Red sores - Alpha Hydroxy Acids?

[Strat54]

About a month ago I got a red mark/sore on my right temple. I know I got it from Jason’s Thin-To-Thick shampoo because it’s the only product that gives me those red marks.

A crust is formed on top of the marks, and they usually disappear in about a week, but this one’s been in there for a month, or more.

The difference with this one is that I’ve grown hair on top of it, exactly at the center. It’s darker and thicker than my other hair, and it has more density.

The only thing I can think of, is that my skin is thinner in that place and that improves the absorption of minoxidil.

The shampoo has Lactic Acid (AHA) & Salicylic Acid (BHA). Maybe I’m getting a skin reaction from the Alpha Hydroxy Acids. I use a shampoo with Salicylic Acid twice a week, before Nizoral, and I don’t get any of those red marks.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids or AHA is a compound found naturally in many common fruits and other foods. The principal AHA is glycolic acid which is found in sugar cane and sugar beets. Other AHAs include lactic acid from dairy products and malic acid from fruit….. its primary action is to accelerate shedding of abnormal cells in the topmost layers of the skin by decreasing their cohesiveness. Continued use may result in a normalized, more compact top layer of the epidermis. This makes the skin smoother.

The problem with using fruit acids such as AHA and BHA is that either you get acids that are very weak that do not remove many dead skin cells and therefore you see little results, or they increase the strength of the acid, and once the acid has burned through the dead cells, it continues on and begins to attack your living skin. If this happens you may experience one or more of the following; burning, redness, irritation and light sensitivity.

Maybe a Glycolic acid peel could help increase the absorption of topicals.

In the meantime I’m going to experiment by using T-T-T shampoo more often and see what happens.