The beauty industry has known for years that alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) works to exfoliate skin, and researchers now say that there is a scientific reason for that – and that it could be used for medical treatments as well.
A team of researchers from the University of California, Davis and Peking University found that glycolic acid, a commonly used AHA, enters into the top level of the skin and ultimately creates an acidic condition that activates an ion channel in the skin. (An ion is a molecule with an electrical charge.) That, in turn, leads to an ion overload that causes the death (and consequent exfoliation) of the skin’s top layer.
The ion channel, known as TRPV3, is found in many cells elsewhere in the body, and the researchers theorize that it could have several physiological functions and be used for medical as well as cosmetic treatments.
"TRPV3 has the potential to become important ..for analgesia and treating skin disease," lead author Xu Cao said in a statement.
