ABSTRACT
The market for alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) skin care products has grown with unprecedented momentum during the decade of the 1990s [1] (See list AHA growth statistics following). And with good reason-the AHAs have repeatedly been shown to provide significant benefits to a variety of skin disorders that require both therapeutic and cosmetic treatments [2-6]. Their benefits are easily perceived by consumers and patients, producing a strong purchase incentive, especially by those with hyperkeratotic disorders such as ichthyosis [7,8]. By removing embarrassing and often disfiguring scales, and softening rough, hardened skin, the AHAs have become one of the primary agents to cosmetically improve ichthyotic skin condi-
tions. Furthermore, the benefits of AHAs extend into the seemingly limitless, yet highly competitive, “antiaging” skin care market as a result of their ability to minimize, and even reverse, the visual signs of photoaging [2-6].
