If you have acne, you’ve probably heard about the Stridex pads I’m writing about today. These pads are easy to use, pretty cheap, and they claim to be “easy on skin, tough on acne.” This last point is easier said than done. Although acne is a serious problem, acne treatments can sometimes do more harm than good. The FDA has received a number of complaints from consumers who experienced allergic reactions and/or irritation in response to acne products that included benzoyl…

My mom enjoys Korean dramas, Sudoku puzzles, and extracting blackheads. That’s right, those annoying little black dots that appear when your pores get clogged but stay open. When I was a teenager, I had acne on my back (“bacne”), so my mom used to beg me to let her squeeze out my blackheads. She was excited for me when I got into college, she was happy when I made her favorite scones, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more delighted than when I grudgingly agreed…

Lactic acid is one of those chemistry terms that is slowly gaining fame among normal humans, by making its way into everyday language. All of the other, more obscure organic compounds probably envy its fame. If you’re into fitness, you probably associate it with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). And if you’re into skincare, you probably know it as an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) that lends many benefits to your skin. Today I’m going to focus on two lotions that contain lactic…