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INGREDIENTS
Acid Burn
The myths and realities of glycolic acid
by Danné Montague-King
For decades, I have dealt
with glycolic acid—since
the days of "Acid Reign" in
the 1980s, when glycolic
acid was being put into
everything and touted
as the grand epitome of
all skin care ingredients.
Endowed with the ability to
moisturize skin, peel away
the years like an onion, lift
breasts, remove acne and
hyperpigmentation, and
create massive, new collagen
in all human tissue (hence
the breast lift), it was thought
to be the safest and most
effective tool in the world.
Billions were made by glycolic acid
purveyors all over the world, while
the skin of thousands, particularly
in Asia, were damaged and quite
a few strange acneic cysts began
popping up globally from avid users.
Personally, I always found it an
annoying little molecule that, when
used incorrectly in a formulation,
would settle as "hot spots" in the
concavities of the face—which is
probably why estheticians during
that era would put it on for 10
minutes and rinse it off quickly.