Effective use of Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is one of the most potent and most commonly used chemicals found in over-the-counter acne treatments. Along with benzoyl peroxide, it’s found its way into almost every major topical acne regimen out there. However, salicylic acid is not always the most effective or safest chemical to apply to your skin.
Acne usually comes hand-in-hand with clogged pores. These clogged pores are not always the cause of acne, as acne pustules can certainly form without them (as cysts do), but they commonly contribute to it, especially in mild cases of acne. A common method of combating clogged pores is through the use of exfoliating chemicals such as salicylic acid.
We commonly think of acid as being a volatile chemical that burns through other materials. In the case of salicylic acid acne treatments, that’s in fact how it is basically used. Applied to your skin, salicylic acid helps burn away the top layer of dead cells, often taking the gunk that has become clogged in your pores with it.
If this sounds like a harsh treatment, that’s because it can be. Especially for those with sensitive skin, the use of salicylic acid can result in skin irritation that may end up causing more hard than good. It’s for this reason that treatments which contain SA commonly include a moisturizer such as aloe as well. Unfortunately, watering down the formula with lots of moisturizing agents results in less exfoliation, so product manufacturers can be left in a catch 22.
Salicylic acid is a surface-level treatment, and since most moderate-to-severe cases of acne require something that goes deeper, its benefits are limited. On top of this, the fact that it often causes damage to the user’s skin makes it even less helpful. However, salicylic acid can still have its uses.
While the skin on your face is apt to be sensitive and easily irritated, this is not the case when it comes to many other places on your body, such as your back. Back acne is commonly caused by surface-level clogged pores due to an uneven build up of dead cells, and in these cases salicylic acid may be just the right treatment. The fact that your skin is tougher and more resilient in areas such as your back also makes the treatment much more practical. So while salicylic acid is not usually the best treatment for your face, as a body acne solution it may prove useful, especially when combined with a preventive internal clear skin treatment.
