Two products in the exfoliating range from Minimalist have glycolic acid in them.
Before I discuss whether these two products can help dark knees, I’d like to give you a quick overview of how glycolic acid can help dark knees.
How glycolic acid helps dark knees…
Old cells on the skin’s surface have to fall off regularly to make way for younger cells from deeper layers. But some cells don’t fall off. They are very stubborn 🙂
These stubborn old cells all stick together and form a thin layer on top of the skin. This layer gives the skin a very dull look.
This layer of stubborn old cells is more pronounced on the knees. In the knee area, fewer younger cells travel upwards to replace them, meaning more old cells stick together, making this area very rough.
Glycolic acid breaks the bonds between these stubborn old cells. Once the breaks bond, the old cells fall off. Once the old cells fall off, the roughness reduces. This will not happen overnight in the very first use of the product. It takes time.
Dark knees start with pigmentation, which is made more visible by the roughness in the area. Pigmentation occurs when cells have an excess of a pigment called melanin. The excess melanin makes that portion of the skin much darker than the surrounding skin. Excess melanin can be present in cells on the surface level and slightly deeper cells.
When glycolic acid removes the stubborn old cells from the surface, if these stubborn cells have excess melanin, excess melanin also goes away with them. This reduces/fades pigmentation.
So glycolic acid helps in two ways:
Now, I will take you through how the glycolic acid products from Minimalist can help our skin…
Minimalist AHA BHA 10%
The amount of glycolic acid used in this product is not much. This small amount cannot significantly reduce the darkness in the knees.
A higher concentration of glycolic acid than what this product uses is needed to address darkness in the knee area.
This product uses lactic acid in addition to glycolic acid. Lactic acid is an effective exfoliant (it removes old cells) but acts slower than glycolic acid.
If you have sensitive skin, then this product is a better option. At higher concentrations, glycolic acid can irritate sensitive skin, so this product would be a better option.
Glycolic Acid 8% Exfoliating Liquid
Glycolic acid at 8% and upwards can help with the dark-knee problem. This one uses 8% glycolic acid.
Glycolic acid can irritate the skin, and if you have a dark skin tone, this irritation can lead to pigmentation.
At 8%, glycolic acid is considered medium strength. After applying it, you can prevent irritation (and pigmentation) by applying a good moisturiser.
What else do you need…
You can also use a product containing 10% or more of urea. Urea is very effective in eliminating stubborn old cells.
Apart from old cells, we also need to reduce the pigmentation in the knee area. Removing old cells alone won’t solve the dark-knee problem. Some ingredients that can help with the pigmentation issue are niacinamide, kojic acid, and licorice root extract. Serums are helpful if you have them. If not, look for a moisturiser that has these ingredients.
Use sunscreen every day. Sunscreen will reduce pigmentation.