KAVI Support

The reasons for your recent breakout can be one or more of many, and we would recommend you obtain a medical diagnosis from your dermatologist to be more certain as to the cause(s). From our experience, however, a sudden rash of small, profuse comedones can be the result of too much product. Our recommendation would be to take the following steps, the overriding objective being to give your skin time to recuperate: (1) Stop using any and all anti-acne products except Coral KAVI (one or twice per day) for two weeks. If your skin is still reacting, you temporarily may need to switch to a gentler cleanser (like KAVI DermaWash). (2) At the start of week 3, reintroduce the Toner (once per evening) to treat any blackheads that Coral KAVI alone hasn't been able to handle. (3) At the start of week 4, if you feel your skin needs a little more help with clogged pores or acne, apply Salicylic Acid 8 for no more than 45 seconds (one session only). (4) At the start of week 6, try another session of Salicylic Acid 8 (no more than 45 seconds again). (5) If your skin does not flare up again during the remainder of week 6, and you feel you need more than biweekly treatments with Salicylic Acid 8, try moving to once per week and monitor your skin for its reaction. Let us know how things go for you, and do not hesitate to reply with any questions.

Any of our cleansers are suitable for removing makeup, and you may wish to choose based on your skin’s sensitivity. The following is a list of our sulfur-based cleansers in order from gentle to intensive: DermaWash (liquid) Aqua KAVI (solid bar) Coral KAVI (solid bar) Coral KAVI is also made with salicylic acid, which helps reduce pore diameter to give the skin a more consistent texture. We do make a sulfur shampoo as well. You may find it under our Cleansers & Scrubs, or by clicking here: http://www.kaviskin.com/products/sulfur-shampoo.html.

The KAVI Advanced Melanin Repair Serum is our most effective product for age spots on sensitive areas of skin, such as around the eyes. For wrinkle prevention, Complex C will work to relax your facial muscles and reduce the frequency of involuntary facial movement while hydrating the skin and repairing the collagen-elastin matrix. KAVI Glycolic Acid peels (beginning with a 20% or 30% concentration on facial skin) may be used to lift existing age spots and wrinkles. Both the Advanced Melanin Repair Serum and Complex C may be used in conjunction with our peels. Our products are very much environmentally friendly. For more details, please review http://www.kaviskin.com/info/kaviadvantage.html. A full facial peel typically requires 3-4cc of solution, so a 2oz bottle would yield about 15-20 peels. A 1oz bottle of serum can last 30 to 60 days when used daily, with variance depending mostly on individual technique.

We would advise you to consult with your physician to ensure that the bumps are in fact pimples. If they are, we recommend looking into our line of salicylic acid masks, beginning with either Salicylic Acid 8 or 15, depending on your skin’s sensitivity. These masks have the ability to break through tough comedones (the corks made of dead skin and dried sebum that plug pores) to neutralize the acne infections within pores. To maintain your skin between weekly masks, we would recommend using the KAVI Toner once per evening as a final-stage cleanser.

Depending on your skin’s sensitivity and prior exposure to glycolic acid, we would recommend a starting strength of either 40% or 50%. As always, it is prudent to spot test the target area initially and keep the first peel under 2 minutes to ensure your skin responds well to the selected strength prior to a full-length application (4-12 minutes the following week).

We manufacture a number of products for enlarged pores. The following is a list of products listed in order from mild (for sensitive skin) to intensive: Toner Microderm Exfoliator Salicylic Acid 8 Salicylic Acid 15 Salicylic Acid 25

While salicylic acid is highly effective in the treatment of acne and as a keratolytic agent to exfoliate damaged surface layers of skin (lifting acne spotting and scarring), it is not recommended for use on skin prone to cold sores, blisters, or other herpes-related outbreaks. It can cause as much damage as glycolic or lactic acid, unfortunately. If you are planning on using our peels on skin free of cold sores, blisters, etc., then Salicylic Acid 8 would be the best starting strength. The second table found at http://www.kaviskin.com/info/aha-bha.html will help guide you through the acids and strengths that we recommend for the different stages of acne. Instructions on the use of salicylic acid may be found at http://www.kaviskin.com/info/salicylic-acid.html.

Cleansing with Coral KAVI before applying a peel is recommended where possible. Coral KAVI's actives will ensure skin is clean and pH-balanced, maximizing the ensuing peel's effectiveness. There typically wouldn't be a need for also applying the Toner before a peel, and while possibly beneficial in certain cases, it may lead to prolonged irritation and/or inflammation following peel removal.

Our retail peels are buffered to a pH of 2.1 to balance efficacy with safety. While most people will observe significant improvement to their skin using our mid-range strengths (30% to 40%), there are cases where either a higher concentration and/or lower pH is required to achieve individual treatment goals. Because our professional strength peels (where the pH is lower than 2.1) are restricted to medical professionals, the only stronger option available to you through KAVI would be a retail preparation at a concentration greater than 30%. While these strengths are recommended for skin care professionals or those with equivalent training, they may be purchased for home use under the direction of your physician. All of our retail peels require little to no downtime (2 hours at most) and can be completely removed with a cold water rinse. For more information on glycolic acid concentration and pH, please visit http://www.kaviskin.com/info/rightpeel.html.

Alternating application of salicylic acid and glycolic acid masks is a popular regimen for those seeking the benefits of both acids. Applying one mask once per odd week and the other mask once per even week is ok for many, however if your skin is particularly sensitive, you can start with a lower frequency (e.g., two peels in total per month) and gradually reduce the interval between applications until you either hit the once-per-week interval or until your skin begins exhibiting signs of stress from the peels. The strengths you have listed below (8% for salicylic acid and 10% for glycolic acid) are appropriate for sensitive skin and a good starting point for a new treatment plan.

Salicylic Acid 25 will help substantially with large pores. You will also notice secondary benefits to your skin tone. After several applications, damaged surface layers will slough off, exposing healthy, new skin with more even skin tone. Although salicylic acid is not as effective with uneven pigmentation as glycolic acid, its keratolytic properties will still help. If Salicylic Acid 25 is not too strong for your skin, then Glycolic Acid 50 would be a comparable peel to consider using on alternate weeks to help with acne scarring. As for reducing oily skin, although salicylic acid is an antiseborrheic (i.e., works to reduce oil ), application once per week will require another product to help counter sebum production between peels. We would recommend Coral KAVI, Aqua KAVI, or KAVI DermaWash as daily cleansers.

Glycolic Acid 60 is the strongest peel available to non-medical professionals, and also the strongest we would recommend in general for treating wrinkles. While Glycolic Acid 60 is also very good for variable pigmentation (e.g., age spots), significant improvements to skin tone can take up to 10 weeks. For more stubborn hyperpigmentation (like freckles), you may wish to look into the KAVI Advanced Melanin Repair Serum (under Anti-Aging) as a complement to weekly peels with Glycolic Acid 60.

Instructions for all systems are found online at www.kaviskin.com. For your specific system, click here: http://www.kaviskin.com/info/prdproc.html. To incorporate Complex C into your skin care regimen, we would recommend inserting it at Step 2, alternating application with Enhanced Retinol 0.30% between mornings and evenings: Anti-Aging System II for Oily or Combination Skin Step 1: Pearl KAVI (twice per day) 1. Rinse hands and target area with warm water. 2. Lather hands with Pearl KAVI. 3. Cleanse target area gently but thoroughly. 4. Rinse hands and target area with warm water. 5. Pat skin dry. Step 2a: Complex C (mornings) 6. Apply 2 to 3 drops of Complex C to finger tip. 7. Massage a thin layer of Complex C onto target area to lift lines and rejuvenate the skin. 8. Allow 3 minutes for absorption of serum. Step 2b: Enhanced Retinol 0.30% (evenings) 9. Apply 2 to 3 drops of Enhanced Retinol 0.30% to finger tip. 10. Massage a thin layer of Enhanced Retinol 0.30% onto target area to reduce uneven tone and texture. 11. Allow 5 minutes for absorption of serum. Step 3: Glycolic Serum 15 (twice per day) 12. Apply 2 to 3 drops of Glycolic Serum 15 to finger tip. 13. Massage a thin layer of Glycolic Serum 15 onto target area to accelerate cellular regeneration. 14. Allow 3 minutes for absorption of serum. Step 4: Hyaluronic Acid 95 (twice per day) 15. Apply 2 to 3 drops of Hyaluronic Acid 95 to finger tip. 16. Massage Hyaluronic Acid 95 onto target area to create a protective moisturizing layer. 17. Allow 3 minutes for absorption of serum.

Great to hear about the results you’ve achieved with Glycolic Serum 15. The 30% concentration is twice as strong and may result in redness or inflammation on sensitive skin. Both serums are buffered to a pH of 3.8, so peeling should occur only in rare cases. If your skin has tolerated Glycolic Serum 15 with no side effects and you would like to achieve accelerated results, then trying Glycolic Serum 30 is an appropriate next step. You can always begin application on a once per day schedule to acclimate your skin to the greater strength before commencing with morning and evening use.

There certainly are a lot of products for acne out there, and it can be difficult to determine which are truly effective. While we have earned the trust of many thousands of customers, many of them skin care professionals who purchase regularly from us, we have learned over the years that there is no one solution that applies universally to all skin types. We do know that certain tenets hold true for everyone, namely that maintaining the skin’s pH and preventing over-drying during treatment can significantly improve the road to recovery. If you are interested in trying our anti-acne products, we would recommend easing into a regimen and ensuring that other antiseborrheics in your current regimen are either put on hold or sufficiently reduced to prevent unnecessary dryness when treating your skin with KAVI products. Concurrent use of non-comedogenic moisturizers are fine. Coral KAVI, our anti-acne cleansing bar, is a pH-balancing solution free of any comedogenic (pore-clogging) animal byproducts such as tallow. It contains sulfur and salicylic acid in concentrations that are safe for long-term use. Together, sulfur and salicylic acid address the three factors behind acne infection: sebum buildup, acne bacteria, and cellular debris on the skin’s surface. For many, Coral KAVI alone (used as a replacement to any other soap you may use) is sufficient to maintain clear, beautiful skin. In some cases, it may also be necessary to add a weekly salicylic acid mask and nightly toner to help keep pores clear. As a first step, we would recommend Coral KAVI by itself. If your skin improves and you like the quality of the product, but are still receiving breakouts, blackheads, or other pore-related issues, you should look into adding a salicylic acid mask and toner to your skin care regimen. In more extreme cases, a stronger salicylic acid mask and/or a sulfur suspension may also be necessary, but these products are generally reserved for nodular or cystic acne that will not subside from lesser treatment.

Great to hear you are enjoying Aqua KAVI. It is a great product! As for the bumps in your pores, we would have to advise you to obtain a medical opinion from your physician to get a proper diagnosis, but if they are what you say they are, it sounds like they may be what are known as “milia”. These aren’t particularly easy to get rid of and require some patience. The best product we have for milia are salicylic acid masks (also known as salicylic acid peels). We make several strengths ranging from 8% to 35%, but we would recommend choosing between an 8%, 15%, or 25% strength. If your skin is typically oily, it will likely tolerate a greater strength. Fair, dry, or sensitive skin may not be able to take more than 8% without inflammation. For maintaining clear pores between weekly application of salicylic acid masks, you may wish to look into moving from Aqua KAVI to Coral KAVI, which is made with the same base as Aqua KAVI, but contains twice as much sulfur and 3% salicylic acid. The KAVI Toner can also be used once per evening as a final-stage pore cleanser. If your skin is on the dry side, you may wish to remain with Aqua KAVI but add the Toner.

Our retail peels (those buffered to a pH of 2.1 and available to non-medical skin care professionals) are designed to exfoliate the skin without heavy peeling. The strongest of these peels is Glycolic Acid 60 and the typical initial strength we recommend is Glycolic Acid 20 or 30, however because your skin has exhibited tolerance to prior peels and other exfoliation methods, we would advise you consider Glycolic Acid 40. Improvements to texture are typically visible the day after the initial peel, however improvements to uneven pigmentation can take anywhere from 10 to 12 sessions to be apparent. Pre-peel preparation does not need to be over-complicated. A non-comedogenic cleanser that moderately lowers your skin's pH is sufficient. Glycolic Cleanser 10 or DermaWash are both optimal choices for such a task.

So you are not currently using any other anti-acne medications, topical or oral? Have you taken any oral medication for your acne in the last year? It’s a good idea to reduce usage to Aqua KAVI by itself for about two weeks, monitoring your skin to see if dryness has subsided. If it has, try re-introducing the KAVI Toner once every other night and monitor your skin for any recurring dryness. If you find that your acne is subsiding sufficiently with Aqua KAVI alone, you may simply want to use it by itself, keeping the Toner and Salicylic Acid 8 for breakouts when they occur in the future. If dryness does not subside from use of Aqua KAVI alone, please discontinue use and refer to your physician for a medical diagnosis of your skin’s dryness.

Skin on the hands is typically thicker and may require a stronger peel to exfoliate damaged surface layers of the epidermis. You may wish to begin with Glycolic Acid 40 or 50, adhering to the standard peel procedures outlined by KAVI (spot testing followed by a 1-2 minute initial peel, then a 4+ minute peel the subsequent week).

While it is great news that you are seeing your acne reduced at such a dramatic rate, the dryness is not an acceptable side effect. The products in the Anti-Acne System III for Normal or Dry Skin typically would not dry out the skin at the rate you describe. Are you using the system according to the instructions at http://www.kaviskin.com/pages.php?pageid=19#AHS3ND? Are you using any other anti-acne products in conjunction with the KAVI system (including oral antibiotics)?

KAVI Glycolic Acid masks are the best product we make for the treatment of melasma. We offer anti-aging systems that comprise 4 and 5-step programs, or alternatively, you may purchase a peel separately and use your own complementary products. KAVI's cleansers, serums, and moisturizers are all non-comedogenic and formulated with the optimal pH for pre and post peel care. We do offer a 60-day guarantee on our products. Full details on our return policy are available at http://www.kaviskin.com/info/retexch.html.

No, there are no sulfates in Coral KAVI. Colloidal sulfur is the only sulfur-based ingredient used in our cleansing bars.

Aqua KAVI currently does not contain any fragrance (batches manufactured prior to 2006 did contain very light fragrance but have since been removed by customer request) and only a very light dye (CI 77288) which amounts to less than 0.05% of each bar’s ingredients. Aqua KAVI’s ingredients by volume are the palm oil base (95.5%), colloidal sulfur (1%), vegetable-based moisturizer (2%), and glycerin (1%). The remaining 0.5% by volume comprises very small amounts of ethanol, salicylic acid, dye, and stabilizing ingredients. The active ingredient in Aqua KAVI is colloidal sulfur.

We have a number of cleansers that can help reduce the symptoms of psoriasis. For sensitive skin, DermaWash (a liquid, sulfur-based cleanser) would be best. For stronger treatment, you can consider either Aqua or Coral KAVI cleansing bars. KAVI Enhanced Retinol 0.30% is another product that can help with your skin condition and may be used in conjunction with one of the cleansers above.

Neither the toner ingredients nor the sequence of application will reduce the efficacy of actives in KAVI's products, however we would advise you to monitor your skin for any long-term dryness that may result from the above routine. Alcohol is a strong antiseborrheic, and when used in conjunction with sulfur, may overwhelm the skin's ability to maintain a protective sebaceous layer.