salicylic acid Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Mandelic Acid Benefits for Skin Cell Turnover and Acne Reduction

AHA Publisher — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:00:53 +0000

Christine Ruggeri, CHHC via Dr. Axe – We’re all looking for the secret ingredient that will give us a clearer, brighter and more youthful appearance. There’s no shortage of natural and synthetic ingredients in the cosmetic world, with alpha hydroxy acids like mandelic acid (MA) one of them. Mandelic acid is an exfoliant that’s used in skin peels to promote cell turnover, improve skin texture and fight acne. Unlike most acids used in skin care, MA is known to be gentler on the skin because of its larger molecular structure, so even those with sensitive skin types can use it with a greater chance of tolerability. What Is Mandelic Acid? Mandelic acid is a type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that’s used as an exfoliator and tool to promote skin cell turnover. It’s derived from bitter almonds and used in cosmetic products and prescription topicals to improve acne and fight signs of aging. Like salicylic acid, glycolic acid and azelaic acid, MA is a common ingredient in skin peels, serums and masks. It’s a gentle acid that works to improve complexion, texture and elasticity. Benefits The many mandelic acid benefits come from its exfoliating properties and ability to promote skin cell turnover. Here’s a breakdown of the top reasons to use a product containing MA: 1. Exfoliates the Skin Mandelic acid is known for its ability to exfoliate the skin and promote surface skin cell turnover. It releases skin cells, while removing buildup on the skin’s surface. This leaves you with a fresher, brighter appearance and supports overall skin health. Skin cell turnover also improves damaged skin, reduces hyperpigmentation or dark spots, and helps to reduce acne. 2. Increases Collagen Production Research indicates that exfoliants like mandelic acid work to remove existing epidermal skin structures and promote new collagen production. They also boost or balance sebumproduction and help keep the skin hydrated when it’s dry or damaged. 3. Improves Complexion and Firmness Mandelic acid helps clear away old skin cells and promote new cell growth. It also controls sebum levels and improves skin elasticity. For these reasons, it’s a great tool for better complexion, firmness and texture. A study done to evaluate the efficacy of a MA topical found that after four weeks of use, it increased skin firms by 23 percent and increased elasticity of the lower eyelid skin by 25 percent. The study authors concluded that mandelic acid is an effective topical treatment option for improving skin quality. 4. Fights Acne A 2020 study that compared the effects of salicylic acid and MA on improving acne found that both agents were equally effective, with mandelic acid having an upper hand in treating inflammatory lesions. Researchers concluded that a 45 percent mandelic acid peel was equally effective as 30 percent salicylic acid peel in mild to moderate facial acne, but the safety and tolerability of mandelic acid was better. 5. Gentle on Sensitive Skin Mandelic acid has a larger molecular structure than other AHAs that are commonly used in skin care products, making it less able to penetrate the skin deeply but allowing it to be gentler on sensitive skin. While some acids can cause skin irritation, mandelic acid peels are known to be well-tolerated and just as effective. How to Use You will find mandelic acid in skin peels, serums, masks, face washes and other skin care products. For most mandelic acid products, using them two to three times weekly is enough — or less for sensitive skin types. MA can be used in combination with most other cosmetic ingredients or products, but don’t use it with other peels or retinol to avoid adverse reactions. It’s also important not to use MA on sunburned or irritated skin. Most often, products containing MA are applied as part of a nighttime skin care routine, used after cleansing the face and before applying moisturizer. Every product is different, so follow the directions on the label, and take it slow to avoid irritation or adverse reactions. Risks and Side Effects Mandelic acid is considered to be gentler on the skin than many other AHAs, but it’s still possible that you experience sensitivity to it, so try it on a small surface area first. Some possible side effects of mandelic acid include swelling, redness, itching and irritation. It is possible to overdo it with skin care products that contain exfoliants like MA, so stick to one to three times per week ,and reduce usage if you experience adverse reactions. Mandelic vs. Glycolic Acid Glycolic acid (GA) is also an alpha hydroxy acid that’s commonly used in skin care products for its hydrating and acne-fighting effects. Like MA, it works as an exfoliant that removes dead skin cells and makes way for new ones. It also helps get rid of excess oils and buildup on the skin. You’ll find glycolic acid in face washes, toners, creams and peels. Products containing this acid are usually recommended for people with normal, oily or combination skin, but those with dry or sensitive skin may not do well with GA. Mandelic acid has a larger molecular structure than glycolic acid and other AHAs, so it’s known to be gentler on the skin. Conclusion Mandelic acid is a type of alpha hydroxy acid that’s used as an exfoliator and tool to promote skin cell turnover. It’s derived from bitter almonds and used in cosmetic products and prescription topicals to improve acne and fight signs of aging. Start by using products containing MA once per week in the evening, after cleansing your face. If your skin reacts well to the ingredient, you can use it two to three times weekly or as indicated on the product label. To read the original article click here.

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How to Get the Benefits of Aspirin Without the Risks

AHA Publisher — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 08:00:20 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – For people without a personal history of cardiovascular disease, aspirin’s risks may outweigh its benefits, but aspirin may have additional benefits. “We have long recognized the preventative role of daily aspirin for patients with atherosclerotic [heart] disease; however, it now appears that we can hatch 2 birds from 1 egg. Daily low-dose aspirin may help prevent certain forms of cancer, as well, as I discuss in my video Should We All Take Aspirin to Prevent Cancer? In an analysis of eight different studies involving more than 25,000 people, “the authors found a 20 percent decrease in risk of death from cancer among those randomized to daily aspirin…” The researchers wrote, “[T]he search for the most efficacious and safe treatments for malignant disease remains an enormous and burdensome challenge. If only we could just stop cancer in its tracks—prevent it before it strikes. Perhaps we can.” Indeed, perhaps we can with salicylic acid, the plant phytonutrient that’s marketed as aspirin. How does aspirin affect cancer? The Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to the team who discovered how aspirin works. Enzymes named COX (cyclooxygenase) take the pro-inflammatory, omega-6, fatty-acid arachidonic acid our body makes or we get directly in our diet (primarily from eating chicken and eggs), and turns it into inflammatory mediators, such as thromboxane, which produces thrombosis (clots), and prostaglandins, which cause inflammation. Aspirin suppresses these COX enzymes. Less thromboxane means fewer clots, and less prostaglandin means less pain, swelling, and fever. However, prostaglandins can also dilate the lymphatic vessels inside tumors, allowing cancer cells to spread. So, one way cancer tries to kill us is by boosting COX activity. We think one way aspirin can prevent cancer is by counteracting the tumor’s attempts to pry open the lymphatic bars on its cage and spread throughout the body. Indeed, reduction in mortality due to some cancers occurred within two to three years after aspirin was started. That seems too quick to be accounted for by an effect only on tumor formation . Cancer can take decades to develop, so the only way aspirin could work that fast is by suppressing the growth and spread of tumors that already exist. Aspirin appeared to cut the risk of metastases in half, particularly for adenocarcinomas, like colon cancer. Given this, should we all take a daily baby aspirin? Previous risk-benefit analyses did not consider the effects of aspirin on cancer, instead just balancing cardiovascular benefits with bleeding risks, but these new cancer findings may change things. If daily aspirin use were only associated with a reduction of colon cancer risk, then the benefits might not outweigh the harms for the general population, but we now have evidence that it works against other cancers, too. “[E]ven a 10% reduction in overall cancer incidence…could tip the balance” in favor of benefits over risks. How does the cancer benefit compare? We know that using aspirin in healthy people just for cardiovascular protection is kind of a wash, but, by contrast, the cancer prevention rates might save twice as many lives, so the benefits may outweigh the risks. If we put it all together—heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and bleeding—aspirin comes out as protective overall, potentially extending our lifespan. There is a higher risk of major bleeding even on low-dose aspirin, but there are fewer heart attacks, clotting strokes, and cancers. So, overall, aspirin may be beneficial. It’s important to note that the age categories in that study only went up to 74 years, though. Why? Because the “risk of bleeding on aspirin increases steeply with age,” so the balance may be tipped the other way at 75 years and older. But, in younger folks, these data certainly have the research community buzzing. “The emerging evidence on aspirin’s cancer protection highlights an exciting time for cancer prevention…” “In light of low-dose aspirin’s ability to reduce mortality from both vascular events and cancer to a very notable degree, it is tempting to recommend this measure…for most healthy adults…However, oral aspirin, even in low doses, has a propensity to damage the gastroduodenal mucosa [linings of our stomachs] and increase risk for gastrointestinal bleeding; this fact may constrain health authorities from recommending aspirin use for subjects deemed to be at low cardiovascular risk”—that is, for the general population. “Recent meta-analyses estimate that a year of low-dose aspirin therapy will induce major gastrointestinal bleeding (requiring hospitalization) in one subject out of 833…” If only there were a way to get the benefits without the risks. Those who remember my video Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods already know there is. The aspirin phytonutrient salicylic acid isn’t just found in willow trees, but throughout the plant kingdom, from blackberries and white onions to green apples, green beans, and beyond. This explains why the active ingredient in aspirin is found normally in the bloodstream even in people not taking aspirin. The levels of aspirin in people who eat fruits and vegetables are significantly higher than the levels of those who don’t. If we drink just one fruit smoothie, our levels rise within only 90 minutes. But, one smoothie isn’t going to do it, of course. We need to have regular fruit and vegetable consumption every day. Are these kinds of aspirin levels sufficient to suppress the expression of the inflammatory enzyme implicated in cancer growth and spread, though? Using umbilical cord and foreskin cells—where else would researchers get human tissue?—they found that even those low levels caused by smoothie consumption significantly suppressed the expression of this inflammatory enzyme on a genetic level. Since this aspirin phytonutrient is made by plants, we might expect plant-eaters to have higher levels. Indeed, not only did researchers find higher blood levels in vegetarians, but there was an overlap between people taking aspirin pills. Some vegetarians had the same level in their blood as people actually taking aspirin. Vegetarians may pee out as much of the active metabolite of aspirin as those who take aspirin do, simply because vegetarians eat so many fruits and vegetables. “Because the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin is probably the result of SA [salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin], and the concentrations of SA seen in vegetarians have been shown to inhibit [that inflammatory enzyme] COX-2 in vitro, it is plausible that dietary salicylates may contribute to the beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet, although it seems unlikely that most [omnivores] will achieve sufficient dietary intake of salicylates to have a therapeutic effect.” Aspirin can chew away at our gut. With all that salicylic acid flowing through their systems, plant-eaters must have higher ulcer rates, right? No. Both vegetarian women and men appear to have a significantly lower risk of ulcers. So, for the general population, by eating plants instead of taking aspirin, we may not only get the benefits without the risks, we can get the benefits with even more benefits. How is this possible? In plants, the salicylic acid can come naturally pre-packaged with gut-protective nutrients. For example, nitric oxide from dietary nitrates exerts stomach-protective effects by boosting blood flow and protective mucus production in the lining of the stomach—“effects which demonstrably oppose the pro-ulcerative impact of aspirin and other NSAIDs.” The researcher notes that while “[d]ark green leafy vegetables…are among the richest dietary sources of nitrate…it may be unrealistic to expect people to eat ample servings of these every day,” so we should just give people pills with their pills, but I say we should just eat our greens. People who’ve had a heart attack should follow their physician’s advice, which probably includes taking aspirin every day, but what about everyone else? I think everyone should take aspirin—but in the form of produce, not a pill. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Greger click here.

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