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it's September it is Saturday morning if
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you're still in bed if you're still
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sitting on that couch or if you're
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debating whether to go work out get your
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ass up don't go work out go sit at the
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table get your pens and papers and it's
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Pillow Talk time I am Dr Shireen Idris a
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board certified dermatologist we do this
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every Saturday morning at 10 A.M where
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we cover a topic consisting of Cosmetic
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Skin Care ingredients questions about
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procedures medical conditions you name
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it we cover it so if you haven't
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subscribed subscribe below and if you've
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never left a comment or a question just
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say hello I am a Rhymer these days so it
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is September it is back to school we're
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back in the city pumpkin spices in the
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air and I don't care if you think that's
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basic and October 31st 11 59 PM is about
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to happen in two months so the Christmas
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tree is about to go up this is my
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favorite time of year it's really
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September where the Fresh Starts begin
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and given that you guys were probably
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out all summer burning to a crisp let us
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get your skincare in order with a fresh
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start and how do you start that
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exfoliation I recently did a YouTube
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live where we really dove into the
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basics of exfoliation it is up on my
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videos so you guys can catch it there we
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talked about why chemical exfoliants Are
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Better Than Physical ones because I'm
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not a fan of physical scrubs physical
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scrubs are not enzymatic scrubs that
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could be a discussion for another day
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ahas bhas and phas in that live and
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while I was recording the live I
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realized people really still don't quite
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understand the difference between the
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most common ones which are salicylic
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acid and glycolic acid so I wanted to go
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in deeper today and talk about the
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science between the two so that you guys
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know which one to use better for you
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because believe it or not I see patients
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every day in my office
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I would tell you guys like 40 of the
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time people do not know which exfoliant
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to use and they are overusing the wrong
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one and their skin is not happy so let
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us understand it together glycolic acid
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is in my opinion the star ingredient of
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alpha hydroxy acids
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ahas it is the smallest one of the alpha
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hydroxy acids and therefore can go the
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deepest in your skin
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derived from natural sources primarily
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sugar cane Believe It or Not nowadays is
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usually synthesized in a laboratory so
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people are not really getting it from
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sugarcane anymore salicylic acid is a
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beta hydroxy acid that is what people
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refer to as a BHA so when people are
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saying oh if you can use a BHA they're
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usually just talking about salicylic
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acid derived from natural sources
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primarily the bark of the willow tree
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Salix Alba and it can also be made in a
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lab which it usually is nowadays the
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primary function in skin care when
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you're thinking of glycolic acid or
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salicylic acid is exfoliation
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but exfoliation is not created equal
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across the board
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to simplify matters and this is probably
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going to be the biggest conclusion of
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the video but I hope you guys keep
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tuning in glycolic acid is best for
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surface exfoliation whereas salicylic
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acid is best if you have oily skin or
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even acne so that is the conclusion of
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it but you do have to understand that
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there is a little bit more to it
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glycolic acid in terms of solubility is
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not oil soluble it's not oil loving
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whereas salicylic acid is oil loving and
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so salicylic acid is going to be
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attracted to the oilier parts of your
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face deep within your pores to get in
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there and break up the gunk inside your
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pores so that your pores do not get
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clogged up
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up with extra oil that attracts that
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bacteria to promote and grow and you
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then have acne whereas glycolic acid is
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better for hydration glycolic acid
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interestingly enough indirectly helps to
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promote collagen production by
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triggering the fibroblasts those
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Powerhouse cells deeper in the dermis to
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start producing collagen so when I talk
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about exfoliation and let's say you're
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looking to exfoliate but you want some
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anti-aging benefits again I do not like
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the word anti-aging I sadly just have to
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use it because it is the word that
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everybody understands and if I say well
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aging you're going to be like what do
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you mean by that no time to explain in
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this video but glycolic acid has
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anti-aging benefits whereas salicylic
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acid doesn't quite have them the same
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way that glycolic acid does primary use
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of glycolic is surface exfoliation
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helping to buff those Fine Lines helping
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to buff the surface of your skin even
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out your skin tone whereas salicylic
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acid its main function is to go deep
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into your pores to really unclog those
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suckers and help you clear those suckers
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of the gunk that is there so they have
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completely different functionalities so
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when I see a 50 year old patient come in
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who is really not oily using a salicylic
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acid everyone uses Paula's Choice the
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gray bottle they all refer to it as the
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gray bottle they're like I'm exfoliating
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using the gray bottle I'm like yeah but
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you're not oily why are you using a
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salicylic acid on your face like twice a
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day which we will talk about how often
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to do it for so who is salicylic acid
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for it is for people with oily skin who
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have acne prone skin it can be used by
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other skin type as well and let's say
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you're not somebody who's super oily or
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super acne prone acne prone acne prone
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but you want to keep things under
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control you can incorporate a salicylic
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acid once a week into your routine to
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kind of keep your skin regulated but is
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it something that you need every day no
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whereas glycolic acid is much more
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suitable for people who have concerns of
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Aging sun damage the world on their face
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who are looking to have a smoother
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overall texture a more even skin tone
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and who are looking in the process to
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indirectly help themselves as they age
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by helping to promote collagen there is
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a myth that darker skin tones cannot use
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glycolic acid the reality is if you have
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a darker skin tone can you use glycolic
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acid absolutely you can it is not going
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to burn your skin and it is not going to
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make you react in a negative way all
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skin types and tones can use glycolic
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acid the issue is glycolic acid because
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it is the smallest is the most
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aggressive right of the ahas and
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therefore can cause a little bit of
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hypersensitivity for those who are
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sensitive if it causes a reaction in
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your skin and you are a little bit
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darker you may get post-inflammatory
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hyperpigmentation but that is the case
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with any ingredient that is going to
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give you an irritation glycolic acid
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because it is stronger can maybe be a
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little bit more irritating but in my
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experience I usually tell people to
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patch test it on the side of their face
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a couple of times a week to see how
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their face responds if they are somebody
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who is scared of the irritation
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potential and to go from there if they
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do not have any irritation knock
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yourself out and enjoy the benefits of
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glycolic acid it was at a dinner last
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night with a table of makeup artists who
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wear of Darker skin tones ranging from
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skin type I would say four and up and
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they have been using my flash mask which
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we will talk about in a second and
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obsessing over it their skin looked
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beautiful the other thing that people
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don't realize is that this is where
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understanding the extent of the
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percentage of glycolic acid or this also
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like acid not so much mostly glycolic
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acid is important what percentage should
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you use
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glycolic acid is effective between five
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to twenty percent it is harder to find
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nowadays in the U.S glycolic acid over
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15
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and honestly I think that is appropriate
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because when you go higher than that
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you're talking about chemical peels that
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are usually done under the supervision
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of a professional and that can lead to
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complications so you want to be a little
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bit careful with the percent that you're
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using when you're going above 15
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interestingly enough in Canada for
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example you're never going to find an
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over-the-counter glycolic acid over 10
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percent because it is illegal so that is
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a very interesting sort of country by
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country situation five to seven percent
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is what I would consider mild so if
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you're super dark and you're sensitive
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and you're scared but you want to
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venture in look for something on the
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lighter side in the mild section it is
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suitable for people with sensitive skin
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again I would still patch test and I
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wouldn't be scared if you have a darker
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skin tone medium strength is anywhere
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from eight to ten percent and these are
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often found in the form of toners again
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which is basically you have to
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understand which toner you're using and
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what's in it serums or even masks and
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it's a very effective form of
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exfoliating for most skin types and then
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I would say higher is 10 to 20 plus and
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this is more significant exfoliation
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it's going to definitely have more of an
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oomph on your skin and a better result
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for your skin you will feel the glow the
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next day and I say this is more
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recommended for people who understand
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their skin and who know that they're not
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sensitive can darker skin tones use
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glycolic acid over 10 percent absolutely
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but just make sure that you're not
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sensitive and like with anything
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honestly if you are worried always patch
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test first
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save yourself weeks and months of
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headaches by using one to three days to
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test a product definitely worth its
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weight in gold with regards to salicylic
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acid right the FDA in the U.S has only
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approved over-the-counter acne products
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between 0.5 percent to 2 percent
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when you see salicylic acid it is always
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going to be helpful for acne but not all
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products are going to be able to claim
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it why because of something called the
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drug fact label if they want to claim
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acne they have to go through this
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process to get a drug fact label on
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their packaging to say that it's good
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for acne but if you find a salicylic
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acid product without a drug fact label
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does that mean that it won't be good for
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acne no it will still be good for acne
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they just cannot use the word acne
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because then it is called a medical
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condition so it depends how much money a
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company has or is willing to spend to
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get that drug fact label on their panel
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but
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from point five percent to one percent
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suitable for daily use I'm not worried
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about it it's very light you're not
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going to be over exfoliating your skin
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over stripping your skin of its natural
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oils higher from one to two percent it's
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usually found in Levon treatments and in
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cleansers and honestly I don't love when
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people overuse this and we could talk
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about that in a second and it does also
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depend on your climate how humid it is
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and how oily you are so coming back to
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Sun sensitivity glycolic acid can make
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you a little bit more sun sensitive
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because it is the strongest so now you
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guys understand that if you're in Darker
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skin type and even if you're not
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everybody should be wearing sunscreen
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the next day after exfoliating which
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reminds me I like that you guys
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exfoliate at night not in the morning
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why so because after you've washed your
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face after you've taken your makeup off
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that's when you want to get rid of all
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of those dead skin cells that's when you
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want to go deep into your pores to help
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unclog them when you do it in the
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morning morning before makeup yeah your
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makeup might go on smoother so if you
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have a red carpet event sure there are
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exceptions to the rule but on a daily
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basis why are you cleaning the base of
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your face only to add more onto
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your face does not make sense salicylic
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acid in terms of sun sensitivity though
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is also going to make you a bit more sun
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sensitive so regardless of whichever one
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you're using definitely you have to wear
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a sunscreen if you cannot tolerate
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glycolic acid but you are looking for a
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little bit more anti-aging benefits this
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is where lactic acid is a good
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alternative it is the next best for
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surface exfoliation and then you have
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their cousins which are known as the
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phas the polyhydroxy acids you have
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something called bluecano lactone I will
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link a really old video I've done when I
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think I had covid on exfoliation below
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so you guys can watch that in terms of
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salicylic acid what can you use as an
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alternative if you cannot tolerate it
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you can actually use a aha interestingly
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enough the weakest of the ahas mandelic
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acid
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mandelic acid is also oil soluble unlike
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glycolic acid or lactic and it can go
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into your pores it is just very big and
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therefore great for people with
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sensitive skin so if you have oily skin
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or acne prone skin and you can't
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tolerate cell acid try mandelic acid
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let's talk about some glycolic acid
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product recommendations that I have here
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and then we're going to hit on some
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salicylic acid product recommendations
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so first and foremost first and foremost
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obviously I have an interest in this
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this is my company it is my product line
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I love it and I use this three to four
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times a week going into winter and I do
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it at night this is the Pillow Talk
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Durham flash mask which is an acid-based
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resurfacing mask I will show you guys it
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is a beautiful pink texture just like
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that and it retails for 48 dollars it
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has three main ingredients glycolic acid
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at 15 so I went the highest that I could
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possibly go while combining it with
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lactic acid as well as
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tranexamic acid to help even out your
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skin tone the reason I made it as a mask
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right is a gel mask is twofold one very
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honestly I wanted to make it harder for
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you guys to use so you don't overuse it
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but two I wanted you guys to figure out
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how long you can have it on your face
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for so if you're very sensitive if
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you're a darker skin type and you're
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sensitive or you're scared but you want
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glycolic acid leave it on for five
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minutes then wash it off if you're
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someone who's like I can tolerate this I
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will never publicize this on the website
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or on the brand side
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I actually put it an hour before I go to
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bed from head to my tits
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and go to sleep an hour later I don't
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wash it off I leave it on overnight and
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the next day in the shower when I wash
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my face my face is softer than a baby's
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bottom it is like I cannot stop touching
00:14:11
myself and people are like why are you
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touching your chest at work and I'm like
00:14:14
I don't know but it's so soft so anyway
00:14:17
love I made it I'm obviously biased if
00:14:21
you want something less intense L'Oreal
00:14:23
has their glycolic acid Serum at 10 it
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has a long play time it is honestly
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kind of expensive for 33 bucks for just
00:14:33
glycolic acid when I thought of like how
00:14:35
much I put in here but it is a beautiful
00:14:37
basic glycolic acid serum I do like it
00:14:41
because it goes a long way I like the
00:14:43
texture and it gives your skin a nice
00:14:45
Sheen it also has aloe extracts in it
00:14:47
which helps a little bit for soothing
00:14:49
benefits I hate The Dropper then you
00:14:51
have Bubble
00:14:53
which has a combination of aha plus PHA
00:14:58
this is for 18 it is also a mask like
00:15:03
that they do not disclose the percentage
00:15:05
so I am it kind of
00:15:09
it kind of stinks in a weird way it
00:15:11
smells like rotten cucumbers but
00:15:14
it has a nice texture and it is only 18
00:15:17
the issue with me is that they don't
00:15:19
disclose the percentage so that makes me
00:15:22
automatically assume that it is lower in
00:15:24
percentage and probably lower than 10
00:15:25
percent It's a combination of the two so
00:15:27
I am assuming again that it is better
00:15:30
for people with sensitive skin it does
00:15:33
have azelic acid in it which is
00:15:34
interesting if you have rosacea so it is
00:15:37
something that is interesting to look
00:15:39
into you're not going to break the bank
00:15:41
and worth testing on a spot if you're
00:15:43
sensitive and then obviously cheap
00:15:46
ordinary thirteen dollars it's a toning
00:15:49
solution it's very watery and it comes
00:15:51
in a weird dropper at least it's not
00:15:53
it's a nice dropper it's a scientific
00:15:55
dropper at least it's not a dropper this
00:15:56
way but this is seven percent glycolic
00:15:58
acid so this is great for beginners I
00:16:00
will also tell you guys if you have dark
00:16:02
other areas or even you know in other
00:16:05
parts of your body like your feet your
00:16:07
knees wherever you can use this as well
00:16:09
would I recommend this for the scalp
00:16:12
treatment that I see all over Tick Tock
00:16:13
there's better option something glycolic
00:16:15
acid for the scalp because your scalp is
00:16:17
usually oily so now you know which one
00:16:19
to use on your scalp not necessarily
00:16:20
this so those are glycolic acids in
00:16:23
terms of Sal acids everyone talks about
00:16:26
the gray bottle by Paula's Choice sure
00:16:28
this is two percent salicylic acid it
00:16:31
does not claim acne because there is no
00:16:33
drug fact it is great if you have acne
00:16:34
or only prone skin tanoxyl is another
00:16:37
one if I had to compare the two
00:16:40
they're very similar they both come in
00:16:42
bottles with droppers one has a drug
00:16:44
Fact one doesn't one retails for 34
00:16:46
dollars one retails for ten dollars this
00:16:49
one has green tea this one has spirulina
00:16:51
I will tell you
00:16:54
very very very very very very very very
00:16:56
similar for cell acid this probably does
00:16:58
the job but people love this I love
00:17:00
Polish Choice too I'm not endorsed by
00:17:02
the brand or paid by any of these people
00:17:03
so the interesting thing though is
00:17:06
Paula's Choice says use once or twice a
00:17:08
day after cleansing and toning whereas
00:17:10
panoxyl says start with application once
00:17:13
daily and increase slowly they also make
00:17:15
sure to say always finish with SPF 30
00:17:18
after using this product so I prefer the
00:17:21
directions of the panoxyl I don't think
00:17:23
you should use this twice a day you can
00:17:24
use it once a day at night if you're
00:17:26
somebody especially who's very oily now
00:17:29
if you live in a very humid environment
00:17:31
and you're very oily this is where
00:17:34
exceptions can be made and you can use
00:17:35
it twice a day but again get to know
00:17:38
your face and see how your face responds
00:17:40
in terms of a cleanserve has their acne
00:17:43
control cleanser which retails for 18.99
00:17:46
I don't have it here but Neutrogena also
00:17:48
has your salicylic acid cleanser skin
00:17:51
fix over here has their two percent acne
00:17:54
cleanser for 30 five bucks the
00:17:56
directions kind of vary on each when it
00:17:57
comes to cleansers let it sit on your
00:17:59
face for five or ten minutes before
00:18:00
washing it off I actually use it like a
00:18:03
mask and then I go do whatever I'm doing
00:18:05
then come back and wash it off and then
00:18:06
you even have spot treatments so if you
00:18:08
have a juicy pimple coming up or you
00:18:10
know something is irritated put it on
00:18:11
the spot it will help dry that baby and
00:18:14
that sucker out you could use this on a
00:18:16
spot twice a day no problem because that
00:18:18
is a very inflamed area
00:18:20
and then you have products that combine
00:18:22
ahas and bhas so you have products that
00:18:26
combine glycolic acid and salicylic acid
00:18:28
and this is people who are oily who want
00:18:29
some anti-aging benefits and who want to
00:18:32
have some smoother looking Skin So skin
00:18:34
better science has theirs this is very
00:18:36
expensive don't shoot the messenger at
00:18:38
115 it's a triple acid blend of glycolic
00:18:42
lactic and salicylic acid it comes in
00:18:44
individual packages which I will tell
00:18:46
you I like when I travel because I'm not
00:18:49
worried about any spillage is it a lot
00:18:51
of waste yes it is a lot of waste so
00:18:53
it's not something I necessarily use on
00:18:55
The Daily same goes for Dr Dennis gross
00:18:58
Alpha Beta peel pads for 92 bucks it's
00:19:01
really expensive and you hold on to
00:19:03
those pads for real life because you do
00:19:05
not want to lose them but this has
00:19:07
glycolic acid lactic acid and malic acid
00:19:09
in it as well as salicylic acid so those
00:19:12
are combo acid pads that are great for
00:19:16
travel or if you go to the gym and
00:19:17
you're on the go and you want to use
00:19:19
something without having to worry too
00:19:20
much about containers or you don't have
00:19:23
the time to sit around with a mask so
00:19:25
there you have it
00:19:26
that is a deep dive between Silo acid
00:19:29
and glycolic acid if you ever see me in
00:19:31
my practice and you have dry skin and I
00:19:33
ask you what exfoliation are you using
00:19:34
you're no longer allowed to say the gray
00:19:35
bottle by Paula's Choice because it will
00:19:38
not be suitable for you but I hope you
00:19:40
guys enjoyed this video if you have any
00:19:42
questions any comments whatsoever let me
00:19:44
know in the comment section below and I
00:19:46
will see you guys next week have a
00:19:49
beautiful Saturday
