we have seen before, this component is mostly gotten naturally from sugar cane. As compared to other alpha hydroxy acids, this acid performs best because its molecular size is smallest amongst all the alpha hydroxy acids.

You should know that glycolic acid has a small size which makes it able to penetrate the upper layers of the skin more quickly and to a greater depth than other surface acids such as lactic acid or mandelic acid.

Some major functions of glycolic acid are:

1. If you are also the one having the post acne dark spots, then glycolic acid will help you in catalysing the skin cell renewal process. The result of this process is your new healthy skin cells as well as getting rid of the old, boring and stained ones.
2. Dead skin cells have a greyish appearance but when too many of these get accumulated over your face, you will end up looking tired. At that time, glycolic acid will work instantly to remove the dead skin cells and thereby uncovers your young and radiant skin.
3. It is an effective penetrating agent that can easily stimulate your skin inner layers and creates more collagen. The creation of collagen in the skin will help you in maintaining the firm and flawless skin.

Note: You must know that as Glycolic acid can quickly be absorbed by your skin layers, you may get tingling and maybe some mild burning sensation. So in case of a sensitive skin, eczema as well as rosacea, then glycolic acid is not probably a good choice for you.

What Do You Mean by Salicylic Acid?

Salicylic Acid can be extracted by means of willow bark, which has an amazing capacity. Being an aspirin-related compound, salicylic acid is a natural anti-inflammatory in nature. In other words, you can also say that it is effective in alleviating anger, redness, and swelling of the skin.

As glycolic acid is removing the material from the surface, salicylic acid ignores the surface and goes directly for the oil glands. It travels on your skin's natural oils, moves down into the inner part of your pores, as well as begins to break up the sticky blockages.

Some major functions of Salicylic Acid are:

1. Salicylic acid behaves in a similar way as a liquid plumbing cleaner that breaks down the solid oil blockage to be flushed out during your facial cleansing routine.
2. If you have a big, red, and sore lump on your body then using salicylic acid will help you reduce your lump size. The acid will also help you in destroying the acne causing bacteria as well as eliminates the soreness and decreases the swelling.
3. If every day by noon you have the appearance of a shiny and oily frying pan, salicylic acid may be of some help since it causes your oil sebaceous glands to decrease their output, thus giving you a beautiful matte finish.
4. If you keep the inside of your pores completely clean on a daily or weekly basis, pimples will never have the opportunity to develop.
   

Note: As its primary function is to remove oil, it can be quite drying. If you use an excessive amount of it or apply it to skin that is already naturally dry, it will wipe out the good, healthy oils you have, leading to peeling around the nose, tight skin, and a damaged skin barrier.

What Are the Major Differences Between Treatment of Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid?

The idea that all acne is identical means that any kind of 'acne product' will be effective, and that is a great error. There are many different types of acne, and using the incorrect acid will only make it worse. Let us now consider four typical cases of acne so that you will know exactly which product to get from your drawer.

Here is an extended version of the comparison chart that has some additional details regarding how often it needs to be used, what the safe percentages are for beginners, and the specific product of Alite that goes with each acid so that your readers have everything in one place.

What Should Be Your Perfect Day and Night Routine?

If you want to achieve the best results without causing serious dryness or chemical irritation, then you'll need to follow a daily and nightly routine. The following is a skincare plan that is suitable for the skin, using your Alite products:

Morning Routine

In order to remove the oil that your skin has produced during the night, wash your face with the Alite Anti-Acne Face Wash.

1. In order to moisturize, use a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer so as to help retain hydration and avoid your skin from producing too much oil later on that day.
2. You should then apply only a small amount of Alite Spots Reduction Cream to old dark marks in order to encourage cell renewal.
3. Choose a sunscreen that protects against all ultraviolet light rays. The moment you remove the dead cells on your skin, your skin becomes highly susceptible to ultraviolet light rays, hence applying sunscreen to protect your acne from darkening permanently.

Evening Routine

Clean your pores of the dirt and pollution you've picked up during the day by using either the Alite Anti-Acne Face Wash or the Alite Anti-Acne Soap.

1. To treat active acne, pat your skin until it is completely dry.
2. Apply a thin layer of Alite Anti-Acne Gel directly to the active pimples, blackheads, or even to your oily T-zone.
3. Allow it to absorb fully for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes you have applied the gel, use a soothing and simple night cream or moisturizer to help maintain the health of the skin barrier.
   

Wrapping Up

In the end, when you're deciding between salicylic and glycolic acid it's a question of following what your skin wants. In case your major concerns include dullness, roughness, flakiness of skin, freckles, and fine lines, then go for Glycolic Acid (AHA).

However, in case you have issues of oiliness, congestion of pores, blackheads, whiteheads, and breakout acne, then opt for Salicylic Acid (BHA) and go for the Alite Anti-Acne products in addition to your skin care regimen. So, you should understand that looking after your skin doesn't have to be a costly matter of guessing.