Dr. Lisa Cassileth is a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. Her website can be found at www.drcassileth.com. Your mom smeared her face with Pond’s. Your hairdresser has porcelain skin because she never goes in the sun. You see ads everywhere for Argireline™ and Boswelox™. You walk into the beauty store and even the tiniest container of skin cream is at least $60. What’s a girl to do - especially a girl that has done a little tanning (but with guilt!) and maybe has more skin damage than a little green tea and yoga can overcome?
Luckily, you have this newsletter to tell you what you really need and what is just bogus crap. And as you probably guessed, Botswelian and mushroom extract is not where it’s at. I have narrowed down the vast possibilities into just the critical few, including approximate prices where possible. Pick what you need, get into the beauty habit, and get on with your wonderful, gorgeous life!
One-stop shopping After looking through many skin care lines, I chose Obagi, which has a great sunscreen, AHA product, light bleaching cream, and tretinoin (retinA), all in one line. Everything is packaged correctly and the products only contain the essential ingredients and are non-irritating. Some Obagi products you can get on line, except the ones containing tretinoin and higher doses of hydroquinone, since those need a prescription. Obagi can be purchased at our office for your convenience. |
WRINKLES
| Exfoliators You have some little wrinkles. A little sun damage. I recommend using alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) - glycolic and lactic acid - to rejuvenate your skin. These agents exfoliate and renew the skin, thicken collagen, and tighten pores, but only when used in adequate concentrations and appropriate pH. Regular Skin: Alpha Hydrox Lotion comes in an AHA 8% and 10% ($10 for 6oz) Neostrata Skin Smoothing Cream AHA 8% ($17 for 1.5 oz) Acne-Prone Skin: For acne-prone skin, a viable alternative is beta hydroxy acid (BHA) - specifically, salicylic acid. These exfoliating hydroxy acids may be irritating to those with sensitive skin. If irritation is a problem for you, you might try polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) - gluconolactone and lactobionic acid. These are generally less irritating, but also less effective. Pond’s Clear Solutions Combination Skin Moisturizer (with BHA) ($7 for 4 oz) Ultima II (Revlon) Vital Skin Renewing Toner Normal to Dry Skin (with BHA) ($1.50 for 8 oz) RetinA Tretinoin (retinA) really does work. It rejuvenates skin, thickens collagen, and may even prevent skin cancer. The downside? It’s irritating. Your skin gets dry. Your skin may get pinker. And it takes two months or more to work. Why use it? Because it is the only product that really reverses skin aging! Tretinoin can be ordered through my office directly or as an ingredient in the Obagi line.
BROWN SPOTS/FRECKLING
| Bleaching Agents What are those little dark splotches on your forehead? When did you get all those freckles? Since you had that baby, is your upper lip - gasp - dark? The best treatment is hydroquinone, which MUST be used with a sunscreen to be effective. If you find that the hydroquinone irritates your skin, other agents, such as arbutin and magnesium ascorbyl palmitate, are somewhat effective in decreasing abnormal pigmentation. Agents with 2% hydroquinone are available over the counter. More powerful creams with 4% hydroquinone are only available with a prescription. These stronger agents can remove brown spots that the weaker agents have trouble with. Black Opal Advanced Dual Complex Fade Gel (7% glycolic acid and 2% hydroquinone) ($10 for 1 oz) - This is marketed for women of color, but this product is effective for people of every color. And it has glycolic acid of an effective concentration! Great all-in-one product! Sunscreens Okay, get real. You need to wear sunscreen every day. Then, face the day with freedom, and if the sun shines on your face as you cross the street, you won’t feel so guilty! Whatever you use, make sure that it blocks both UVA and UVB (one causes skin cancer and the other causes wrinkles!). Apply sunscreen a few times a day for full effectiveness. Arbonne Take Cover for Face and Body SPF 30 ($18 for 4oz) - with micro zinc oxide Aveda Daily Light Guard titanium dioxide ($16.50 for 5 oz) - a little heavier, but effective
DRY SKIN
| You are so dry. Especially if you started the tretinoin(see below). You can see flaking when you scratch your forehead! Put one of these on thick at night. Add a light reinforcement in the morning, if necessary. Dove Essential Nutrients Night Cream ($6.00 for 1.69oz) - thick, good cream, and cheap Revlon Absolutes Vitamin C Overnight Renewal Cream ($14.00 for 1.6oz) - good additional antioxidants
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