What is Azelaic Acid?
Azelaic acid is a saturated dicarboxylic acid that occurs naturally in wide variety of whole grains such as rye, barley and wheat. There is also some trace amounts of azelaic acid in the human body. Even though it is an acid, it is extremely weak and it is not corrosive in nature.
Azelaic acid is an effective antibacterial. It helps to destroy and reduce the growth of bacteria. It is also effective in bringing order to disordered skin growth. It is efficient in destroying free radicals and also good at inflammation reduction. It is also known to reduce pigmentation. This is good for people who have dark skin and have melasma. It is also good at reducing scars or spots left by acne.
Azelaic acid is very effective at making the skin renew and heal itself. It is useful at reducing the formation of pimples and blackheads that can occur on the skin. It is also known to kill the bacteria that cause acne and rosacea. It can help to help the skin conditions when used as a skin cream or gel. This is usually done in a concentration of 20% azelaic acid. It is also known to be used to help and stimulate hair growth. Many products that claim to restore hair have azelaic acid in them.
Azelaic acid is non-toxic, and is well very few patients have experienced any complications. There is a possibility of azelaic acid being a skin irritant for some patients, especially in the 20% concentration. As a result it is used when prescribed by a doctor.
Uses of Azelaic Acid
Azelaic acid is commonly used as a treatment of acne. For people who have mild to moderate forms of acne, this is an effective treatment. It works well with comedonal and inflammatory acne. Azelaic acid works by destroying the growth of the skin bacteria that causes acne. This is done by keeping the skin pores clear and by also reducing the production of keratin. Keratin is a natural substance that has been shown to aide in the development of acne.
It can also be used as a treatment for Rosacea. Rosacea is a skin disease that causes redness irritation and pimples on a persons face. Azelaic acid is known to reduce inflammation and hence its use in creams and gels that are used to reduce the swelling caused by rosacea. No one knows for sure exactly how the acid works in treating rosacea.
Azelaic acid is a common ingredient in hair growth products. There have been no conducive studies done to should that azeliac acid is responsible for hair growth. There have been studies done that shows that it is able to convert DHT, which is responsible for hair loss, but as stated above there has been no solid evidence to date.
How Should Azelaic Acid be Stored?
Azelaic acid can be harmful if ingested and it should be stored away from children. It should be sealed tightly in the container that it came in. It reacts with extreme heat and should be stored at room temperature. It should also be kept away from moisture.