What is Azelaic Acid? It’s an inflammation-fighting exfoliant that can help prevent and treat acne, soothe rosacea, diminish dark spots, and improve your complexion – azelaic acid is a topical exfoliating treatment that can do everything. This multi-talented wonder ingredient is one of skin care’s unsung heroes.
Azelaic Acid is a dicarboxylic acid that’s produced naturally on healthy skin. It can be found in grains such as barley, wheat, and rye or manufactured in a lab. Despite what its origins suggest, azelaic acid is gluten free. In Ayurvedic medicine, these grains have long been used to treat topical hyperpigmentation. For decades, azelaic acid has been most known for its role in pharmaceuticals for the treatment of acne and rosacea. However, the benefits of azelaic acid are many, reaching far beyond the traditional uses. Azelaic acid has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, skin lightening and brightening, and skin cell renewal properties.
Azelaic acid falls into the antiseptic and keratolytic ingredient categories as well. Like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, azelaic acid works to unclog pores and clear your skin. It also assists your skin’s cell turnover process by pushing dead skin cells and excess oil to the surface, while promoting the growth of new cells. Its keratolytic properties make it exfoliating and comedolytic. This means that azelaic acid can remove whiteheads and blackheads, as well as unclog pores and prevent further breakouts.
What does Azelaic Acid do?
There’s a lot that azelaic acid can do for your skin and complexion. In addition to preventing breakouts and exfoliating your skin, it can
- Minimize bacteria growth
- Reduce inflammation
- Soothe irritation
- Decrease the build-up of dead skin cells
- Fade hyperpigmentation by inhibiting tyrosinase
- Fight melasma and uneven skin tone
- Offer antioxidant benefits
- Encourage cell turnover that revitalizes and removes dead skin cells
Next time you reach for an anti-aging product, consider Azelaic Acid as your next wonder ingredient.
