rosacea

Spotlight Skincare Ingredient; Tranexamic acid.

Acids are a skincare staple. They provide a multitude of benefits in the treatment room and in our homecare regimens. In this blog I wanted to talk about a lesser known but emerging acid Tranexamic. Tranexamic acid comes from the amino acid lysine. Amino acids like lysine are the building blocks of protein. These proteins help produce hormones, immune cells, and enzymes.

Tranexamic acid is a synthetic derivative of lysine, and when applied topically, it can alter the way cells produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin color, it interrupts pathways in the skin that might otherwise lead to an uneven skin tone.

It can also strengthen the skin’s barrier and improve the appearance of rosacea.

It can also be used to reduce post inflammatory redness and hyperpigmentation associated with healing acne lesions.

Tranexamic acid, like any new product, should be gradually introduced into your regimen gradually so as to avoid any potential complications such as irritation, dryness or flaking.

Tranexamic acid is also a wonderful ingredient in the treatment room, Apeeling Skin utilizes tranexamic acid by request in my microneedling treatments, formulated to attack eight different pigmentation pathways, the AnteAGE MD® Brightening Microneedling Solution is the only product on the market to effectively brighten and target discoloration at the cellular level without drying, irritation or inflammation.

The short term side effects of alcohol in your skin.

For many of us alcohol is ingrained in our daily lives, we use it as social lubricant, to unwind at the end of a work day or to celebrate Birthdays, Holidays and special life events. However we’re no stranger to the impact on our bodies and health. I wanted to highlight the short term side effects that alcohol can cause in your skin.

One of the short term effects is dehydration, as alcohol is a diuretic which means it causes the body to make and release more urine. This means that the body loses more water and salt than usual. the effects of dehydration on skin are

  • dry skin

  • sunken eyes

  • decreased elasticity

  • dry lips

Flushing is also a side effect of drinking alcohol.

Alcohol may stimulate the release of histamines, which can cause the blood vessels under the skin to dilate. This can make a person’s complexion look flushed or inflamed, alcohol is a trigger to those prone to rosacea .

Sleep disruption is also a pretty impactful short term side effect. Alcohol impacts the brains ability to enter into REM sleep.

One to two nights of disrupted sleep can cause temporary changes to a person’s skin such as;

  • darker circles under the eyes

  • paler skin

  • duller complexion

  • more wrinkles or fine lines

It’s always best to make informed choices when it comes to your skin’s health, this post is by no means meant to condemn the use of alcohol but we also need to know how our choices can impact our skin and bodies health.