Because I know that AHA makes you more sensitive to the sun, normally I’ll put SPF on over it. But yesterday, because I thought I was just running a few errands and wouldn’t be in the sun very long, I decided against the SPF step. I was out for a couple of hours, getting in and out of my car, walking to and from, here and there. I really wasn’t out in the sun all that long, but still, my forehead got quite red. I just wanted to share my experience as a little warning to everyone who is using, or about to use, AHA. We have to be more cognizant of sun exposure while applying this stuff.

Hey you guys. I am very excited to report that I am still clear now that I’m using BP just at night and AHA in the morning. I previously switched to using just AHA at night, but changed it again so I’m using AHA in the morning so that I can wear colorful clothes without worry of bleaching during the day. I am so in love with this AHA. Our formulators did an incredible job. It is in a moisturizing base, and since it works with a different mechanism than BP I can put it on right after I shower without waiting for my skin to dry. Plus, my skin looks and feels great. My tone is even and I have a sixth sense that I have very few microcomedones. This means I have an intuitive sense that I have very few microscopic clogged pores that can cause trouble. So, my new morning routine is:

1. Shower
2. Apply AHA
3. Put on something colorful that I won’t bleach during the day
4. Put on SPF if it’s sunny (AHA makes skin more sensitive to sunlight)
5. Walk out the door

It is much easier than doing the regimen twice a day, so I’m psyched. I’m doing everything I can to get the AHA out to everyone as fast as I can, but these things take time. I’ll post a blog entry about the products in the pipeline in the next day or two.

I’ve been a big fan of 10% glycolic acid for years. I’ve found that it’s a great spot treatment and seen it work great on people’s body acne as well. Recently I decided to make one for us myself, and added lichochalcone, a powerful licorice root extract which may be incredible at interrupting the inflammation cascade (it’ll be out in the coming months).

At any rate, I started using this new 10% AHA + lichochalcone in the evenings in place of my usual moisturizer a few weeks ago. My skin has been 100% perfect since then. The regimen usually keeps me clear, but every so often I’ll at least see something minor trying to pop up that I need to zap with AHA. But since I started using the AHA at night, I am in no fear of having anything whatsoever. It’s pretty great. So, in the interest of experimentation, as of two days ago I started using only the AHA at night and eliminating the benzoyl peroxide. So far so good. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

I should mention that I am also trying different SPF formulations pretty much every day in an attempt to formulate the perfect SPF for us. Playing with two variables at the same time (eliminating BP at night and changing SPF each day) is not the smartest way to figure out what works and what doesn’t, so my experiment is a bit flawed. Regardless, if I can stay completely clear with just AHA at night, even with changing my SPF moisturizer every day, that’ll be pretty cool.