Believe it or not, your skin is a master of renewal. Every day it works hard to replace old, damaged cells with fresh, radiant ones. In an ideal world, this mechanism would need no help, but unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. Think of acid rain, air pollution, and UV radiation, but also our own behavior often makes living conditions for the skin less than ideal, such as too little sleep, alcohol, medication use, or unhealthy eating.
Then your skin could use a little help. If you are currently suffering from dull skin, or many dead skin cells, a peel can support your skin. A facial peel might sound a bit scary, but if done gently, in a skin-friendly way, it can sometimes give your skin just that little push it needs. You can then choose between a peel or a scrub. Read more about the difference between a peel and a scrub here.
What does a peel do to your skin?
Let's start with the most important thing: why would you even use a peel for your face? A facial peel helps to accelerate the natural exfoliation process - as described above - by gently loosening dead skin cells, making the skin look fresher and more radiant. Additionally, a peel can help improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, diminish hyperpigmentation (pigment formation), and even reduce acne.
What is AHA?
Let's delve deeper into an important ingredient in Food for Skin's fruit acid peel: Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs). AHAs are a group of natural acids found in various foods and plants, such as apples, lemons, grapes, and sugarcane. They are known for their ability to gently exfoliate the skin by breaking down the bonds between dead skin cells, allowing them to be easily removed.
The main benefit of AHAs is their ability to stimulate skin cell renewal. By gently exfoliating the outermost layer of the skin, new, fresh skin cells are brought to the surface, making the skin look smoother, softer, and more radiant.
Peeling against pigment
Furthermore, AHAs can help reduce hyperpigmentation, improve skin texture, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and reduce acne. They can also improve skin hydration by stimulating the production of hyaluronic acid in the skin.
What truly sets AHAs apart is their ability to penetrate deep into the skin, where they help stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. These proteins are essential for firm, fresh-looking skin.
Difference between AHA and BHA
There are two main types of fruit acid peels widely used in skincare: AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids). These acids are essential for achieving fresh and radiant skin, but what exactly are AHA and BHA?
AHAs are fruit acids that are water-soluble, while BHAs are oil-soluble. This fundamental difference has important implications for how they work on the skin.
AHA acids such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, and vitamin C, work by softening dead skin cells as soon as they come into contact with the skin. This creates space for new, fresh skin cells to emerge. They are particularly effective for superficial exfoliation.
On the other hand, BHA acid, of which salicylic acid is the best-known example, is perfect for oilier parts of the skin. Because they are oil-soluble, BHAs can not only dissolve sebum on the skin's surface but also penetrate deep into the pores to prevent and clear blockages. This makes them ideal for people with oily skin or acne.
AHA or BHA?
But what do these acids actually do for your skin? Both AHAs and BHAs have an exfoliating effect, removing dead skin cells. The difference, however, lies in the depth of their action. While AHAs primarily target the skin surface, BHAs penetrate deeper, into the pores, thanks to their fat solubility. This makes BHAs particularly effective for combating acne and preventing clogged pores.
Whether you choose AHAs or BHAs, both have their benefits for healthy and radiant skin. The most important thing is to choose the right type of fruit acid based on your skin condition and specific needs. However, remember to be careful when using salicylic acid, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have an aspirin allergy.
Note: when using a scrub, facial peel or exfoliant, we strongly recommend using good SPF protection on the day of the peel or in the days after, because dead skin cells also function to provide a very small amount of sun protection. If your skin is freshly renewed, that natural protective layer is gone, making you more susceptible to sunburn (UVB) and damage to the deeper skin layer (UVA). Food for Skin's SPF 30 is nourishing for the skin and protects well against UVA and UVB.
How often to peel face
A peel can give your skin a nice boost, but we advise doing this a maximum of twice a week, as it still affects the skin barrier. You don't want to overload the skin barrier and, more importantly: not pamper it too much by taking over the skin's own mechanism. It is important that the skin does not become dependent on supportive products but receives enough stimuli to continue renewing itself.
How to use a peel?
Some peels or exfoliants are advised not to be removed from the skin. At Food for Skin, we do recommend rinsing off the peel with lukewarm water after a maximum of 10 minutes to prevent excessive action. Too long or too many peels can result in dryness, redness, or sensitivity of the skin.
- Preferably apply the peel in the evening to well-cleansed skin. Ideally after using a mild, non-drying cleanser, such as the Carrot Oil Cleanser.
- Using a pipette, take approximately 1.5 pipettes of Apple Peeling for the face and neck, drip this into a clean hand, and gently massage into the face. Avoid the eye contours.
- Do not place the pipette on your hand or face, so that the pipette remains clean of bacteria. After touching the skin, we recommend cleaning the pipette to prevent bacterial growth in the bottle.
- Rinse off with lukewarm water after a maximum of 10 minutes.
- Then apply a nice serum that provides the skin with some extra nourishment and then protect the skin with a good cream, such as the Tomato Base Cream. This retains moisture in the skin and protects the skin from external influences.
- For a few days after use, apply an extra layer of SPF during the day (SPF30 from Food for Skin), because the skin is more susceptible to sunburn and aging from the sun after exfoliation.
Mild Peel
The Apple Peeling is a natural exfoliant made with the mild variant, AHAs, because our skin philosophy is that the skin can perfectly maintain itself, with a little help from the outside. That's why we chose an AHA with the power of Italian apples, grapes, lemons, and wheat, which are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to nourish and brighten your skin. This peel offers a very mild exfoliation suitable for all skin types, while simultaneously hydrating and soothing with the help of Aloe Vera. The mild peel is suitable for home use.
AHA fruit acid
The % AHA in the Apple Peeling is approximately 5%, making it a mild peel, suitable for most skin conditions. In the case of extremely sensitive skin or damaged skin, we advise against using a peel. This is a good fruit acid peel for home use, as it is a mild peel, suitable for almost all skin conditions.
Furthermore, the Apple Peeling is produced with partly upcycled ingredients, meaning the ingredients come from waste streams from the food industry, reducing food waste and environmental impact.
A nice win-win, right?
