Does milk really do a body good? Cleopatra supposedly thought taking milk baths daily would maintain her gorgeous skin. Was it all for naught, or was the Queen of the Nile onto something?
Milk is an excellent source of lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). But lactic acid already exists in our cells, so the body recognizes and accepts it more readily than it would a fruit-derived AHA. For the same reason, lactic acid creates less inflammation as it assists in new cell growth than other AHAs.
But don’t go jump in a milk bath just yet – homogenized milk will show little to no effect on the skin. Why? Unfortunately, the milk has to sour before the lactose in it can be converted to lactic acid. And no amount of skincare benefits are worth smelling like old cheese all day.
Here are some great products to try that make use of lactic acid:
Lactic Acid has made a world of difference in my skin! I would highly suggest also looking into the PCA skincare line. It’s who I use and a lot of their products have lactic acid in them.
I follow your posts for quite a long time and should tell that your posts are always valuable to readers.
One of the three main ingredients in skin care gel, Azfasst is lactic acid for many of the reasons listed above. In Azfasst it works as a gentle exfoliant and makes skin softer. You can find it at http://www.azfasst.com.
@Kat – I also really dig PCA stuff! That red clay mask is great for blemishes.
@Allison – thanks for the recommendation, I’ll give them a shot!