It wasn’t until the entry of anti-ageing potions in stores, that we felt the need to examine the ingredients that go in them. Among a select few promising ingredients, what grabbed our attention the most was glycolic acid, a naturally occurring ingredient featured in skin care potions formulated to treat wrinkle and acne-prone skin.
Contemplating the role of glycolic acid in reversing skin ageing, we find it to be a terrific exfoliator that works to eliminate dead tissues and lessen the appearance of scars, spots or blemishes that tend to ruin the appearance of your skin, externally.
What Is Glycolic Acid?
Glycolic acid is the simplest form of alpha hydroxy acid, obtained in its natural state from sugarcane juice. It’s a water-soluble hydroxy acid with the smallest molecular size, compared to other AHAs.
This quality deems it fit for gentle exfoliation of skin, even acne-prone skin as it easily reaches the innermost layer of the skin to revamp its texture and eliminate dead cells from its surface. The result is brighter, youthful and radiant-looking skin.
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Skin Benefits of Glycolic Acid:
A good number of skin benefits can be drawn from glycolic acid, the most freely occurring alpha hydroxy acid in nature. The most praiseworthy feature of this AHA is its ability to work as a humectant.
Applying glycolic acid-based products on dry skin draws moisture from the surroundings to hydrate drying skin cells.
Here are some more benefits of glycolic acid for the skin:
- Delays skin ageing
- Blurs wrinkles and fine lines
- Heals acne and lightens acne marks
- Cleanses and tightens skin pores
- Reduces pigmentation and blemishes
- Rectifies uneven skin tone
- Revives dehydrated skin
- Repairs dry, damaged skin
- Prevents sun damage
In a large variety of skin products containing glycolic acid, there’s the presence of certain toxic chemicals that are not considered good for extended use on the skin.
Hence, the most convenient strategy to get the best skin benefits from Glycolic Acid is using face masks made from natural ingredients rich in glycolic acid to peel away the dead tissue layer developing on your skin.
For more inspiration on concocting your own Glycolic Acid beauty recipes, here’s a rundown of some of the most easy-to-find food sources of Glycolic acid, you can use on your face to restore youth and vitality.
Including these foods in your daily diet is also set to maximize your skin’s ability to regenerate itself and put away the signs of ageing.
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10 Natural Sources Of Glycolic Acid (Glycolic Acid in Food):
1. Sugarcane Juice
A storehouse of anti-oxidants, sugarcane juice tops the charts for the copious amounts of glycolic acid it contains. However, the health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice far exceed the benefits reaped by the skin via its topical application.
Still, it is placed as one of the best skin beautifying ingredients, that act on acne, wrinkles, blemishes and dark spots all at once to give you a clear and speck-free complexion.
Other than glycolic acid, sugarcane juice is richly loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients like flavonoids. These amplify the skin’s regenerative ability, thereby giving you a firmer, smoother and poreless skin.
2. Sour Milk
Sour milk is a great skin ingredient owing to its high lactic acid content, but what remains a secret to be unfolded is its rich glycolic acid composition.
For this reason, sour milk is hailed as a superb anti-ageing potion.
Daily application of sour milk on your face would not only fade spots and blemishes but also work on filling up wrinkles, especially crowfeet that develop on the outer corners of your eyes as you hit middle age.
3. Apples
If you think of apples only be a health food, you need to see them in a new light, as a skin food. For a long time, the pectin in apples was thought to be the only ingredient working to replicate the skin’s ailing health.
But now, there’s enough evidence pointing to the role of glycolic acid in apples that make them a perfect anti-ageing and Anti-acne food.
Apple face masks and beauty recipes are highly effective in dealing with blemish-prone and wrinkling skin. On acne, the benefits of apples outweigh all other skin benefits they intend to offer.
This is due to the presence of pectin and glycolic acid, two potent skin nutrients that together act on inflammation in skin pores and slough away dead tissues to get rid of unappealing acne marks.
4. Pineapple
Pineapples are not just a wonderful summer weight-loss fruit! They are loaded with highly beneficial skin-nurturing components that help with cell renewal and uplift the overall appearance of skin due to their rich glycolic acid content.
Applying freshly squeezed pineapple juice on ageing and blemished skin hydrates and revives it instantaneously. The pores are also cleansed and receive all the nutrients they need to make your skin look pore-free and glowy, at the same time.
5. Honey
Like in most other beauty food lists, honey makes a presence here as an excellent source of AHA glycolic acid. It is for this very ingredient, that honey is hailed as a superb anti-ageing ingredient that always features in all DIY anti-ageing recipes.
It hydrates, brightens, renews and repairs acne-prone, blemished and wrinkly skin, three major skin issues that affect people of all ages.
6. Papaya
This summer skin food not only beats the effects of harmful UV rays but is also an irresistible fix for issues like premature ageing, freckles, acne, scars and skin sagging.
Papaya fruit is power-packed with Glycolic Acid that rectifies nearly every skin concern to give it a much-needed makeover.
Roping in this fruit in your favourite summer beauty recipes not only refreshes and cools your skin but also works to peel away dead skin cells gently, giving way to fresher and radiant skin.
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7. Sugar Beets
Sugar beets are the world’s second most prevalent source of sugar. What’s good about these is their super-rich glycolic acid percentage, which goes a long way in placing them as super skin food.
In India, it might be hard to find them, but if you ever come across the tropical variety in the Southern part of India, make it a top priority to save all the leftovers to use on your face to get youthful and clearer-looking skin.
8. Unripe Grapes
The anti-ageing power of grapes is not unknown, but what deserves recognition about these wonderful beauty boosters is their rich AHA profile, specifically Glycolic Acid.
Until now, resveratrol, an anti-oxidant was the only component thought to be responsible for the cell renewal ability of grapes, but with more research, Glycolic acid, an AHA came out as an active player in promoting youth and skin vitality upon regular consumption and topical use of unripe grapes on skin.
9. Tomatoes
This humble fruit has not gained much attention, despite its super-rich anti-ageing, anti-acne and blemish control features. Tomatoes are the most abundant food item that can easily meet your skin’s Glycolic Acid requirement.
Dabbing tomato juice on acne scars and wrinkles helps transform the skin within a few days due to the gentle exfoliating action of Glycolic acid found in tomatoes.
Mixing it with other ingredients like honey, milk and yoghurt boosts their power to check acne and blemishes and also puts away the development of lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen release.
10. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits have another reason to be proud of their youth-nurturing ability. It’s the presence of Glycolic acid! Along with vitamin C, glycolic acid in kiwifruit, oranges, lemons and all other varieties of citrus fruits do promote elastin and collagen release for firmer and wrinkle-free skin.
These two ingredients fill up lines, wrinkles and clear scars, within a few weeks. The result is plumper, radiant and hydrated skin that retains the moisture and nutrients for lasting nourishment.
Treat your skin with the goodness of glycolic acid found in these foods and see it getting brighter, younger and clearer every single day.
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