The Luxury Myth

Well, I’m just going to say it-you don’t have to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars to find the most effective anti-aging products out there.  I mean really, $100 for one jar of cream is just a little excessive-what technology could possibly be worth so much money?  On the flipside- it is hard to find anything REALLY effective in the $10 range, but overall you can find some great products at reasonable prices and many have the same ingredients as those pricier “luxury” lines.  

So how do you know when something is quality vs. when something is just “fluff”?

When looking at skin care products, it always pays to go to the label because the same basic principles always apply.  

1. You need a GENTLE cleanser- avoid cleansers that claim to do a lot more than just clean the skin.  Any expensive “therapeutic” ingredients in a cleanser will not have enough contact time with your skin to give you the intended benefit- you are basically throwing money down the sink!  Also, avoid cleansers that have “scrub” anywhere in the name.  Many of these products can actually damage the skin on a microscopic level, which leads to aging on a visible level.  
2. Retinol=skin care magic!  If you can tolerate retinol (more on this in a moment), it is one of the greatest ingredients available for your skin.  It helps to decrease sebum production, increases skin cell turnover, and even is beneficial in the prevention of certain types of skin cancer.  You should be aware that retinol will make you more sensitive to the sun-so protect yourself with sunscreen, protective clothing, whatever it takes.  When you first begin using retinol you should expect some side effects such as redness, itching and dry patches.  This should not be severe and it should not last longer than two weeks.  Some people seem to have more difficulty with this than others and choose to not use retinol.  Here are some options if you find that you are hyper-reactive to retinol but you still want to gain the benefits from using it:
1. Find a product with a lower concentration
2. Alternate the usage of your retinol containing product with a non-retinol containing product
3. Try different types of retinol containing products- serums, lotions, creams.  Different formulations will offer different rates of absorption into your skin, which may mitigate your symptoms.
3. Exfoliation is a key component of a good skin care regimen.  Chemical exfoliation with an alpha-hydroxy acid (glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, etc) or a beta-hydroxy acid (salicylic acid) is preferred over physical exfoliation (i.e. scrubs).  The alpha-hydroxy acids are better for anti-aging and beta-hydroxy acid is better for blemish control.  
4. You can’t get enough antioxidants!  We are bombarded with environmental stressors on a daily basis that cause inflammation and free-radical damage.  Antioxidants protect your skin from this type of damage and there many sources of antioxidants.  Basically, just make sure that you are picking products that contain them and that the product is packaged in such a way as to protect it from air.  Antioxidants break down (oxidize) in the presence of oxygen, so if you are using antioxidants that are stored in a jar and exposed to oxygen everytime you open that jar....your product will basically be worthless by the time you put it on your face.  Airless pumps and airless jars are the new gold standard in packaging (though, in my experience these pumps can be fussy).

There are lots of other beneficial ingredients that are out there: peptides, DMAE and Vitamin C just to name a few, but what I’ve mentioned today are the basics that you should be including in your skin care regimen whether you are spending $50 on products at Target or $250 at Saks (or $169 at www.simplyskinrx.com)!  I hope that you found this information to be beneficial and that you will feel free to ask questions or leave your comments below.  The preceeding post is not meant to serve as medical advice. For any medical questions I recommend that you consult your physician.  I am a pharmacist and a self-proclaimed skincare guru- I read tons of research and try to disseminate it to my readers in a fun and informative way!