Azelaic acid is a medication to treat mild and moderate acne vulgaris and rosacea. It is physician recommended drug that comes in gel, ointment, or cream. It is also present in lower concentrations in some other skincare products.
What Is Azelaic Acid?
Azelaic acid is an organic compound present in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Azelaic acid that is used nowadays is combined in a lab to achieve uniformity and stability.
Azelaic acid is present in some over-the-counter anti-aging and skin lighting products in qualities up to 10%. Dermatologists recommend that a acne cream with 10% azelaic acid is extremely useful for acne treatment.
How Azelaic Acid Works
Azelaic acid is not as popular as other skincare acids. It is little-known compared to the more popular and familiar acne treatment acids like glycolic, lactic, salicylic, or hyaluronic. In any case, azelaic acid works a little differently in contrast to other acne treatment acids.
Over-the-counter skin care products and acne treatment creams contain a smaller amount of azelaic acid. It can help treat minor pimples, refine the pores, smoothen skin tone, and light up the composition. But other stronger prescription of azelaic acid has more advantages for the skin.
- Clears pores
Azelaic acid is a comedolytic. It helps to clear existing pore blockages, comedones, and prevent the outbreak of new ones. There will be fewer pimples and fewer pore blockages when the pores are clear.
- Mild exfoliation
Azelaic corrosive is additionally keratolytic. As a keratolytic, it exfoliates the skin by shedding old and flaky skin cells. Azelaic acid is a mild exfoliant compared to others like topical retinoids.
- Reduces acne-causing bacteria
Azelaic acid destroys Propionibacteria acnes. The bacteria cause the outbreak of acne. The acid stops skin redness and irritation.
- Smoothen skin tone
Azelaic acid can improve post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It helps clear the stained spots on the skin caused by pimples. Skins that are affected by hyperpigmentation or excess production of melanin can be treated with azelaic acid.
How to use azelaic acid
Using azelaic acid in acne creams demands a lot of patience. You may not notice a change until about one month or more of using it. It takes a long time to get acne under control. Ensure you are consistent with the usage. Even with a long duration cure, it is beneficial to use azelaic acid in place of other skin inflammation medications. Treatment with azelaic acid is very gentle and it is based on natural ingredient. It gently encouraging cell turnover so your skin heals more quickly and scarring is minimized.
If your skin is often irritated with retinoid? Does benzoyl peroxide leave your skin too dry? Azelaic acid is a mild skin treatment if your skin is very sensitive to other acne creams and products.
Since all skin retinoids and many oral skin inflammation medications are forbidden during pregnancy, azelaic acid becomes a good acne treatment option for pregnant and nursing mothers.