What chemical is in Anti-Aging cream?
Alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams - work to enhance skin appearance.
Frequent and daily use of cosmetic and skin-care products that contain alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) moisturizes the skin and produces smoother, less-wrinkled skin surfaces. The cosmetic products developed as astringents and defoliants diminish skin scales and remove excess skin oil. New studies suggest that photo damaged skin improves with AHA treatment.
How Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Chemical Peels work?
Alpha hydroxy acids in various concentrations are used in chemical peels. The concentration determines who can use it. Alpha hydroxy acid products sold to consumers must have a concentration of less than 10%. Trained cosmetologists can use alpha hydroxy acid products that have a concentration of 20% to 30%. These chemical peels give results that are similar to microdermabrasion - erasing fine lines and giving the skin a smoother appearance with 1 to 3 applications. However, these treatments must be repeated every 3 to 6 months to maintain this skin appearance. Doctors can use alpha hydroxy acid products that have a concentration of 50% to 70%. These treatments also erase fine wrinkles and remove surface scars, but the effects last longer - up to 2 to 5 years. The higher the alpha hydroxy acid concentration used in a chemical peel, the more skin irritation occurs. At the 50% to 70% concentration, a person could expect to have severe redness, flaking, and oozing skin that can last for 1 to 4 weeks.
How to choose an Alpha Hydroxy Acid?
Alpha hydroxy acids are found in a variety of skin care products including moisturizers, cleansers, eye cream, sunscreen, and foundations. Here are some guidelines to use when trying to decide which alpha hydroxy acid formulation to use:
•It is best to pick one product that contains the proper formulation of alpha hydroxy acid to use as your exfoliant, and then choose other skin care products or cosmetics that don't contain alpha hydroxy acids to reduce the likelihood of skin irritation.
•Using an alpha hydroxy acid in a moisturizer base may be the best combination of products.
•Cleansers containing alpha hydroxy acids are not very effective because the alpha hydroxy acid must be absorbed in the skin to work. Cleansers are washed off before this absorption occurs.
•At this time there are no effective products that combine alpha hydroxy acid and sunscreen, because sunscreen is not stable at the pH required to make the alpha hydroxy acid effective.
•Sunscreen MUST be applied liberally when using an alpha hydroxy acid product. The sunscreen should have an SPF of at least 15 for UVB protection and contain avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide for UVA protection.
•Alpha hydroxy acids work best in a concentration of 5% to 8% and at a pH of 3 to 4.
•Unfortunately, cosmetic manufacturers are not required to provide concentration information on the label. As a general rule of thumb, having the alpha hydroxy acid listed as the second or third ingredient on the list makes it more likely it contains the proper concentration.
•The only way to know for sure the pH of a product is to test with a pH strip. Paula Begoun has done this in her skin care product reviews found in her book "Don't go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me."
Why are AHAs used in some cosmetics?
Products containing AHAs are marketed for a variety of purposes, such as smoothing fine lines and surface wrinkles, improving skin texture and tone, unblocking and cleansing pores, and improving skin condition in general. Sometimes AHAs are used in cosmetics for other purposes, such as to adjust the pH (the degree of acidity or alkalinity).
How do AHAs work?
AHA-containing products cause exfoliation, or shedding of the surface skin. The extent of exfoliation depends on the type and concentration of the AHA, its pH, and other ingredients in the product.
What about products that contain AHAs and are marketed with therapeutic claims?
Some products containing AHAs have been marketed for uses such as treating acne, removing scars, and lightening discolorations. Among these are some products marketed as "skin peelers," which may contain relatively high concentrations of AHAs or other acids and are designed to remove the outer layer of the skin. Products that are intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or to affect the structure or any function of the body are drugs under the law (Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Sec. 201(g)). For example, products intended for use as acne treatments or skin lighteners are considered drugs. For more on this subject, see Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (or Is It Soap?)1 and the Warning Letter issued to Global Esthetics2.
Has FDA received reports of adverse events related to AHAs?
FDA received a total of 114 adverse dermatologic experience reports for AHA-containing skin care products between 1992 and February 2004, with the maximum number in 1994. The reported adverse experiences included burning (45), dermatitis or rash (35), swelling (29), pigmentary changes (15), blisters or welts (14), skin peeling (13), itching (12), irritation or tenderness (8), chemical burns (6), and increased sunburn (3). The frequency of such reports for skin exfoliating products that contain AHAs has been considerably lower in subsequent years. The more serious adverse reactions appear to occur most often with products that cause the greatest degree of exfoliation, such as "skin peelers."
Has FDA conducted research on the safety of AHAs?
Yes. These studies (1) compared the effect of AHAs, topically applied in a cream, on the sensitivity of human skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation with the effect of the same cream containing no AHAs, (2) measured how fast the skin returns to normal after use of the AHA-containing cream is discontinued, and (3) investigated whether AHAs enhance UV-induced damage to DNA in the skin (Kays Kaidbey, Betsy Sutherland, Paula Bennett, Wayne G. Wamer, Curtis Barton, Donna Dennis, and Andrija Kornhauser, Topical glycolic acid enhances photodamage by ultraviolet light, Photodermatology, Photoimmunology and Photomedicine, vol. 19 (2003), issue 1, pages 21-27).
These studies confirmed previous industry studies indicating that applying AHAs to the skin results in increased UV sensitivity. After four weeks of AHA application, volunteers' sensitivity to skin reddening produced by UV increased by 18 percent. Similarly, the volunteers' sensitivity to UV-induced cellular damage doubled, on average, with considerable differences among individuals.
However, the studies also indicated that this increase in sensitivity is reversible and does not last long after discontinuing use of the AHA cream. One week after the treatments were halted, researchers found no significant differences in UV sensitivity among the various skin sites.
The studies did not identify exactly how AHAs bring about the increased UV sensitivity, although the effects did not appear to involve dramatic increases in UV-induced damage to DNA in the skin.
Previous FDA studies have indicated that a cosmetic-type cream base caused an AHA to penetrate more deeply into the skin when compared to an AHA solution without the usual cosmetic ingredients. However, further studies will be needed to learn how much, if at all, those cosmetic-type ingredients influence the AHA-related effects on UV sensitivity.
FDA also has collaborated with the National Toxicology Program3 (NTP) to assess the safety of the long-term use of AHAs. This study determined that glycolic acid did not affect photocarcinogenesis (the development of cancer cells associated with exposure to light) in mice, and that salicyclic acid had a photoprotective effect (protected against the effects of light) in mice. The complete results of this study are available in the NTP Technical Report on the Photocarcinogenesis Study of Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid (CAS Nos. 79-14-1 and 69-72-7) in SKH-1 Mice (Available in PDF (1.9MB))4.
FDA continues to review available data on AHAs to address the potential for this increased skin sensitivity to the sun.
How can AHAs be used safely?
It is important to follow directions carefully and heed any warning statements on the label when using any cosmetic product. If you are using AHAs, it is advisable to use sun protection.
FDA recommends that the labeling of a cosmetic product that contains an AHA as an ingredient and that is topically applied to the skin or mucous membrane, such as the lips, bear a statement that conveys the following information:
Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards.
Based on industry-sponsored studies, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel — the industry's self-regulatory body for reviewing the safety of cosmetic ingredients — concluded that products containing the AHAs glycolic and lactic acid are safe for use by consumers if:
The AHA concentration is 10 percent or less.
The final product has a pH of 3.5 or greater.
The final product is formulated in such a way that it protects the skin from increased sun sensitivity or its package directions tell consumers to use daily protection from the sun.
How can I know if a cosmetic product contains AHAs?
Under the authority of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act6 (FPLA), FDA requires an ingredient declaration on cosmetic products sold at the retail level to consumers.
However, because the FPLA does not apply to products used exclusively by professionals — for example, in salons — the requirement for an ingredient declaration does not apply to these products. The most common AHAs in cosmetic products are glycolic acid and lactic acid. Among others are citric acid, hydroxycaprylic acid, and hydroxycapric acid.
New Research- How Anti-Aging Cosmetics Work
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A team of investigators from UC Davis and Peking University have discovered a mechanism that may explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams - work to enhance skin appearance. An understanding of the underlying process may lead to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications. The findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in an article entitled Intracellular proton-mediated activation of TRPV3 channels accounts for exfoliation effect of alpha hydroxyl acids on keratinocytes.
AHAs are a group of weak acids typically derived from natural sources such as sugar cane, sour milk, apples and citrus that are well known in the cosmetics industry for their ability to enhance the appearance and texture of skin. Before this research, little was known about how AHAs actually caused skin to flake off and expose fresh, underlying skin.
The cellular pathway the research team studied focuses on an ion channel -- known as transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) -- located in the cell membrane of keratinocytes, the predominant cell type in the outer layer of skin. The channel is known from other studies to play an important role in normal skin physiology and temperature sensitivity. In a series of experiments that involved recording electrical currents across cultured cells exposed to AHAs, the investigators developed a model that describes how glycolic acid (the smallest and most biologically available AHA) enters into keratinocytes and generates free protons, creating acidic conditions within the cell. The low pH strongly activates the TRPV3 ion channel, opening it and allowing calcium ions to flow into the cell. Because more protons also enter through the open TRPV3 channel, the process feeds on itself. The resulting calcium ion overload in the cell leads to its death and skin exfoliation.
Our experiments are the first to show that the TRPV3 ion channel is likely to be the target of the most effective skin enhancer in the cosmetics industry," said Jie Zheng, professor of physiology and membrane biology at UC Davis and one of the principal investigators of the study. "Although AHAs have been used for years, no one until now understood their likely mechanism of action. Besides being found in skin cells, TRPV3 also is found in cells in many areas of the nervous system and is sensitive to temperature as well as acidity. The authors speculate that the channel may have a variety of important physiological functions, including pain control. Lead author Xu Cao, who conducted the study with UC Davis scientists as a visiting student from Peking University Health Science Center,
focuses on TRPV3 channel research. With a team of researchers in China, he recently contributed to the discovery that a mutation in TRPV3 leads to Olmsted syndrome, a rare congenital disorder characterized by severe itching and horny skin development over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. While in the UC Davis Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, Cao discovered that AHAs also utilize the TRPV3 channel. Calcium channels are becoming increasingly recognized as having vital functions in skin physiology," said Cao. "TRPV3 has the potential to become an important target not only for the cosmetics industry but for analgesia and treating skin disease.
(Source- Journal of Biological Chemistry)
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