Like most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Such is the case with adding an extra carton of strawberries on your grocery list, coming home, mashing them up, and applying them to your face in the hopes of transforming your look by reducing inflammation, re-texturizing skin, and minimizing scars.

Unless the ultimate goal was to smear strawberries on your face (who am I to judge?), the results as far as skin improvement will be limited.

Using fruit or milk enzymes to improve skin quality is a practice that dates back centuries, but now we have better products to custom tailor the best result for your skin. Enzymes safely exfoliate skin (think: mild chemical peel), make extractions easier, and improve skin elasticity.

What your skin needs in an enzyme treatment is typically BHA or AHA, which are both hydroxy acids that act as chemical exfoliants. These acids are available in fruits at the grocery store, but in more unpredictable ways. Putting strawberries in a blender simply cannot match effectiveness of professional grade skin care. Also, when it comes to fruits like apples or citrus, you can actually do damage by applying to your skin — causing redness or photosensitivity.

Modern-day enzyme treatments undergo formulation to stabilize and extract the effective enzymes for improving skin.

So leave the strawberries alone (or, better yet, just eat them) and read on to find out what enzymes can do for your skin at home or with a more intense treatment in the clinic.

At-Home Enzyme Products

At Skintherapy, we offer several at-home enzyme products. Here are a two enzyme products that can help restore that youthful look to your face by adjusting your beauty routine:

  • Papaya Enzyme Cleanser: Papaya is well known for its power in exfoliating and brightening skin. This cleanser leaves skin smooth by lifting away impurities. The Papaya Fruit Extract contains Papain, an enzyme that gently exfoliates for naturally vibrant skin.
  • Rejuvenate Enzyme Exfoliant: This exfoliant uses lactic acid and fruit extracts to brighten, hydrate, and cleanse skin.

In-Clinic Enzyme Treatments

Our in-clinic treatments use a complex, colloidal oat extract, beta-glucan to sooth, protein, lipids, and alfalfa powder, which is a natural source of vitamins C, D, E, and K. These enzymes make extractions easier, re-texturize the skin, and make post-acne scars less visible.

Our enzyme treatments are appropriate for most skin types. This exfoliation removes dull surface layers, minimizes the appearance of pores, and smooth the skin.

This is an excellent way to kick your beauty routine up a notch and there is zero downtime.

About Jennifer

Jennifer Curtin is a medical aesthetician, nationally recognized for her expertise in medical skin care. With more than 20 years of experience in medical aesthetics, she is dedicated to the aesthetic industry and has received awards of merit including the International CIDESCO Certification, Assistant Cosmetic Laser Practitioner, and National Leadership Award. Jennifer is also an expert in Laser Genesis and the president of Skintherapy, which is located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. To schedule an appointment with Jennifer, call 404-358-2961.