Baking soda & scars

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Do not apply baking soda on your skin. Baking soda exfoliation is common in DIYS I’ve seen it in a ton of places and every time, it makes me cringe a little. Baking soda isn’t just ineffective, it’s actually damaging to your skin. Baking Soda + Water is alkIine. Bronsted-Lowry theory says that acids are proton donators that are able to give a proton (the hydrogen cation or H+), and bases are proton acceptors that are able to receive a proton (H+). Bases neutralize acids by bonding with the acid’s hydrogen ion. Baking soda’s chemical name is sodium bicarbonate, and bicarbonate is an amphiprotic ion, so it can both take and lose a hydrogen ion. So, this means that baking soda reacts with acids and bases by either donating or accepting a hydrogen ion. But bicarbonate is a stronger base than it is an acid, so it’s more likely to accept a hydrogen. What this means is that when you dissolve sodium bicarbonate in water, the solution tends to be more alkaline. The pH of the products you use is super important for maintaining healthy skin. Here’s how the pH scale works: It runs from 0-14 with 7 meaning neutral. Anything above 7 is considered alkaline, or a base, and anything below 7 is considered an acid. The skin naturally falls somewhere around 4.5 to 6.5, and is maintained by sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and normal skin flora, among others. This skin acidity is called the “acid mantle” An alkaline cleanser disrupts the skin’s acid mantle (affecting the skin barrier), and changes the bacterial flora composition on the skin and the activity of the enzymes in the upper layers of skin, as these have an optimal pH level. And the damage is cumulative: The longer you use it, the more damage it does to your skin.Because of this, you want mildly acidic products, which help the skin hold moisture and also improve the skin barrier. But it’s important that they’re mildly acidic, as you can, in fact, go too low. If you go too low with products, you risk skin irritation, sun sensitivity, and hyperpigmentation. What I really do like and recommend on scars though is a vitamin C serum as well as plenty of chemical exfoliation (but do not go overboard of course) check out murad products for a vitamin c line.

Jun 9, 2015

Jasmine S.

Mederma works really well and is about $15.