AHA Archives * Style Chicks

Sponsored Post: Beauty Wellness with the Eucerin “Prepare to Repair” Video Series

February 22, 2018 · 34 Comments

Here at Style Chicks, we love the concept of Beauty Wellness: the things you do for your wellbeing that have an added beauty benefit, whether it is better posture, better sleep, or simply doing something that puts a glowing smile on your face. There is also no denying that we are huge skincare enthusiasts here, and we know you are too. The folks at Eucerin have combined Skincare and Beauty Wellness into a fantastic video series called “Prepare to Repair!

The Eucerin “Prepare to Repair” video series has simple, effective tips from board-certified dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman to help repair skin’s moisture and from Fitness Instructor Kirsten Trued to help repair muscles. These tips will help optimize your total wellness efforts! In this series, Kirsten teaches a series of exercises that use a small ball for gentle firm pressure, emulating a known therapeutic sports massage technique.

HANDS AND FOREARMS

Our hands endure plenty of wear and tear during the day, ranging from using computer technology gear to washing dishes. The repetitive motion can be grueling to the tendons and muscles of the hand, which makes regular, gentle stretches so beneficial.

Fitness Instructor Kirsten Trued recommends two effective stretches to ease achiness and repair both hands and forearms, while moisturizing skin.

ECZEMA CAUSES

Winter wreaks skin havoc, causing dryness and redness, including Eczema flare-ups. To help pre-empt a flare-up, Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Creme contains colloidal oatmeal that soothes while Ceramide-3 acts a barrier to lock in moisture. I especially like to use this in dry environments such as those with indoor forced air heat, like my office building.

POST WORKOUT ECZEMA RELIEF

Sweating during a workout can provoke eczema breakouts, which means regular workouts can begin a vicious cycle. Eucerin Eczema Relief Flare-Up Treatment Creme is intended for use during an active flare-up. It contains Licochalcone A, a licorice extract which is clinically proven to significantly improve the skin’s appearance during flare-up phases.

The rich-feeling creme is fragrance-, steroid- and dye-free.

BACK AND CHEST

Keeping the muscles in your back, chest, and neck strong and toned is vital for proper posture. Good posture makes you look slimmer and taller, and feel younger and healthier. Have you noticed how people round their shoulders and extendedly bend their necks forward while using their phone, tablets, and laptops? These simple exercises not only will help undo some of the stress we put our neck each day but impart a smoother, more elegant neckline and collarbone.

I’ve been remiss over the years about upper body skin care. While I carefully slather my face and throat with skincare topicals and sunscreen, I’ve been haphazard with my shoulders, decolletage, and upper arms. But these areas all belie age with sun damage, dryness, lack of firmness and wrinkles.

What can be done to compensate for upper body skin neglect? Two Eucerin products that help reverse time are Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion and Eucerin Advanced Repair Lotion.

AHA TO PROMOTE FIRMNESS, COLLAGEN, AND SMOOTHER SKIN

Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion contains one of my go-to favorite ingredients: Alpha Hydroxy Acid, also known as AHA. AHA, a natural acid found in foods, is a superstar of the skincare realm. AHA’s are often used in anti-aging products and treatments due to their ability to gently but effectively remove dead skin layers without the unsightly peeling or redness that manual exfoliation can cause.

For those with sensitive skin, AHAs can be drying, but Eucerin Advanced Repair Lotion and Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion contain several buffering ingredients that keep skin hydrated enough to stay soft and supple while benefiting from AHA. What a great duo these two make to treat, protect and hydrate!

As a side note, I find the AHA in Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion quite helpful with Keratosis Pilaris (KP), better known as those “chicken bumps” that appear on upper arms. For optimal skin health, KP treatment requires both exfoliation and hydration which makes Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion and Eucerin Advanced Repair perfect for the job. And I like that they are fragrance-free and absorb quickly without leaving residue on skin or clothes, which is highly preferable to any medicated KP treatment. Eucerin Advanced Repair Lotion keeps you hydrated for 48 hours.

QUADS AND HAMSTRINGS

Are your legs sore at the end of the day? Whether from wearing high heels or chasing toddlers the leg muscles often need attention. These exercises work the entire quad and hamstring inch by inch and add in a stretching component for a deep muscle massage. Doing these exercises daily makes legs far more comfortable, even after a busy day on your feet.

And because even skin that is not exposed to the elements can still become very dry, this Eucerin series pairs Eucerin Original Healing Lotion uses simple, safe ingredients to help repair skin. It is paired with the Eucerin Skin Calming Creme for a total beauty wellness leg care plan. The Eucerin Skin Calming Creme is formulated with natural oatmeal to calm skin and keep it moisturized.

CONCLUSION

The Eucerin “Prepare to Repair” video series makes the most of easy to implement, reparative stretching exercise techniques paired with effective skin products targeted to specific skincare needs. The Eucerin Repair line provides dry, itchy, rough skin with long-lasting hydration, using safe, effective ingredients that are non-irritating. Skin instantly looks and feels so much better. Eucerin replaces the dull, dry look of winter skin with a hydrated and smooth glow that quickly dries down to a non-greasy finish. Warmer weather is just around the corner, and it’s time to get skin ready to be seen. You put time and effort into your beach body workouts, don’t forget your skin!

Style Chicks wrote this article and received compensation for our time and effort. However, the opinions expressed are 100% ours.

Favorite Skincare Ingredients: Glycolic Acid (AHA): The No-Peeling Anti-Aging Skin Peel

February 23, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Glycolic Acid (AHA) is the covert operator of the StyleChicks Favorite Skincare Ingredients series because it gives suspiciously good, younger-than-expected skin results with virtually no downtime, skin flaking or peeling. Regular AHA peels reveal softer, younger skin with a refined texture, all while reducing pores, fine lines, discoloration, brown spots & acne.

ABOUT GLYCOLIC ACID (AHA)

AHA (also known as Glycolic Acid) works in an unusual way: it loosens the “glue” that adheres dry, dead skin to healthy skin, and just dissolves away the dead skin. That means skin is left with little to no peeling or sloughing sections, and if done correctly; there is little in the way of dryness, redness or irritation after use. Skin is brighter, younger, softer, with few lines and wrinkles, and it glows like younger skin.

WHY WE LIKE IT

We prefer Glycolic Acid to other types of exfoliants because there is no rough, abrasive scrubbing involved. Scrubbing with or without harsh grains can tear and damage healthy skin. AHA gets the job done with no pulling, tugging, or tearing of the skin, which makes AHA particularly useful to those over 35 or for those with skin conditions such as acne or eczema.

With an AHA peel, there is almost never the uneven peeling that often comes with many chemical peels or scrubs, so there is less post-peel downtime with AHA. Skin is just soft and dewy looking, not red and irritated. While skin can get red and irritated from AHA, as long as it is done properly, irritation will be short-lived, so it makes for an excellent anti-aging product.

GLYCOLIC ACID IS ACNE’S DOWNFALL

As a side benefit, AHA banishes blackheads like nobody’s business. Those oil and sebum pockets just wither in the face of an AHA treatment. While a product like Avon’s Clinical ANEW is geared towards anti-aging measures, a side benefit of AHA use is how quickly stubborn nose blackheads purge from the skin.

WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM AHA?

Delicate and aging skin that benefits from not being pulled and scrubbed by abrasive exfoliants or dermabrasion treatments.
Acne prone skin and skin with stubborn blackheads.
Those who are on Vitamin C Serum and Retinol programs. These products cause newer, younger skin cells to be generated rapidly and require sloughing off the dead skin to be most effective.
Many with eczema report that they can use Glycolic Acid. Talk to your dermatologist about precautions based on your personal skincare profile.

HOW TO USE GLYCOLIC ACID AT HOME

Super effective as an in-office treatment, AHA peels it can be safely done at home with serums under 30%. A 35% AHA is acceptable to use if it contains a deactivating or buffering agent, or it is diluted before application.

New to AHA? Stick with 10% and work your way up to higher concentrations. AHA concentration levels greater than 35% are readily available online, but only professionals should only use these strengths undiluted. Since such excellent results are obtainable with the regular use of lower concentration AHA, don’t be tempted into one “big” peel at a high concentration, it is more risk than benefit.

BEST USE TIPS:

ALWAYS use sunscreen in the days after an AHA peel.
Moisturize well, especially that evening before going to bed.
Do an at-home peel serum at least monthly.
Use only gentle facial cleansers for 24 hours after using AHA.
Some light stinging is to be expected, but if your skin feels a burning sensation or hurts, wash the AHA off immediately.
Apply evenly in a thin coat.

RECOMMENDED AHA GLYCOLIC PRODUCTS

Finding a reputable manufacturer is the primary concern when selecting Glycolic Acids. Choose an AHA designed for consumers, not professionals such as those marketed to a salon. Some Glycolic Acid products we have had success with include:

Serum Ceuticals AHA Pro Grade Glycolic: effective, all natural. We like this line because AHA doesn’t alter newer skin unless it irritates it with chemical additives, and this product has NO chemicals, just natural preservatives.
- One of our fave go-to peels, it can be safely used on even delicate skin areas such as on fine lines around the upper lip.
- Serum Ceuticals AHA comes in 10% and 35% concentrations.
- If you use the 35% AHA, we highly recommend mixing the AHA liquid into a dollop of Beta Glucan cream and applying the mixture to the skin, then applying a layer of Beta Glucan afterward as a moisturizer to soothe the skin and reduce redness and irritation.
InstaNatural Glycolic Facial Peel: skin is instantly brighter when dead skin is swept away in less than a minute, no downtime.
- Paired with Sunflower Oil, Vitamin C, and Hyaluronic Acid
- While it does sting delicate areas, once you build a tolerance to the product, it can be used for 10-15 minutes for a highly effective peel. I especially like the acne eliminating properties of this peel.
Avon ANEW Clinical Retexturizing Peel: a whopping 35% AHA soaked pad that comes with a built-in deactivator and soothing Aloe Vera, so it is safe to use at home.
- It stings a bit on sensitive areas at first, like a rubbing alcohol on a paper cut kind of sensation.
- Particular effective on forehead wrinkles and “eleven lines.”
- Use every other day for better texture and brighter skin.
- ANEW Clinical is especially effective at reducing enlarged pores and eliminating blackheads
- TIP: Try using the pads on tell-tale aged skin areas like hands and throat as well

Know of a Glycolic Peel AHA that should be included in this list? Contact us or comment below!

10% Glycolic AHA-Alpha Hydroxy Acid Serum for Chemical Peel-Pro Grade

May 22, 2016 · Leave a Comment

10% Glycolic (AHA-Alpha Hydroxy) Acid Serum for Chemical Peel-Pro Grade

This Serum is a 10% Pro-Grade AHA Glycolic Acid. I started using Glycolic Acid in my late twenties because I preferred to use peels to remove my dead skin instead of exfoliating it, my skin was just a smooth and more even in tone and texture without having to irritate it with grains and scrubbing. I read skin over 30 and sensitive skin respond better to peels than scrubs, and I found this to be true.

I especially like Glycolic Acid because skin doesn’t visibly peel and slough, which can sometimes be uneven and leave behind the partially peeled skin. Rather, with Glycolic Acid, dead skin just seems to melt away, and skin glows. It also helps with acne and blackheads. The reason is that Glycolic loosens the “cement” that binds dry and dead skin, so it just loosens and virtually melts dead skin, but it doesn’t alter fresher skin unless it irritates it with chemical additives.

As much as I love Glycolic Acid, it can sting and make skin red, and the chemical additives in many Glycolic Acids can irritate skin enough that it needs to be washed off fairly quickly. Ideally, if one can leave it on the skin for 10-30 minutes, it makes a huge difference on how much peeling can occur.

I like that the Serum Ceuticals AHA Glycolic has both soothing and treating ingredients in the serum. These help the skin tolerate the Glycolic remaining on the skin for longer periods of time because this can give the best short term smoothness and long term collagen regenerating result. It also does not contain any harsh chemical additives that irritate my skin, so I was able to leave the serum on my skin for a full 30 minutes, which is about 15 minutes longer than I have tolerated any other Glycolic. Like all their products, Serum Ceuticals uses a natural charge to preserve their products, which means it is more powerful with a longer shelf life than other organic/natural AHA’s and causes less irritation than AHA’s filled with chemical preservatives.

APPLICATION
Test a small dab of the serum on your earlobe 48-72 hours before use to see if you get any irritation. I did this step even though I have used AHA’s before.

There is no detectable scent, it is a watery consistency and comes in a bottle with an inverted dropper than only dispenses a drop at a time.

If you have not used AHA’s before, you might want only to leave the serum on about 10 minutes the first time. If you have used AHA’s, check the mirror frequently for redness but try for the full 30 minutes if you can tolerate it. I have sensitive skin and use Retinol but still was able to tolerate it for the full 30 minutes.

First, I slathered the serum on my forehead since that skin is less sensitive. Then I lightly applied it all over my face except the eye area, paying extra attention to some dark brown spots and wrinkles, the nasal folds, and the areas that my pores seem larger on both sides of the nose in the area of my cheek below my undereye bags. I also have some dark brown sunspots on the top of my cheekbones that I made sure had a good layer of the serum.

I didn’t feel any stinging or irritation, but at almost 30 minutes the apples of my cheeks had some redness, but it was not uncomfortable. I washed it off and applied a light moisturizer. If you have the Serum Ceuticals Ceramide, this is a great post-peel product to use to reduce any redness quickly. The redness lasted a few hours, but it was not painful and returned to normal. I did feel some skin exfoliate off my jawline, but mostly it was just smoother and even, especially my forehead. Two whiteheads that were just stuck in my skin and would not come out despite topical medicines expelled while washing the serum off my face and some clogging of blackheads around my nose and cheek disappeared. A pimple that was a just red bump for an extended period shrunk in size. My forehead wrinkle appeared shallow. My skin was very soft. I took two days off and did it again for the full thirty minutes.

I also used this on my hands for the full 30 minutes. My hands show more aging than my face does due to not applying sunscreen on my hands all these years. One treatment on my hands lightened some of the darker skin on my knuckles and cleaned up my chronically dry and uneven cuticles. The lines on my hands do not appear as deep. There was no irritation or redness.

Highly recommended for use 1-2 times a week, does not cause irritation even on my sensitive skin and I could see improvement after the first use. Will continue with the full recommended course and I will be purchasing this AHA again.

I received this item for testing and unbiased review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer it!