Ineffective Facial Treatments

Every year, cosmetics companies introduce myriad new products, some of which are more notable than others. Still, with all of the advances that have been made in the beauty industry, products for acne-prone skin have remained largely unchanged.

There are hundreds of skin-care products, including facial cleansers, on the market that say they do everything from clear up acne to erase wrinkles. But do they really work?

The highly rated book “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me” and companion website Beautypedia.com by Paula Begoun, combines detailed analysis of ingredients with hands-on testing to come up with Paula’s Picks. Consumer Reports and Natural Health magazine also provide informative reviews that are backed up by extensive testing and scientific opinion. The annual beauty awards presented by virtually every beauty magazine on the market serve as another good resource for finding effective facial cleansers, although some perform better in testing than others.

In her review of the best beauty products of 2007, for example, Paula Begoun describes acne products as “a slew of drying cleansers, irritating toners, ineffective BHA products, and a lack of topical disinfectants with benzoyl peroxide.” Begoun warns that for acne-prone individuals, careful shopping is a must.

For example, Proactiv Renewing Cleanserinfo (*Est. $40 for 4 oz. with toner and lotion), though heavily marketed, receives mixed reviews at consumer websites like MakeupAlley.com and TotalBeauty.com. Many consumers say it helps clear up blemishes within just a few days, but others say that after an initial period of effectiveness, it suddenly seems as though Proactiv Renewing Cleanser no longer works for them; one person reports her dermatologist’s agreement that this is a common finding. Others say Proactiv Renewing Cleanser is too harsh and irritating. Paula Begoun agrees; she says that many of Proactiv’s products “contain irritating ingredients that don’t help acne-prone skin.” She also states that including benzoyl peroxide in a cleanser (as Proactiv does) is effectively useless because the benefits it could provide are essentially washed down the drain. Benzoyl peroxide can also be irritating around the eyes. It should be noted that Begoun does think that some of Proactiv’s products are useful and effective, but not the entire package. In fact, she states that none of the so-called “acne kits” available on the market today are effective in their entirety.

The same can be said of the many skin-care lines created by doctors and dermatologists for profit. It’s wise to not assume these skin-care products are any better than the cleansers at your local drugstore, many of which use the same ingredients. In fact, the American Medical Association has issued guidelines advising physicians not to sell health-related products for profit, recognizing the conflict of interest this creates. Begoun, in her highly acclaimed book “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me,” also points out that the phrases “Dermatologist Tested” and “Dermatologist Approved” are meaningless because there’s no standard for what these mean — they often only indicate that one or two dermatologists tried a skin-care product at the manufacturer’s request and liked how it felt.

Some companies have begun to add ingredients commonly used in moisturizers to their cleansers. Ingredients such as glycolic acid, antioxidants and even sunscreen are touted as adding additional benefits to the cleanser. Although experts at Allure magazine are skeptical of some of these ingredients, especially antioxidants and retinol, they say that cleansers with sunscreen, work surprisingly well. Sunscreen particles in these cleansers (titanium dioxide) are microencapsulated and stick to the skin, even after rinsing, as a result of film-forming agents. Editors still recommend using a moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher, though, because the cleanser provides only an SPF of 10, which is more for “incidental exposure than hard-core protection.”

Select the Right Anti Aging Skin Care Products

Most of us are very concerned about our aging skin. This shows in our willingness to spend large amounts of money on anti aging skin care products. Not only do we purchase large quantities of anti aging skin care treatments, we spend billions on cosmetic surgery to look younger as well. None of us want to look older than we are; we would rather look much younger.

The fact that we spend millions on anti aging skin care products and treatments every year actually shows that the majority of the treatments do not work as they say they will. If they did, we would not have to keep trying different kinds of products for our aging skin.

That is not to say there aren’t good anti aging skin care products on the market. There most definitely are - and here are some pointers for choosing the right ones.

What to Consider When Buying Anti Aging Skin Care Products

Avoid skin care products that contain fragrances or other chemical ingredients. These can actually cause more harm than good as they absorb into your body. Foreign chemicals do not belong in the body. It is counter productive to use chemicals on the skin for an anti aging treatment.

Use perfumes and body sprays to add a nice scent to your skin instead. The difference between sprays and lotions is that with a lotion, you are rubbing the chemicals into your skin. Sprays are less concentrated and left on the surface.

Products that contain collagen are a complete waste of time. The claims made by skin care manufacturers who put collagen into their anti aging skin care products are completely false. The only true way to put collagen into the skin is to use something that stimulates natural collagen production.

The Results are in the Ingredients, Not the Advertising

The majority of those in the skincare industry are out to make money and that is their primary goal. They will spend millions of dollars on advertising just to get people to buy their product. Most of the time, the product is not as good as they claim it to be because it is not made with the best ingredients. It seems they would rather spend good money on advertising than on quality lotions that are effective.

Using Celebrities to Endorse Anti Aging Skin Care Products & Treatments

Celebrities are often used to promote products. A good example of this is Proactive Solutions. Vanessa Williams and Jessica Simpson both promote this anti-acne skin care line. The painful truth is that they are highly paid for their endorsements. That is not to say the product does not work, but rather it reveals a different sort of motivation behind their advertising.

Smaller companies that put money into their products are the best bet for your money. When it comes to anti aging skin care products, it is far better to buy from smaller companies that put their money into the ingredients rather than in the pockets of celebrities.

Natural Skin Care Treatments

The fountain of youth may actually be located in your kitchen, not your plastic surgeon’s office. Certain Dermatology studies have shown through a three-tier approach involving diet, supplements, and creams, we can control the rate at which we age. And we can delay the need for surgical procedures, including facelifts, by 15 to 20 years — if we even get them at all.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to natural skin care using ingredients largely available in your own kitchen. Try this three-day nutritional facelift to get omega-3 fatty acids vital for natural skin care:

For lunch and dinner, eat:

* A green salad (making a dressing out of olive oil and lemon juice)
* 3-oz of broiled salmon or another cold water fish such as tuna or mackerel
* Strawberries, raspberries and/or blueberries for dessert.

Fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an important ingredient in natural skin care. A deficiency of omega-3s has been linked to a wide array of diseases as well as premature aging of the skin. Blueberries,strawberries, cranberries and raspberries are all loaded with antioxidants which save cells from premature aging.

For breakfast, choose a sensible breakfast that is low in carbohydrates and sugars. Also drink 8-10 glasses of water a day to keep skin hydrated and supple. After three days, this natural skin care diet will make such a difference in your appearance that people will say,
‘Wow!’ You will look as if someone turned a lamp on your skin. Your pores will be tighter. Your dark circles go away and you will look like you were on vacation. Here’s why: Inflammation is triggered by what we eat and sugar is the bad actor, say leading dermatologists. Anything that is sugar or rapidly converted to sugar (carbohydrates such as white rice, white breads or pasta) can attach to collagen and cause stiffness of skin and very old looking skin, he says. Collagen is a natural protein that forms connective tissues in the body.

Use Toners and Creams for Natural Skin Care

A facelift in a bottle. Sound too good to be true? It’s not if you choose a natural skin care cream rich in DMAE (dimetheyaminoethanol). If you apply it to your skin, it can enhance muscle tone — which stops sagging — and in just 30 minutes, your face is lifted, he says. Apply this natural skin care cream twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed. The longer you use the cream, the more pronounced the difference. It also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and protects the skin from the irritation that can cause wrinkles and age-related skin damage.

Also consider natural skin care creams with alpha lipoic acid. It helps restore a healthy radiance to your skin. It also can tighten pores and diminish fine lines in just a few months. Another key ingredient in a natural skin care cream is vitamin C ester. It is fat soluble and thus penetrates the skin at 10 times higher levels than vitamin C [without ester]. It will thicken skin, decrease fine lines and is a necessity for a youthful appearance.

Aside from creams, a toner is an important aspect of natural skin care.Here’s a recipe for your own natural skin care toner.

Ingredients:

* 1 teaspoon of rosemary, dried
* 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 cup white wine

Gently boil herbs with white wine for 10 minutes. Allow herbs to cool in white wine for one hour. Drain off herbs and discard. Keep the liquid and transfer the strained toner to a clean glass jar. Store in refrigerator for one week. To use this natural skin care toner, dip a cotton ball in toner and dab on freshly washed skin before bed and in the morning. It’s refreshing, and it has anti-inflammatory properties. The alphahydroxy oils in wine encourage good healthy cell growth. Use it for any skin type except those parts of the skin that are dry and  irritated.

Take a multivitamin every day containing vitamin C, as well as vitamin E, for natural skin care. These vitamins are strong antioxidants and may help prevent damage done by free radical molecules in the body. Doctors also recommend taking 50 to 100 milligrams of alpha lipoic acid daily for natural skin care.

Underneath aging and age-related disease is low-grade inflammation. So the best ways to decrease disease risk and slow the aging process is to take nutrients with powerful anti-inflammatory activity on a regular basis. Enter alpha lipoic acid. Alpha lipoic acid is 400 times stronger than vitamins C and E combined, so it’s great for natural skin care. Our skin is always getting inflamed by sun, weather, pollution, and products because it is our interface between the environment and our body, but alpha lipoic acid will bring inflammation down.

Finally, for good natural skin care, take 30 milligrams a day of the antioxidant coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ10). Levels in the body decline due to age as well as excessive sunlight exposure, but reintroducing CoQ10 can help slow or even reverse the aging process, he says. You are going to see your skin look more radiant in just a few weeks

By trying these natural skin care treatments, you can save yourself thousands of dollars. Even better, you can get fresh-looking, healthy skin without pain or discomfort.