The old saying is true – youcanhave too much of a good thing. In this case, we have to ask ourselves, when it comes to our beloved sally – does salicylic acid give you wrinkles?
Here’s a spoiler for you: no, it does not. But if you’re wondering why your salicylic cleansed skin is feeling tight or dry, then we have the answer for you.
Despite our on-going love affair with salicylic acid, we are fully aware that it’s a powerful skingredient, and not one to be used lightly and without knowing just what the heck you’re getting into.
That’s why we are so particular about making sure all of theSkingredients Sally Cleansedevotees know that with great power comes great responsibility, andusing salicylic acid sensibly is your best bet.
How Do Wrinkles and Lines Form?
Wrinkles are not the enemy that we all are led to believe that they are. They’re a natural part of the skin ageing process, and although we can do our best to diminish their appearance, they can’t be stopped forever. And really – there are far worse things in life than lines or wrinkles! We firmly believe that wrinkles don’t stop you from being absolutely stunning, particularly if your skin is glowing and nourished.
Lines come before wrinkles – they appear more finely on the skin. When it comes to wrinkles, there are two kinds – dynamic wrinkles and static wrinkles. Dynamic wrinkles form when we make facial expressions, and static wrinkles are caused by the ageing process, and environmental factors and lifestyle habits.
Lines and wrinkles form as the collagen and elastin levels in our skin naturally diminish over time in the dermis layer of our skin. This means that skin will lose its ability to snap back into place when stretched. Over time, fat will diminish in the hypodermis layer, and this can reduce the skin’s natural ‘plumpness’.
What Is Salicylic Acid?
Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid derived from willow bark, and is related to acetylsalicylate, from which aspirin is created. It is oil-soluble, which means that BHAs can penetrate the lipid layers of your skin, and therefore go deeper into your pores than alpha-hydroxy acids, which are only water-soluble, and affect only the outer layers of the skin.
You can learn more about salicylic acid in our blog on the subject!
How Does It Work?
Salicylic acid, which you can find in ourSkingredients Sally Cleanse, is the oily hooman’s best pal on the bathroom counter, as it cuts through oil and helps to dissolve sebum and any other pollution and dirt which might block pores.
Salicylic acid is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) which is an oil soluble acid which helps to break down sebaceous plugs in the skin and helps to stop them reforming. It is also an exfoliating acid, and therefore helps to rid your skin of dead skin cells which might build up and need a bit of a helping hand to leave.
Salicylic acid also has antibacterial properties which can help to reduce the spread of further breakouts. It is also anti-inflammatory, which means that it reduces the redness and swelling of any congested areas, improving the appearance and also leading to less painful spots.
Does Salicylic Acid Give You Wrinkles?
Cards on the table: salicylic acid doesNOTgive you wrinkles. Not at all.
If you’ve started to use salicylic acid and have begun to notice more defined wrinkling on your skin, then we have the explanation for you. It’s dehydration, not wrinkles!
If you have just discovered the wonder of salicylic acid, it can be easy to overindulge, as it can seem like a miracle. Similar to when you find a new favourite food, tv show or hooman – it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
However, hold your horses. Salicylic acid is not a miracle – it’s just science! As you start to notice the benefits to your skin (both immediately and over time) it can be easy to think that your skin is probably able to handle more.
You might get away with this for a very short space of time (although highly, highly unrecommended), particularly if you have extremely oil-prone skin, but even you are not immune! Sooner or later (and probably sooner), your skin will revolt.
It’s natural to want to chase incredible results, particularly if you’ve found your holy grail product, but it’s always best to be consistent in your regime rather than spontaneous – and to follow the advice given on the product description or by your skincare practitioners.
Salicylic acid doesnotgive you wrinkles, but if you overuse it, it candehydrateyour skin by stripping away too much of the protective sebum on the surface of your skin.
Too much oil can lead to blocked pores, but not enough oil can create dehydrated skin, as it can lead to too much transepidermal water loss. A compromised skin barrier cannot retain hydration as well as a normal skin barrier, and this loss of hydration in the skin can make fine lines appear deeper.
If you are overusing salicylic acid, you might find that your forehead lines, previously soft and barely noticeable, have seemingly deepened. This is not the fault of salicylic acid, but it’s definitely a case of drinkles.
Drinkles are what we call wrinkles from dehydration! You can get them through dehydration and needing to drink more water in your daily life, overindulging in alcohol, or over-using skincare products which can have a dehydrating effect on skin when overused!
Phew! So How Do I Use Sally Cleanse Correctly?
Sally Cleansecontains 2% salicylic acid, which is the highest percentage available over the counter in Europe. It’s ideal as a chemical exfoliant, and is particularly suitable for oily-skinned hoomans, or any hoomans prone to breakouts, congestion, and acne, too.
It’s powerful stuff, so we suggest using it once a week to begin with, and increase it to no more than three times a week when your skin has become accustomed to it.
You can use Sally Cleanse as a micro-mask by applying it to your pre-cleansed skin and leaving it to sit on the skin for 1-2 minutes before washing away. You can also use Sally as a spot-zapper in times of need. Carefully apply it to the spot in question and leave it on for three minutes, before washing it away.
You should be careful not to overuse Sally Cleanse tho – that’s a surefire way to cause over-exfoliation.
What Is Over-Exfoliation?
Over-exfoliation is simply the process of using too much chemical or mechanical exfoliation (or both) on your skin. It can happen very easily, usually through naivety at just how powerful your products might be. For example, perhaps your serum also has an exfoliating factor to it! Or it’s possible that you haven’t seen results fast enough, so you feel that increasing the frequency of your chemical exfoliation routine could be a good idea.
Over-exfoliation (as in the case of salicylic acid) can lead to dehydrated, shiny or red skin – or all three. It can thin your stratum corneum which can mean an impaired skin barrier, and this can bring a host of other issues.
How To Combat Over-Exfoliation
If you’ve over-exfoliated, he first thing to do is to scale back your usage, or discontinue for a while.
Depending on your skin concerns, it could be a good idea to treat your skin with a hydrating or soothing product while you give your skin time to recover. Something likeSkingredients Skin Vegcontains soothing cucumber extract and also hydrating sodium hyaluronate, which can help to reintroduce hydration back into your skin following the period of drought.
If your skin is suitable (i.e. not very congestion-prone to begin with), you might enjoy usingSkingredients Skin GoodFats. This ceramide-rich cream would be ideal for use at nice, before going to sleep, as it contains ceramide NP, which is very helpful in repairing an impaired skin barrier, and also contains skin-soothing shea butter extracts, without the comedogenic factor, meaning it is less likely to cause congestion in the skin.
Just remember that Sally is still your friend, and using Sally Cleanse and other salicylic acids correctly can hugely helpful in tackling congestion, as well as keeping your skin exfoliated.
Does salicylic acid give you wrinkles? Definitely not. Sally is friend, not foe!
