Beauty Insider
5 Product “Must-Haves” for Great Skin
01 day
The beauty industry can be bizarre. Since when does deodorant (the one in my bathroom cabinet, to be precise) claim to be able to minimize the look and feel of hair growth? Amusing (and confusing at the same time), especially considering that the reason I bought it is because it’s pink, not because it promises to be some kind of miracle hair-reducing product.
But it does make me think about the larger scope of beauty and skincare industry. As a nation, we literally spend billions of dollars (!!) every year on products that make all kinds of preposterous claims—from facelifts in a bottle to dark circle erasers. (Trust me, it’s just not going to happen.)
The fact is, topical skincare products can make just about any claim they want without any kind of clinical data to back it up. (The FDA doesn’t regulate cosmetic products.) And that leaves us in a quandary: How’s a girl supposed to know what to believe?
The advice I give my mother (and myself!), is that if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t get me wrong—there are tons of great products out there. But being able to cut through the marketing hype and actually know what it is that you’re buying into? That’s the hard part. Instead of focusing on all the extraneous stuff, which can be overwhelming, lets talk instead about what you need for great-looking skin:
A good cleanser
Clean skin is beautiful skin! Try a cream-based cleanser if you tend to be a bit drier, a gel or foam base if you have oiler skin. I use (and love!) JF Aesthetic’s LactiCream Cleanser (which also comes in a foam version).
A daily moisturizer
Yes, even if you have oily skin, your skin needs moisture! Opt for something with sheer coverage or simply go with a topical hyaluronic acid product that will lock in moisture without using a traditional topical. If your skin feels tight despite the moisturizer you’re using, you need something heavier. My solution is to layer products. First a serum (right now I’m using IS Clinical’s Youth Complex, $149, and worth every penny), then a normal moisturizer: Jason C-effects Day Lotion, SPF 30, $15 (It smells like oranges and does double duty as my SPF product too. At that price, what could be better?)
A serum
Adding a serum to your daytime skincare regimen can (a) offer a protective anti-oxidant component and (b) visibly improve the quality of your skin over time. Look for products with kojic acid, green tea, vitamin E, vitamin C, and/or peptides as ingredients. I recommend going with medical-grade products (ie, those provided through skin care specialists online or in the office).
SPF protection
Regardless of your skin type or tone, you need daily SPF protection. If it doesn’t already come in your daytime moisturizer, be sure to add it as a top layer. Note: Physical sunscreens will make your skin look matte; chemical sunscreens will give you a dewy appearance.
Retinol
If you’re over 30, you need the power of a daily retinol product, which will provide subtle and continuous cell turnover for more youthful looking skin. I use the JF Aesthetic Retinol 50 Serum, which is an elegant, relatively inexpensive product that lasts for months!
Botox: Is She As Young as She Looks? (Happy Belated Birthday!)
03 days
On April 15, 2002, the FDA approved Botox for cosmetic application. Ten years later, it’s become a common household name and beauty must for millions. Despite it’s youthful appearance, the toxin has actually been around for the past two centuries. A recent story, “Does Botox Look Its Age? It’s 10 Years Old,” published by the OC Register, gives a chronicled timeline that reveals just how old she is. According to the OC Register, the Botox we know today began as not-so-pretty “sausage poison.” The rest? It’s a story for the books.
Below is a select portion of the OC Register’s timeline. For the entire story click here.
“1820sGerman doctor Justinus Kerner identifies a toxin in spoiled sausages that causes food poisoning. The paralytic illness caused by Kerner’s “sausage poison” earns the name “botulism,” from a Latin word (“botulus”) for sausage. Kerner speculates that small doses of the toxin might be used to treat nerve disorders and excessive sweating.…
1940s: During World War II, American scientists explore potential use of botulinum toxin as a weapon. The U.S. produces botulinum toxin capsules for Chinese prostitutes to drop into the food of high-ranking Japanese officials. The plan is not put into effect because the military found it to be ineffective as a weapon.
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1949: Researcher Dr. Arnold Burgen and colleagues in London discover that botulinum toxin blocks communication between nerves and muscles.
1960s: Ophthalmologist Alan Scott in San Francisco injects botulinum toxin into monkeys to see whether it relaxes muscles that cause crossed eyes.
1978: Scott wins approval from the Food and Drug Administration for extensive multi-site tests of botulinum toxin as a treatment for crossed eyes in humans. He calls the drug Oculinum and establishes Oculinum Inc. to make and sell it.
1987: Canadian ophthalmologist Dr. Jean Carruthers … notices that patients injected with the toxin were losing their frown lines. Her husband, Canadian dermatologist Dr. Alastair Carruthers, injects botulinum toxin into the forehead of their receptionist, Cathy Bickerton Swann, to smooth her wrinkles.
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1988: Allergan acquires the rights to Dr. Scott’s product, Oculinum.
1989: Allergan secures the first FDA approval for Oculinum as a treatment for crossed eyes and excessive blinking and received FDA approval to change the name to Botox.
1993: Doctors in England notice that spasm patients sweat less when treated with Botox.
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April 15, 2002: FDA approves Botox injections for frown lines between the eyebrows under the name Botox Cosmetic.
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July 2004: FDA approves Botox as a treatment for severe underarm sweating.
May 2007: Actress Virginia Madsen becomes the first celebrity to openly discuss her Botox cosmetic treatments and is featured in the Botox advertising campaign, “Keep the Wisdom. Lose the Lines.” She tells People magazine, “I am not using these injectables to look 25. I don’t want to be 25. I just want to look like me. I am 45, and I am in the best shape that I have ever been in my life.”
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October 2010: FDA approves Botox to treat chronic migraines.
April 2011: A federal jury in Virginia orders Allergan to pay $212 million to a 67-year-old man who said he was left brain-damaged and bedridden in 2007 after receiving off-label Botox injections to ease trembling and cramps in his hand. The Virginia jury rejects Allergan’s contention that Botox was not to blame for Douglas Ray Jr.’s disabling injuries. The panel awarded him $12 million in compensatory damages plus $200 million in punitive damages.
August 2011: The FDA approves Botox for treating overactive bladders in those who lose control because of damage to the nervous system, including those with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury.
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UV’s Dirty Little Secret
04 days
Fair skin and freckles? We all know that puts us at high risk for various types of skin cancer. But does that mean that other skin types aren’t at risk?
Nope.
The fact is, skin cancer can happen to just about all of us. Regardless of skin type, if you get lots of unprotected UV exposure, you’re at higher risk for melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma.
According to LA-based dermatologist Jessica Wu, MD, she removes skin cancer from all skin types and ethnic backgrounds, including Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and African American.
Still not convinced?
The American Cancer Society reports that skin cancer is the most common cancer, accounting for almost half of all cancers in the US. Here’s what the ACS expects to see in 2012:
- >2 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer (cancer that begins in the basal and squamous skin cells found in the top layer of skin)
- 75,000 cases of melanoma (cancer that begins in the melanocytes, in the skin cells that produce skin color/pigment/melanin and protect deeper layers from UV damage)
To make matters worse…
Men are at greater risk across the board: 3x more likely than women to have squamous cell carcinoma and 2x more likely to have basal cell carcinoma. These non-melanoma skin cancers show up most often on the face, ears, neck, and back of hands, precisely those spots that men seem to get the most unprotected sun exposure.
Better safe than sorry!
So regardless of your skin type, practicing sun safety is not just important, but essential, and can be achieved in just a few easy steps:
- Wear sunscreen. (Every day!)
- Seek shade. (When possible.)
- Pass it on. (Share your sun smarts with a friend!)
A Little Exilis, A Whole Lot of Elbow Envy
08 days
I have wrinkled elbows. And I really dislike them. In fact, they bother me about as much as those pesky Crow’s Feet.
So when I had the opportunity recently to try out a high-tech device on the exhibit floor of the annual meeting of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (AACS) 2012, I did what any woman in her right mind would: I said, “Sign me up.”
I’m no spring chicken, but I definitely think I’m too young to have old lady elbows. Ridiculous, you think, right? Nope. I have thin, papery skin that’s prone to loss of elasticity and wrinkles. (Just check out that elbow! Yup, it’s mine!)
Meet Exilis, a monopolar radiofrequency device that the manufacturing company BTL says contours and tightens just about everything. They had a treatment table, the device and everything needed to perform the procedure, so when I asked about the elbows, they were incredibly enthusiastic about entertaining my request.
Monopolar RF energy is concentrated, high-power density that offers deep penetration of the emitted power. The hand piece (pictured) has a small, round metal tip that rolls around in a gel applied to the surface treatment area.
Does it hurt? Nope. It feels really warm – the temperature of a hot bath. (Seriously, I could have fallen asleep!) If it hits a bone, however, whole other story. (Yes, I experienced it, but I survived!)
Because the Exilis is monopolar, when you’re treated you have to have a grounding pad placed strategically on the body to avoid a burn. Mine was on my right lower shoulder. It was cold initially and arguably the most uncomfortable part of the treatment.
Here’s how RF energy works: When collagen and elastin in the skin is heated, the body has a “thermal wounding” response and the body lays down new collagen and elastin. (Just what these wrinkled elbows need!) Collagen that has been stretched out and appears “crepey” can shrink back to its original appearance.
Ten minutes on each elbow and I was done. (Check out those results!) What you’re seeing here is actually pretty much just the initial thermal response expected after tissue is heated. I’m told I need three more treatments, spaced two weeks apart to get optimal results. As for cost, I’m told each treatment costs about $250 (for both elbows).
So are elbows the new face? Not even close. But for me, this is a classic case of a small troublesome area that only I notice and would find considerable pleasure in getting rid off. (Welcome to the real world of cosmetic surgery, Folks!)
‘Perfect’ Isn’t Pretty
011 days
When the customs officer notes that you look too tight, it’s time to back off on the Botox, folks. No, fortunately, I’m not talking about me (!).
On my way back to the US from Canada today, the US Customs officer and I had a little chat about the plastic surgery industry. And it was all those overly “optimized” faces that were the topic of coversation.
How we got on the topic? If you’ve traveled across the boarder, you know that one of the standard questions is, “What brings/brought you to [insert country name].” Of course, I’ve been in Vancouver for the past week covering the annual meeting of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, one of the biggest industry shows of the year, and I told him as much:
“Are you a doctor?” he asked.
“No, I’m a writer,” I replied.
“Oh, you write about all that stuff?” He pointed and made a circular motion at his face. He had a chubby face with skin that bespoke a Latin heritage, I’d guess.
“I sure do,” I smiled. “You’ve probably seen a lot of us coming through today,” I mentioned, referring not to docs only, but to those of us who were in town for the meeting.
“Yes,” he said emphatically. “A lot of tight faces.” He squinted his eyes and raised his brows.
(No Botox there, I can assure you. But he looked good. Chubby faces are youthful-looking faces!)
“Oh, you mean the wives?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “The doctors!”
“Really?” I wondered out loud. Truthfully, I don’t normally check out the doc’s faces too closely. Their wives, however. Totally different story. (Different blog post too!)
“Yes. They’re all tight… And why is their skin all shiny?” He was genuinely puzzled by this one.
I had to laugh inside. Leave it to the customs officer not only to notice these parallels among the docs, but also to feel compelled to try and satisfy his curiosity through me. (Frankly, I take it as a compliment. I must not look “done” like the docs.)
I smiled. “Ah, that’s over rejuvenated skin probably.” His quizzical look propelled my explanation forward. “We exfoliate the skin by peeling or using products, which make it ‘glow,’” I explained. “All that fresh skin is shiny and new.”
Some degree of understanding crossed his face. “Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice flight.”
I smiled, grabbed my bags and entered the country. Trust me: Customs isn’t always that easy.
But as I sit here at the gate waiting to get on my flight, a phrase crosses my mind: Perfect isn’t pretty. As Fritz E. Barton, Jr, MD, one of the presenters at the meeting pointed out to hundreds of industry experts in the audience, a face devoid of any natural crevices or perceived “flaws” is unnatural looking and not attractive.
Dr. Barton, I couldn’t agree more.
