Skin care can be confusing under the best of circumstances, but it often gets worse when you’re trying to find the best routine for darker skin tones. The main difference between darker skin tones is that they are more prone to hyperpigmentation because there is more melanin in the skin. The rationale is that the more melanocytes there are in the skin, the higher the chance of hyperpigmentation developing, especially after minor superficial damage to the skin.
With this in mind, we wanted to know what the best steps are to treat dark skin and help maintain its overall health and appearance. These questions and similar ones will be answered in today’s blog post. If you want to know more, stay here. In the next section, you’ll learn briefly about mandelic acid and its benefits for your skin.
What is mandelic acid?
- Extracted from bitter almonds and formulated in a range of skin care products
- Known for its gentle effects on the skin and suitable for use on all skin types
- Removes layers of dead skin cells, dirt, bacteria and debris that accumulate on the skin’s surface
- By removing these deposits from your skin, you can eliminate the signs of premature aging like fine lines and wrinkles
- Helps clear acne from your skin by unclogging pores. This is possible through its antibacterial properties, which help dissolve comedones, also known as whiteheads and blackheads, while removing excess sebum
- Known for providing chemical peels, which are more easily tolerated by people with sensitive skin and darker skin tones
- If you’d like to learn more about mandelic acid and its effects on the skin, read our dedicated blog post.
Which acid is suitable for dark skin?
I have briefly discussed the best ways to treat dark skin. Since there is an increased risk of developing areas of hyperpigmentation and melasma, you need to be gentle with them. In fact, it is thought that lighter skin types can tolerate more exfoliation, which can cause many problems for people with darker or black skin types.
The best acids for dark skin are the mildest acids in the AHA family, such as lactic acid and mandelic acid. Both acids have large molecular sizes, which means they primarily act on the outer surface of the skin and rarely cause irritation, redness, or redness. That doesn’t mean they can’t effectively treat the skin and eliminate any signs of dryness, flaking and a dull, dull appearance.
Check out Beauty Insider to learn more about how these AHAs work on your skin.
How to use mandelic acid on dark skin?
Some product formulations contain mandelic acid. These products include cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers and nourishing masks. Depending on the product you choose, you will decide when to apply it to your skin in your daily routine. To get the benefits of your skin care products, you should apply them in order from thinnest to thickest. This ensures that the active ingredients can be absorbed into the skin without having to encounter the physical barrier that other thicker formulas create on the skin.
You can also combine mandelic acid with other powerful ingredients like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to enhance the benefits of mandelic acid. These all have antioxidant properties, ensuring that the skin’s lipid barrier is strengthened and protected from damage caused by free radicals such as pollution, UV rays, central heating and other environmental influences.
It’s important to note that chemical peels, even the mildest types, can increase your skin’s sensitivity to light. Therefore, it is important to wear SPF sunscreen daily to protect against sun damage, which can lead to further pigmentation and melasma on the skin.
Is mandelic acid good for skin of color?
Yes, mandelic acid is great for all skin tones, especially darker skin tones, as its gentle action is good for the skin without being too harsh. As I mentioned before, dark skin is more prone to hyperpigmentation than light skin. Therefore, it’s important to take the time to find the most effective daily routine that contains powerful ingredients to keep your skin in its healthiest condition.
Mandelic acid has some unique properties compared to other AHAs, such as its ability to micro-exfoliate. This means that mandelic acid removes excess pigment from the skin’s surface, resulting in a brighter, more even skin tone. Although it is a mild exfoliant, it can also penetrate deeper into the skin and inhibit melanin production. This causes hyperpigmented areas to not darken when exposed to UV rays.
Mandelic acid is not only effective at fighting skin discoloration, but also signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity. Through gentle exfoliation, the complexion renews itself over time, leaving you with plumper, firmer, more vibrant and healthier-looking skin. The question of whether mandelic acid can whiten skin is not the answer. This is because mandelic acid does not exfoliate the skin enough and thus affects skin pigments. With continued use, you’ll notice your skin tone becomes more even, existing sun spots, melasma, acne scars, and age spots are visibly reversed, and the acid prevents further damage to your skin.