Salicylic Acid {Ingredient}

Yesterday, I talked about Salicylic Acid and its uses for people suffering from Acne and other skin disorders. But, I also mentioned its biggest disadvantage - hyper pigmentation. I am not sure if you have noticed but salicylic acid is always used int he concentration of 1-2% in the products available in the medical stores. The reason is that it acts best on the skin in those concentrations and any excess of usage of the acid causes many skin problems like sensitivity, irritation, peeling of the skin and likes of it. So, getting tempted to use it every day is really not a good idea unless a product has been recommended by a dermatologist.

Now, you might have read about the aspirin mask recipes and would have been tempted to try it. Many of you might have tried it too. But, these masks are concentrated and hence, harm the skin instead of helping. So, kindly refrain from that. Since 1-2% is the best concentration so we shall make the homemade Salicylic Acid solution for home remedies. Now, Salicylic Acid is not available commercially so we will make do with Acetyl Salicylic Acid which is a milder form of Salicylic Acid. As Aspirin was not available, I am using Disprin Tablets and they both are actually same,though, Disprin also has Calcium Carbonate and Citric Acid to enable to it to dissolve in water.

Ingredients

• 3-6 Disprin Tablets (3 is for 1% and 6 is for 2% concentration)


• 100ml Water (go for mineral water or distilled water)

Method 

Mix the tablets in the water and store the solution. Use the solution to make face masks or mix your cleanser with the bit of a solution and wash your face with it. Mixing your makeup remover with the solution and then applying on the face for a few minutes would be most beneficial in cleaning the skin.Or, the simplest way to use the solution is to apply the solution on your face with cotton and keep it on for 5-10 minutes and then wash off the face with cleanser or face wash. 

People suffering from acne and breakouts should do it daily till they see some difference. And, oily skin people should use it twice or thrice a week. Rest with normal to dry skin and sensitive skin can use the solution not more than once a week for proper exfoliation. 

Caution (Very Very Important)

Ok, so this is something everyone needs to pay attention to. When I say anything not to be done on the blog, please take it very very seriously coz its very easy to get carried away and trust me, I am saying this from my personal experience. For example, I have used concentrated disprin mask twice on my face (as if once wasn't enough) and trust me, my complexion became dark instantly!!! So dark that the person who said I had become fair a day before had commented about my complexion the very next day and this has happened both the times I used the mask. And, even my parents complained about it. So, it causes hyper pigmentation very easily and it takes some days to get back to your original complexion so please, please do not overdo these treatments. They are supposed to be done only under strict control. And, please take my cautions about anything very seriously in my past or future posts also coz maximum of the times, I speak from personal experiences or otherwise from proper research.

How I have calculated the ratio?

10mg/1ml = 1%

thus, 350mg/x(ml) = 1%

thus, 10mg /1ml= 350mg/x

thus, x = 350/10 = 35ml

thus, 1 Disprin tablet is 1% of 35ml water so calculating in the same proportion, 3 disprin tablets would make up 1% of 100ml water (approx. coz 35*3 = 105ml).

Thus, if you want to make the concentration 2%, use 6 Disprin tablets.

I hope the calculation is clear :)

READ MORE - Salicylic Acid {Ingredient}

Beta Hydroxy Acid {Ingredient}

You might have already been aware of Alpha Hydroxy Acid so I decided to do a small post on Beta Hydroxy Acid first. In any case, I will be doing a post on Alpha Hydroxy Acids too for the benefit of people who are unaware of them. Now, a little overview of both these acids - these are two acid compounds which have become really famous in the skin care ranges in the recent decade. Both of them are used in all skin care products from cleansers to moisturizers but the main usage comes in the various peels which are performed by estheticians. These acids are helpful in exfoliation and keeping the skin healthy in a nutshell.  

So, now starting with Beta Hydroxy Acid, the only one form of this acid is used for cosmetic purposes which is called Salicylic Acid. Yes, I am pretty sure you have heard of it and many you must be even using the products which contain this acid. Now, Salicylic Acid is also very commonly known as Aspirin. You might have read quite a few DIY recipes using Aspirin. The main usage of Salicylic Acid is for people who suffer from Acne but it also useful for other skin disorders like warts, corns, calluses, etc. The acid has quite a lot of uses - it weakens the bonds of the dead skin cells, cleans the clogged pores, kills the bacteria in the pores and also reduces the size of the pores and helps in the growth of new cells. Sounds awesome, right??? But, there is a very big disadvantage of Salicylic Acid - it causes hyper pigmentation and makes your skin photo-sensitive (sensitive to sunlight). 

PS: In the next post, I shall be discussing how to overcome the problem of hyper pigmentation due to the acid.

READ MORE - Beta Hydroxy Acid {Ingredient}

"Take two (or so) and call me in the morning (or next week or next month or next year)."

A large study that was just published shows that women with breast cancer who take aspirin are more likely to live longer and to not have a cancer recurrence than women who don't take aspirin.

Doctors at three Boston-area hospitals observed 4,164 female registered
nurses in the Nurses’ Health Study who were diagnosed with stages I, II, or III breast cancer between 1976 and 2002. They were observed until June 2006, or death, whichever came first.

The main outcome was breast cancer mortality risk according to number of days per week of aspirin use (0, 1, 2 to 5, or 6 to 7 days) first assessed at least 12 months after diagnosis and updated..There were 341 breast cancer deaths. Aspirin use was associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer death.

Full report here.

The study says of itself that it's unprecedented: Of several large prospective studies of the association of aspirin use with breast cancer incidence, only one found a protective association, whereas four others did not. The 10-year Women’s Health Study Trial found no effect of low-dose aspirin intake (100 mg every
other day) on breast cancer incidence among almost 40,000 women. However, meta-analyses of either NSAID [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents/analgesics such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen] or aspirin have found a 9% to 30% reduced risk of breast cancer incidence. Despite inconclusive evidence linking aspirin and breast cancer incidence, aspirin may improve survival through various mechanisms.

To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting a survival
advantage among women with breast cancer who take aspirin. Abundant
scientific evidence supports why aspirin may confer this advantage.
More than 2 million US women are living after a breast cancer
diagnosis6 Survival among women with breast cancer is variable, and
risks of dying of the disease are elevated even 10 or 15 years after
diagnosis.

How much aspirin is helpful? I kept reading reports about this and couldn't find the number of milligrams. I'm especially interested because I take 162 mg. for polycythemia vera. What a nice surprise it would be if something I take for one disease would help me survive another. Alas, the researchers admit: We
lack details on aspirin dose. If there is a dose response, the effect size in
the current study may be diminished because frequent aspirin users
may be more likely to be low-dose users attempting to prevent heart
disease. Confounding is always a limitation of observational studies.
We addressed this by adjusting for all relevant covariates and through
marginal structural models.

Another caveat: Our results may be generalizable only to longer term breast
cancer survivors (ie, only women who have lived long enough after
diagnosis to report aspirin use after diagnosis, which is approximately
4 years). Fortunately, almost 90% of women diagnosed with breast
cancer live at least 5 years. Thus, our findings have considerable
clinical importance.

"Take-home message," as they say in business: It couldn't hoit. Aspirin has relatively benign adverse effects compared with cancer chemotherapeutic drugs and may also prevent colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.

One skeptic has already pointed out that this is an observational study that does not prove cause and effect.

READ MORE - "Take two (or so) and call me in the morning (or next week or next month or next year)."