When you dissolve the top layers of skin you're exposing the hyperpigmentation and making it look worse - the way hydroxy acids deal with pigmentation is that they eat away at the skin so that eventually they 'eat' through the pigmented skin and get rid of it.

If you stopped using it your skin would be back to normal within a week but you'd notice the pigmentation was slightly more faded than before you used it.

interesting, thanks.

I emailed Paula's choice team, they said using the AHA and BHA in conjunction was too much for my skin and suggested using the BHA only. because my skin tends to clog up, causing hard plugs of sebum, (which apparently i CANT stop squeezing out)

So if it eats away at the pigmented skin, what happens which its eating away at raw exposed skin? because honestly ive not seen that mark on my face like this before! that damage was done years ago at least 4 years ago.

so maybe its exposed it and now it will heal as you say?

I will stop using AHA and BHA together immediately after the email from PC. however they said stick to the BHA once per day.

your thoughts?

Stick to the BHA once daily, but use the AHA much less frequently, possibly every 1-2 weeks depending on how sensitive your skin is.

I use AHA every 3 days, but I'm not using it in conjunction with anything else.

Stick to the BHA once daily, but use the AHA much less frequently, possibly every 1-2 weeks depending on how sensitive your skin is.

I use AHA every 3 days, but I'm not using it in conjunction with anything else.

thanks lewis sounds like sound advice

AHA 8% can be used everyday , and Ive seen some videos by Dr Neal Schultz saying that AHA is the Gold standarnd chemical peel avaible even better than Retinioids he says and he says that its also very good for Hyperpigmentation. AHA should not irritate ur skin very much especilly when you are using 8%. Id say stopp using BHA and use AHA. I think its red becuase its cuasing some irritation since 8% AHA and 2%BHA should not peel of so much of the first layer of the skin.

AHA 8% can be used everyday , and Ive seen some videos by Dr Neal Schultz saying that AHA is the Gold standarnd chemical peel avaible even better than Retinioids he says and he says that its also very good for Hyperpigmentation. AHA should not irritate ur skin very much especilly when you are using 8%. Id say stopp using BHA and use AHA.

thanks for that hasmas,

yeah it didn't irritate my skin, i actually think my skin is quite hardy! it stung when i got it on a cut around my finger but my face tolerates it.

Only reason PC said to stick with BHA not aha is because it exfoliates inside the pore not just the surface, so this should help me with those hard black head type clogs i get

basically I get clogged pores (they dont turn black) and then i always end up squeezing them out and get left with scars/hyperpigmentation, and the process repeats. I think it may be wise to stick with the BHA 2% gel and see how I get on,

although I am open to just using AHA, as at this point i dont know which would be the more beneficial. perhaps it is a case of using BHA every day, then using AHA once a week when not using the BHA.

hmm

Hey

I used both of these products for quite some time on my face. However, I never used them at the same time (one on top of the other). I used my Paula's Choice BHA in the daytime and the Daily AHA at night.

BHA does exfoliate "deeper" than AHA. I also got an initial breakout from the BHA because of that reason. I did notice that when I wasn't using the AHA, that my skin would get kind of bumpy and less smooth feeling. The AHA definitely helps A LOT with red marks and keeps your skin feeling soft and healthy. My skin was actually the best it's ever been on these products, but I ran out and then couldn't afford to buy more. Also, I think one of the other reasons that my face was looking so nice was because I wasn't squeezing or picking. That's a huge factor. I've finally started to not squeeze again and my skin is going back to it's happy state.

Good luck!

Hey

I used both of these products for quite some time on my face. However, I never used them at the same time (one on top of the other). I used my Paula's Choice BHA in the daytime and the Daily AHA at night.

BHA does exfoliate "deeper" than AHA. I also got an initial breakout from the BHA because of that reason. I did notice that when I wasn't using the AHA, that my skin would get kind of bumpy and less smooth feeling. The AHA definitely helps A LOT with red marks and keeps your skin feeling soft and healthy. My skin was actually the best it's ever been on these products, but I ran out and then couldn't afford to buy more. Also, I think one of the other reasons that my face was looking so nice was because I wasn't squeezing or picking. That's a huge factor. I've finally started to not squeeze again and my skin is going back to it's happy state.

Good luck!

hey thanks for that reply,

so you used bha mornings and then aha at night every day? yes the smoothness is nice! I noticed that once some black heads came out lol. yum.

you ran out :0 then what? do you not use them now? yea not squeezing or picking is something I SERIOUSLY need to stop doing... how did you stop? I once did and it was great, skin looked great.. why the hell did i start again i hadnt picked for so long and when i went to pick it felt so unnatural

i'm annoyed because i have light scars due to this habbit..

what was your PC routine may i ask? i took a nosey at your photos and it worked amazingly for you!

AHA 8% can be used everyday , and Ive seen some videos by Dr Neal Schultz saying that AHA is the Gold standarnd chemical peel avaible even better than Retinioids he says and he says that its also very good for Hyperpigmentation. AHA should not irritate ur skin very much especilly when you are using 8%. Id say stopp using BHA and use AHA.

thanks for that hasmas,

yeah it didn't irritate my skin, i actually think my skin is quite hardy! it stung when i got it on a cut around my finger but my face tolerates it.

Only reason PC said to stick with BHA not aha is because it exfoliates inside the pore not just the surface, so this should help me with those hard black head type clogs i get

basically I get clogged pores (they dont turn black) and then i always end up squeezing them out and get left with scars/hyperpigmentation, and the process repeats. I think it may be wise to stick with the BHA 2% gel and see how I get on,

although I am open to just using AHA, as at this point i dont know which would be the more beneficial. perhaps it is a case of using BHA every day, then using AHA once a week when not using the BHA.

hmm

Well Dan said in some of his videos that BHA doesnt do it job well it doesnt exfoliates the pores becuase if it did we would not have clogged pores.I think BHA in higher concentration might exfoliates inside the pores better but the 2% is to weak for that.

Hey

I used both of these products for quite some time on my face. However, I never used them at the same time (one on top of the other). I used my Paula's Choice BHA in the daytime and the Daily AHA at night.

BHA does exfoliate "deeper" than AHA. I also got an initial breakout from the BHA because of that reason. I did notice that when I wasn't using the AHA, that my skin would get kind of bumpy and less smooth feeling. The AHA definitely helps A LOT with red marks and keeps your skin feeling soft and healthy. My skin was actually the best it's ever been on these products, but I ran out and then couldn't afford to buy more. Also, I think one of the other reasons that my face was looking so nice was because I wasn't squeezing or picking. That's a huge factor. I've finally started to not squeeze again and my skin is going back to it's happy state.

Good luck!

hey thanks for that reply,

so you used bha mornings and then aha at night every day? yes the smoothness is nice! I noticed that once some black heads came out lol. yum.

you ran out :0 then what? do you not use them now? yea not squeezing or picking is something I SERIOUSLY need to stop doing... how did you stop? I once did and it was great, skin looked great.. why the hell did i start again i hadnt picked for so long and when i went to pick it felt so unnatural

i'm annoyed because i have light scars due to this habbit..

what was your PC routine may i ask? i took a nosey at your photos and it worked amazingly for you!

Yes! I noticed that my blackheads came out too...mostly with the BHA. Do you have the liquid or the gel? I had the liquid and would rub it in where I had the most blackheads and would feel the blackheads coming loose. haha suuuuper yum.

I don't use them now even though I had such great results. Now I'm using a variety of different things to try to get the same results...not working. I may go back to Paula's Choice.

This is how I'm quitting my picking habit: I told myself that I'm allowed to pick at ONE thing every morning and NOTHING at night. By doing this, I can get rid of a whitehead or something but I won't let myself pick my face to pieces like I used to do.

I'd take a look at my Log of Paula's Choice products for my exact regimen. You can find the link in my signature.

Hey

I used both of these products for quite some time on my face. However, I never used them at the same time (one on top of the other). I used my Paula's Choice BHA in the daytime and the Daily AHA at night.

BHA does exfoliate "deeper" than AHA. I also got an initial breakout from the BHA because of that reason. I did notice that when I wasn't using the AHA, that my skin would get kind of bumpy and less smooth feeling. The AHA definitely helps A LOT with red marks and keeps your skin feeling soft and healthy. My skin was actually the best it's ever been on these products, but I ran out and then couldn't afford to buy more. Also, I think one of the other reasons that my face was looking so nice was because I wasn't squeezing or picking. That's a huge factor. I've finally started to not squeeze again and my skin is going back to it's happy state.

Good luck!

hey thanks for that reply,

so you used bha mornings and then aha at night every day? yes the smoothness is nice! I noticed that once some black heads came out lol. yum.

you ran out :0 then what? do you not use them now? yea not squeezing or picking is something I SERIOUSLY need to stop doing... how did you stop? I once did and it was great, skin looked great.. why the hell did i start again i hadnt picked for so long and when i went to pick it felt so unnatural

i'm annoyed because i have light scars due to this habbit..

what was your PC routine may i ask? i took a nosey at your photos and it worked amazingly for you!

Yes! I noticed that my blackheads came out too...mostly with the BHA. Do you have the liquid or the gel? I had the liquid and would rub it in where I had the most blackheads and would feel the blackheads coming loose. haha suuuuper yum.

I don't use them now even though I had such great results. Now I'm using a variety of different things to try to get the same results...not working. I may go back to Paula's Choice.

This is how I'm quitting my picking habit: I told myself that I'm allowed to pick at ONE thing every morning and NOTHING at night. By doing this, I can get rid of a whitehead or something but I won't let myself pick my face to pieces like I used to do.

I'd take a look at my Log of Paula's Choice products for my exact regimen. You can find the link in my signature.

Hey again thanks for replying.

To answer you questions I was advised to buy the gel, i think the liquid would be stronger? Wonder what the difference is lol

and how are you doing with the picking now? just the once in the morning on one thing?

For me I actually love squeezing the shiz out lol but at the same time, i know its GOT TO STOP. as scarring is scary for me and gets me very anxious.

oh I wanted to ask you about your regime, i did take a look, and noticed you said the resist weekly AHA, (so the 10%?) once a week?

when you say you used the daily AHA is this the 8% gel? or the 5% resist daily resurfacing?

also, as you, like me, are pickers, you would have no doubt put the AHA on to a recently picked or old scar, tissue damage, what did you observe? did it cause more rawness or damage or did it sort of erode it down and heal?

you mentioned using AHA in the morning and BHA at night, interesting

Oh and, i would advise you to do the regime again that worked for you! do you know how much people would pay to know what combo of products work for their skin lol! id pay you at least £500 to find the answer.

so yes it may be pricey but if it works, I guess go with it!

I tried PC shave gel today, and i was blown away with it lol, seriously havent shaved my face with that much smoothness for as long as i've shaved for (7 years)

i may have to put an order in soon for the cleanser, bha, shave gel, toner, because the samples are running out and i am from england, meaning delivery takes an age

Hey

I used both of these products for quite some time on my face. However, I never used them at the same time (one on top of the other). I used my Paula's Choice BHA in the daytime and the Daily AHA at night.

BHA does exfoliate "deeper" than AHA. I also got an initial breakout from the BHA because of that reason. I did notice that when I wasn't using the AHA, that my skin would get kind of bumpy and less smooth feeling. The AHA definitely helps A LOT with red marks and keeps your skin feeling soft and healthy. My skin was actually the best it's ever been on these products, but I ran out and then couldn't afford to buy more. Also, I think one of the other reasons that my face was looking so nice was because I wasn't squeezing or picking. That's a huge factor. I've finally started to not squeeze again and my skin is going back to it's happy state.

Good luck!

hey thanks for that reply,

so you used bha mornings and then aha at night every day? yes the smoothness is nice! I noticed that once some black heads came out lol. yum.

you ran out :0 then what? do you not use them now? yea not squeezing or picking is something I SERIOUSLY need to stop doing... how did you stop? I once did and it was great, skin looked great.. why the hell did i start again i hadnt picked for so long and when i went to pick it felt so unnatural

i'm annoyed because i have light scars due to this habbit..

what was your PC routine may i ask? i took a nosey at your photos and it worked amazingly for you!

Yes! I noticed that my blackheads came out too...mostly with the BHA. Do you have the liquid or the gel? I had the liquid and would rub it in where I had the most blackheads and would feel the blackheads coming loose. haha suuuuper yum.

I don't use them now even though I had such great results. Now I'm using a variety of different things to try to get the same results...not working. I may go back to Paula's Choice.

This is how I'm quitting my picking habit: I told myself that I'm allowed to pick at ONE thing every morning and NOTHING at night. By doing this, I can get rid of a whitehead or something but I won't let myself pick my face to pieces like I used to do.

I'd take a look at my Log of Paula's Choice products for my exact regimen. You can find the link in my signature.

Hey again thanks for replying.

To answer you questions I was advised to buy the gel, i think the liquid would be stronger? Wonder what the difference is lol

and how are you doing with the picking now? just the once in the morning on one thing?

For me I actually love squeezing the shiz out lol but at the same time, i know its GOT TO STOP. as scarring is scary for me and gets me very anxious.

oh I wanted to ask you about your regime, i did take a look, and noticed you said the resist weekly AHA, (so the 10%?) once a week?

when you say you used the daily AHA is this the 8% gel? or the 5% resist daily resurfacing?

also, as you, like me, are pickers, you would have no doubt put the AHA on to a recently picked or old scar, tissue damage, what did you observe? did it cause more rawness or damage or did it sort of erode it down and heal?

you mentioned using AHA in the morning and BHA at night, interesting

Oh and, i would advise you to do the regime again that worked for you! do you know how much people would pay to know what combo of products work for their skin lol! id pay you at least £500 to find the answer.

so yes it may be pricey but if it works, I guess go with it!

I tried PC shave gel today, and i was blown away with it lol, seriously havent shaved my face with that much smoothness for as long as i've shaved for (7 years)

i may have to put an order in soon for the cleanser, bha, shave gel, toner, because the samples are running out and i am from england, meaning delivery takes an age

I actually have the gel now and do not use it because it leaves a weird film on my face. I used the BHA at night at the beginning when I first started using PC products, but then switched because I liked the way that the 5% Daily Resurfacing AHA made my face really soft in the morning. I used 10% AHA weekly.

My boyfriend uses the PC Redness Relief liquid for after shaving and swears by it! I'll have to let him know about the shave gel!

I really love the CLEAR line cleanser. Really good and doesn't dry me out. The BHA is actually the toner-- as in, the CLEAR line toner is the same thing as the BHA liquid. I may end up doing this regimen again...I just need to budget it in.

Yeah it does leave an invisible film on doesn't it. I don't mind about that though ;/ Send me yours if you don't use it lol!

so do you prefer the liquid? i read from the reviews, it seems to be targeted for those with more oily orientated skin. i'd say mine is normal/dry in the cheeks (and can get oily around the nose and forehead so in a round about way its combination haha great!) what is yours?

Oh awesome, do let him know, 'close comfort shave gel' he wont need anymore redness relief after using it... its that good, there wont be any redness!

the CLEAR line, interesting I think of these as for those with active acne (lots of), thus products designed to dry them out. but as you say they dont! you must have naturally oiler skin?

and wow thats also interesting that the BHA is the toner (in the clear range)

oh also i have used the hydralight moisturiser for two nights and one day (today after the shave) and its sublime!

lord above, just added, cleanser, toner, bha, shave gel, moisturiser to the shopping cart and it comes to 100 british pound sterling lol

AHA 8% can be used everyday , and I´ve seen some videos by Dr Neal Schultz saying that AHA is the Gold standarnd chemical peel avaible even better than Retinioids he says and he says that it´s also very good for Hyperpigmentation. AHA should not irritate ur skin very much especilly when you are using 8%. I´d say stopp using BHA and use AHA.

thanks for that hasmas,

yeah it didn't irritate my skin, i actually think my skin is quite hardy! it stung when i got it on a cut around my finger but my face tolerates it.

Only reason PC said to stick with BHA not aha is because it exfoliates inside the pore not just the surface, so this should help me with those hard black head type clogs i get

basically I get clogged pores (they dont turn black) and then i always end up squeezing them out and get left with scars/hyperpigmentation, and the process repeats. I think it may be wise to stick with the BHA 2% gel and see how I get on,

although I am open to just using AHA, as at this point i dont know which would be the more beneficial. perhaps it is a case of using BHA every day, then using AHA once a week when not using the BHA.

hmm

Well Dan said in some of his videos that BHA doesn´t do it job well it doesn´t exfoliates the pores becuase if it did we would not have clogged pores.I think BHA in higher concentration might exfoliates inside the pores better but the 2% is to weak for that.

Yeah i can relate to this, because i was using a BHA from garnier and it just seemed to actually clog the pores where as this PC BHA 2% is actually working very well. its literally clearing all the clogged pores and although its made a bit of a mess (as i have squeezed them out), I can tell (and see) that its clearing up and will heal nicely once its all settled.

so could be to do with the physical ingredients

Hmm. I have the Paula's Choice clear kit in normal strength. I was using the toner last week and I found that my skin got really red and dry with that and my higher dose of BP. I stopped because it kind of freaked me out, I thought I was making it way worse. I definitely saw the shiny looking skin thing too, kinda still have it. Looks like scabby scars rather than full blown zits.. I guess this is normal? I just want the PIH to go away!!! It makes my skin look so much worse than it actually is.

 

I may end up doing this regimen again...I just need to budget it in.

Hmm. I have the Paula's Choice clear kit in normal strength. I was using the toner last week and I found that my skin got really red and dry with that and my higher dose of BP. I stopped because it kind of freaked me out, I thought I was making it way worse. I definitely saw the shiny looking skin thing too, kinda still have it. Looks like scabby scars rather than full blown zits.. I guess this is normal? I just want the PIH to go away!!! It makes my skin look so much worse than it actually is.

I may end up doing this regimen again...I just need to budget it in.

heitea.. did you find that the paula's choice clear kit lightened PIH? if you had a problem with that, i guess not every one does. I'm hesitant to go back to using it nightly in case I slow down the healing.. the redness gets worse when my skin is dry and as i'm using BP and my skin is already quite senisitive i'm worried the toner would be a bit much.

I definitely noticed an improvement in my PIH, but not with the products in the CLEAR kit. It was due to the Resist AHA that I bought in addition to the kit. I actually didn't use the BP at all because I'm allergic to it. But I used the Salicylic Acid Toner (BHA) and the Cleanser from the CLEAR kit.

I definitely noticed an improvement in my PIH, but not with the products in the CLEAR kit. It was due to the Resist AHA that I bought in addition to the kit. I actually didn't use the BP at all because I'm allergic to it. But I used the Salicylic Acid Toner (BHA) and the Cleanser from the CLEAR kit.

Argh, and didn't I go and buy the Resist BHA. I think Lactic acid is considered an AHA though? I'll try that once I'm a bit clearer. I don't know about applying the Resist lotion when I'm still using the toner and the BP.. it's all a bit too drying for me.

I definitely noticed an improvement in my PIH, but not with the products in the CLEAR kit. It was due to the Resist AHA that I bought in addition to the kit. I actually didn't use the BP at all because I'm allergic to it. But I used the Salicylic Acid Toner (BHA) and the Cleanser from the CLEAR kit.

Argh, and didn't I go and buy the Resist BHA. I think Lactic acid is considered an AHA though? I'll try that once I'm a bit clearer. I don't know about applying the Resist lotion when I'm still using the toner and the BP.. it's all a bit too drying for me.

whats in the toner? BP is drying, and didnt heitea say that the CLEAR toner is the BHA (liquid? gel?) 2% ? meaning your over doing it. I found BP made my skin dry scaly and just dull and raw.. thats why I dont use it.

Yeah, I was overdoing it. Basically the toner made my face look worse for a bit cos it pulled out crap on my forehead... gross. anyway, it's healed now. I guess in a way though, it did help to speed up the process of clearing my pores.

The same thing happened to me when I used BHA for the first time. I had a super initial breakout and then everything was smooth sailing from there.

Yeah, BP made my skin rough and painful and itchy as heck! And if you're using the toner AND BHA, then yes, you're using the same thing twice. Ouch. Also, never use AHA and BHA at the same time-- use one at night and one in the day. The Resist AHA is actually really creamy and makes my skin less dry. I have combo skin so I have to be careful.

yeah I like the 5% resist daily, but perhaps its a bit creamy for around and on my nose, everywhere else is fine. but i think i pref the 8% gel AHA.

i'm going to stick with the BHA morning and night for now. As BHA works the surface and in the pore. its certainly brought all the gunk out my face lol lush...

However I will then start using AHA at night maybe once or twice a week to smooth and refine the surface of the skin.

just ordered 100 worth of PC.. haha

can't believe i've found this topic! i've literally done the exact same thing as you, used Cleanace k which contains AHA and BHA, next morning had the 'purges' but the rest of my skin was smooth and healthy, the next day i used it again, and my red marks went back to square 1. if not worse...although 24h later my marks were looking a lot better! couldn't believe it...

I've decided to use it once a week or 2 because i think my skin is too sensitive for it, but it works