Posted on March 1, 2010 in Skin / Nonsurgical, products
VIVITÉ® Vibrance Therapy is made with natural ingredients. I like things with science behind them, and this product is an alternative to hydroquinone products for those with pigmentation and sun damage. There was an article in Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008 showing UV damage correction was similar to a 4% hydroquinone.
The goal? In addition to the pigmentation, its goal is to
1. help brighten
2. even skin tone
3. help reduce appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
with visible results seen in just 8 weeks. “Restorative, antioxidant-rich cream works to help even out skin tone without hydroquinone.”
Key ingredients:
GLX TechnologyTM, superoxide dismutase, methyl dihydroxybenzoate (reduces pigmentation), licorice root extract, mulberry fruit extract, grape extract, green tea extract, lycopene, olive leaf extract, fennel seed extract, vitamin C, vitamin E, retinol, soy isoflavones. Contains 15% glycolic compound.
To be used once or twice daily. For daytime use, apply after you have cleansed your skin.
1. McDaniel DH, Wu J. Efficacy of a natural-based bleaching cream versus hydroquinone 4% bleaching gel in the treatment of hyperpigmentation. Cosmet Dermatol. 2008;21(11):596-602.
Posted on December 2, 2009 in Face, Skin / Nonsurgical, products
Yes, that was not a typo.
I do love skiing, and clearly winter is ski season as well. But as I am a plastic surgeon and not a world famous downhill racer, I am here to tell you winter is prime time, the best time, to improve your skin. Why? Mostly because it is dark, and you aren’t out in the sun, a great thing when trying to get rid of the skin pigmentation caused by the sun.
My favorites for winter:
Retin A products. (Differin, Tazorac, Refissa, Renova) These are not over the counter- they are prescription and not baby safe (sorry for all of you Bay Area moms with the wee ones). The issue with Retin A products is they can make your skin a little red and peely. Not good for summer, but in the winter, AHA! I just tell people I went skiing and got a little windburned (though windburn is likely really a form of sunburn). What does Retin A do? It thickens your dermis (skin) and makes the collagen more organized (which is good). It is tried and true, old old technology which works. Put it on at night. Avoid the sun. If you get too peely, then lower the strength and/or do it every other night.
Peels. TCA, Blue peel. I love it. It is a controlled chemical burn which removes the top layer and a half of your skin.
(Yes, should only be done by a doctor professional. I recently fielded a question from someone who found a kit on the internet to do a home peel. eeek! Some acids are weak- like the fruit acids- so it is difficult to go deep. TCA is not a weak acid, and if you go too deep you will scar and depigment your skin. Bad.) So, back to the TCA. When you go deep enough to do anything for the fine wrinkles and pigment, your skin must resurface. Your skin looks flaky and peely- not red, bleedy, crusty- but you aren’t going to want to be seen by a lot of people as you go through it. The resurfacing process takes 7-10 days. A great lesson to your kids on why they need to put on the sunscreen in our California sun. The skin looks fresh and new after it peels, and you have months before you beat it up again with the sun (and of course, you will now be a big fan of sunscreen daily, yes?). I am a big fan of the peel, and have done it myself. Remember you need a week of downtime and avoid the sun afterwards. Again- walah! Winter is the perfect time. (NOTE: if you are dark skinned, you need to pretreat your skin prior to the peel for a month with Retin A and hydroquinone to insure your pigment will be smooth. Some of my patients get such an improvement from the products, they don’t need to do the peel).
Other good things:
B5 serum- Helps hydrate if you get dry skin.
Antioxidants :C&E. Always good, year round. Skinceutical C E Feurlic and Phloretin CF
Sunscreen: When you do go to the mountains, that windburn is really sunburn. (I know I know. I thought it was just the glow from being in the mountains skiing).
Eyecream: Winter can be drying. Elastiderm helps plump the skin up again.
Hmmm. Think that is about it.
Skin season. It’s on!
Posted on November 4, 2009 in Face, Skin / Nonsurgical, interesting & new, products
The eyes have it.
I have to admit. It is my biggest vanity. I forget the make up. Sometimes I forget the shower. But forget mascara? Nope. I was one of those girls who was given lovely blonde hair and lashes, only to find when I got older, I got to keep the blonde invisible eyelashes and my hair turned brown. (ugh.) So mascara it is.
Then a few years ago products came out claiming to make your eyelashes thicker and fuller. As with all things medical cosmetic, I am a skeptic. People try to sell me products all the time which smell nice and have lovely packaging, but don’t do a thing. They called these new products “eyelash enhancers” for a problem called eyelash hypotrichosis (OHMY! Sounds horrible! Can I catch that? But all eyelash hypotrichosis means is “hypo” little, “trichosis” hair. So you have thin eyelash hairs.)
The original ingredient was used by glaucoma patients. They found glaucoma patients getting lovely eyelashes .(this blog is containing a lot of the word lovely. But you should see the lashes.) Then Jan Marini came out with a product. Followed by Revitalash. Both of these brands original products were very effective, but now are not- the issue is they don’t have the patent. So fast forwarding to now, Latisse (owned by Allergan) has the patent. Latisse really works.
Side effects? They say it can tint your eyelashes and the skin at the base of the lashes a little darker. This reverses. In rare instances, they say it can darken the color of the eye. Not okay for pregnant or nursing women. (Your baby isn’t focused up there anyway.)
You apply it daily to the base of the upper eyelashes. It takes 1-2 months to see the effects. You must maintain use otherwise after about 4 months you’ll lose the improvement you got. But it works. Just look at the photos on their site. For me I have many close friends and relatives on it and have seen the results firsthand.
Until December they are running a promotion. $20 off each box, limit 2 per household.
So know two things:
1. I don’t believe women should do everything. Plastic surgery and cosmetic products are not for everyone, and let’s face it. This stuff can get pricey: Botox, fillers, Skinceuticals, Obagi. Pick and choose what works best for you. I also believe in timing. If you are getting married, going to a reunion, the Christmas holiday parties, time your products for maximal benefit.
2. I am a natural girl, and don’t like those things which distort the way people look. (There are some scary looking people out there, especially some of the front office staff at cosmetic offices.)
But we all have our vanities. For me it is eyes. Smiling eyes. Fluttering eyes. Do-you-know-your-shirt-matches-your-eyes? (really??)
If you are like me and all the about the eyes, give this eyelash product a try. Latisse subtly enhances what you have.
