Chemical Peels At Home Part 2 : Glycolic Acid Peel

If you have read the 1st part of the Chemical Peels At Home (link here), you must be well versed with AHA and Glycolic Acid.In the 2nd part I'm going to discuss the benefits and uses of Glycolic Acid in Chemical Peels.

Glycolic Acid is a fruit acid from the Alpha Hydroxy Acid family.Its most common source is Sugarcane.Glycolic Acid is pretty famous for its use in cosmetics because it is a natural exfoliant and moisturizer.

It acts as an exfoliant because of its high acidity and easy solubility and works by destroying the "glue" which holds the dead skin to the surface,  resulting in smoother skin.It also helps to stimulate the skin's natural collagen and elasticity and helps in filling up the finer lines which might be a precursor to wrinkles.

It is milder than the rest of its contemporaries used in chemical peels and is readily found in nature.

My teen battle with acne left me with a few blemishes and scars and my dermatologist recommended the glycolic peel to me, but being the chemical phobic person that I am , I thought I would research it first.I was pleasantly surprised to find that doing a glycolic acid chemical peel at home is not only easy and safe but pretty cheap too.All you require are a few fruits and you are set.My research led me to 3 good sources of glycolic acid: Pineapple,Sugarcane juice and Papaya.Though the Papaya is mainly used for its high enzyme content. Since it is supposed to be a peel I decided to use Gelatin as a base, which could be substituted with any other base mentioned in Part 1.

Fruit Glycolic Peel

1/2 cup chopped pineapple

1/4 cup chopped papaya (preferably unripe to maximize effect)

2 tbsp sugarcane juice (optional)

1 tbsp honey

3 tbsp gelatin

1. Puree the fruits to a fine pulp.
2. Dissolve gelatin in the sugarcane juice, add honey to it and mix with the fruit pulp
3. Place in the microwave (not more than 30 seconds) to dissolve gelatin.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for 20-25 minutes so that the gelatin sets.
5. Clean face and apply a thick layer of the peel all over the face and neck avoiding the area around the eyes.Apply using upward strokes.The mixture should feel sticky.
6. After 15 minutes peel off  starting from your neck.
7. Repeat not more than once a week.

Continued use of the peel will help to lighten blemishes, fill fine lines and reveal smoother skin.Just make sure to use sunscreen after using the peel.