Skin Care

Product Types

Facial Cleansers
Antioxidants
Moisturizers
Sunscreens
Retinoids
Shampoos

Facial Skin Condition Treatments

Adult Acne
Broken Capillaries
Dark Circles
Deep Wrinkles
Dry Skin
Eyelid Toning
Fine Lines
Hyperpigmentation
Lips
Open Pores
Puffy Eyes
Rosacea

Body Skin Condition Treatments

Aging Hands
Breast Firming
Cellulite
Ingrown Hairs
Keratosis Pilaris
Scalp Acne
Stretch Marks

Skin Care Ingredients

Clinical Procedures and Topics

Four Fundamentals
Absurd Skin Care
Aging Skin
Antioxidants
Botox
Enzyme Exfoliation
Free Radical Damage
French Skin Care
Glycolic Acid
Idebenone
Irrational Fears
Klein Becker
Oxidative Stress
Paula Begoun
Perricone
Restylane
Skin Structure
Stem Cells
Healthy Skin Barrier Function
Smoking
Sun Protection
Topical Vitamin C/Firming
Choices and Needs
Strivectin
Additional clinical skincare topics.

You will need to consult with a dermatologist — the condition you describe gives the impression of being dyshidrotic eczema, a recurrent dermatitis.

Kinerase is certainly gentler than any prescription retinoid yet still has a considerable beneficial effect on the appearance of wrinkles (also see the Kinerase Results Chart) however it is not a replacement for prescription retinoids if you are able to use them.

Kinerase and Retin-A are compatible whereas some skin care products cannot be used at the same time as retinoids like Renova, therefore you can consider using both to greater effect than either alone.

Kinerase assists healthy barrier function and skin barrier repair, which is compromised by retinoid use.

A vascular laser is the only reliable means by which to treat broken capillaries on the nose.

You can use products containing a combination of ascorbic acid and bioflavonoids such as IS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum and/or products containing caffeine such as RevaleSkin with Coffeeberry, Replenix Serum Caffeine Fortified or La Roche Posay Rosaliac to help reduce redness and, together with sunscreen, to reduce the likelihood of continued breakage.

The visibility of facial "open pores" can be attributed to genetics, unsuitable skin care, environmental factors and stress.

Visibly large open pores are one of the most recalcitrant aesthetic concerns to treat, often requiring a combination of modalities.

I recommend using a facial cleanser or toner containing salicylic acid or lipohydroxy acid once or twice daily, such as Glycolix Gly/Sal 5-2 Cleanser or La Roche-Posay Effaclar Toner Astringent Lotion and a retinoid such as Biomedic Retinol or Skinceuticals Retinol in the evening.

Always use an oil-control sunscreen such as La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra-Light Sunscreen Fluid during the day when using products containing salicylic acid, lipohydroxy acid or retinol as part of a solution to reduce the increasing appearance of large pores.

Pleasingly, all these options also reduce and prevent photodamage symptoms.

You may have allergic skin or rosacea.

If the underlying condition(s) causing your redness have been addressed, you can use a moisturizer containing green tint and caffeine to optically counteract redness and reduce irritation.

Two good options include La Roche Posay Rosaliac (which contains added green tint) or Replenix Caffeine-Fortified Serum or Cream (which are naturally green due to their high — c. 90% — concentration of Green Tea).

Apply a mineral make up such as Colorescience or Jane Iredale and set with a soothing/protective thermal spring water spray such as Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray or La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water.

This combination will allow you to both mask redness and reduce irritation without thick makeup.

Avoid products which aren't intended especially for oily skin — products for combination skin are going to be generally unsuitable.

There are an increasing number of products available for extremely oily skin.

If your skin isn't sensitive, use skin care products containing glycolic acid, salicylic acid and retinol to help reduce excess oiliness.

Obviously you don't want to use a moisturizer.

Add OC Eight Professional Mattifying Gel to your daily skin care.

You can also dust the skin with a sunscreen brush such as Colorescience Sunforgettable or Colorescience Invisibly Matte Finishing Powder to mattify your skin and refresh its sun protection.

Plus which one would be better for a younger skin in their early 20's?

Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum contains ascorbyl palmitate and deanol and Skinceuticals C E Ferulic contains ascorbic acid, tocopherol and ferulic acid.

It should be noted that there are some concerns over the safety and suitability of large concentrations of ascorbyl palmitate and deanol.

In recent times, some manufacturers have removed or replaced ascorbyl palmitate from their products.

This includes the "Ester-C" products marketed by Dr. Nicholas Perricone's N.V. Perricone Cosmeceuticals, from which Jan Marini C-ESTA is said to be derived.

Skinceuticals C E Ferulic is a more effective protective product in theory however most people use oxidized versions of Vitamin C products which are useless or possibly harmful.

It was once thought that ascorbyl palmitate was more stable than ascorbic acid, however testing has confirmed that in fact both are inherently prone to considerable oxidation, therefore the claimed shelf-life and superior antioxidant advantage of Jan Marini C-ESTA over Skinceuticals C E Ferulic and similar products may not actually exist.

It is true that Jan Marini C-ESTA Cream is less prone to discolouration (oxidation) when refrigerated so it seems likely it is not stable.

People generally report more immediate skin firming with Jan Marini C-ESTA than Skinceuticals C E Ferulic however long-term firming results are likely to be different.

Skinceuticals C E Ferulic may irritate sensitive skin and stimulate acne in prone individuals while Jan Marini C-ESTA is generally well-tolerated.

If you'd like to try using a Vitamin C product, rather than use either of these, it is better to start with Alyria Antioxidant Capsules, the 10% Vitamin C content of which does not oxidize prior to use by virtue of a combination of formulation and packaging, and which is gentle enough to safely and comfortably test suitability on virtually any skin type or condition.

For additional advice it would be best to ask actual users including specialists at: http://www.derm.net.au/discussions/.

He has minimal breakouts and some white heads on his nose.

Biomedic Antibac Acne Wash contains salicylic and lactic acids which work to clear pores of debris, helping prevent and treat whiteheads.

The form of Vitamin C is the same (ascorbic acid) however the concentration and ingredients are different.

Cellex-C Vitamin C is likely a better antioxidant than Neostrata Vitamin C, providing it is fresh (clear and not oxidized).

Alyria Antioxidant Capsules contain Vitamins C and E which in most instances is a preferable combination compared to the Vitamin C alone used in Neostrata Vitamin C Capsules.

For the last six weeks I have dabbed a little every day on the creases between my eyes. I thought I'd given it a pretty easy job because these wrinkles are comparatively new and tiny. Six weeks later, not one whit of difference. If anything, I found it extremely drying and dulling.

Can you please clarify whether or not I should bother using Skinceuticals Phloretin CF?

The review you mention, as per the Skinceuticals Retinol review at Truth In Aging, is a good example of poor advice leading people astray, increasing the likelihood of futile and incorrect treatment.

For the most part, and as they are most typically used, antioxidants are a long-term daily-use proposition to assist in preventing photodamage.

As antioxidants are not capable of treating pre-existing wrinkles, a different entity to photodamage prevention, the 6-week "reviewed and rejected" assessment made on Skinceuticals Phloretin CF's ability to treat wrinkles is invalid.

Skinceuticals Phloretin CF is intended for combination skin and may cause skin irritation in individuals with sensitive skin and additional dryness in individuals with dry skin.

Skinceuticals C E Ferulic is more suitable for dry skin.

It is not claimed to be an inherently superior alternative to Skinceuticals C E Ferulic as the review states ("Five years in the making, Phloretin CF is supposed to take CE Ferulic to new antioxidant heights").

Samples of products containing Vitamin C are also prone to heavy oxidation which affects efficacy.

Lastly, 6 weeks isn't long enough to judge the effects of any skin care — 6 months is a more telling, minimal period of time.

The document A Year of Photoprotection — Results from Topical Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) and Sunscreen Use can give you a better idea of what you can realistically expect from long-term use of a ascorbic acid serum such as Skinceuticals Phloretin CF when combined with sunscreen.

You may also like to refer to the Skinceuticals C E Ferulic Dermatological Evaluation of Tolerance and Efficacy and Evaluation of Effects on Special Molecular Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Skin of Healthy Subjects After UVA 1 Irradiation.

There are many possible replacements.

Skinceuticals Eye Renewal Gel is the same size and may be used over the entire face and not just the eye contour, or alternatively Skinceuticals Intense Line Defense, if your skin is acclimated to alpha hydroxy acids.

Glyderm, Glytone, Neostrata and Allergan Vivité all make highly functional alpha hydroxy acid products.

There was once an old sailor my grandfather knew
Who had so many things which he wanted to do
That, whenever he thought it was time to begin,
He couldn't because of the state he was in.

And so in the end he did nothing at all,
But basked on the shingle wrapped up in a shawl.
And I think it was dreadful the way he behaved -
He did nothing but bask until he was saved!

6/10/08 — Skin Care Failure: Do Everything At Once / Never Complete A Single Treatment.

Despite the huge number of products on the market, for most people the potential for effective skin therapy is as limited as ever.

Consumers need to choose products carefully, or not at all, if they want to avoid being duped.

If you're interested in seeing measurable improvements in your skin and "anti-aging" that goes beyond the words on a jar, its worth taking some time to understand some of the reasons why so many products and brands can exist in the face of such poor results and such high prices:

• Large skin care companies, particularly those tied to luxury brands, have more influence over the marketplace than consumers or dermatologists. How do you know the latest cream at the department store/beauty salon is currently the most effective at achieving a particular outcome?
  
  The bottom line: you don't. There's too many products, too much double-talk, and too much pressure to purchase.
  
  
• Countless old, overpriced or otherwise inferior products remain on the market because they're already ubiquitous. Interest in these products is primarily driven by mass media advertisement. They've never been trialled in medical journals or integrated in professional dermatological practice for good reasons, nor will they ever be.
  
  The bottom line: most people never get to experience skin treatment with measurable effects. They're left in the dark.
  

The solution, not surprisingly, is to arm yourself with knowledge and to go the route of accountable channels.

Above all else, avoid any retailer that sells anything and everything they can get their hands on, particularly if they're selling products with very different "brand philosophies."

Pleasantly, there's an upside to the cosmetics manufacturer/cosmetics buyer power imbalance: cost.

Superior products are generally cheaper due to their comparatively miniscule marketing costs.

The downside: a lot of people have already been defrauded by dishonest manufacturers and retailers.

Once bitten, twice shy, they're either unlikely to risk any further experimentation, or continue to willfully waste their skin's future by indulging in gimmicks like oxygen skin care, Paula Begoun, face bras and chirality.

Melbourne Dermatology aims to assist people in avoiding the dreck of skin care.

Putting it another way, regimens of skin care which do not pass these basic standards offer only limited and temporary, cosmetic changes in skin's appearance, and over time encourage and secure the overall permanent deterioration commonly referred to as premature skin aging.

Managed proactively and with a preference for sound formulas grounded in reality, the skin need not age considerably beyond the age of 25.

Effective Skin Care Criteria

Any skin care management and treatment protocol must provide:

1. A means of regularly and non-abrasively removing the useless dead skin cells and wastes which are at the root of many everyday skin complaints. Get rid of compacted dead cells the right way and watch your skin start to thrive. Just as regularly mowing a lawn helps prevent irregular grass growth (coarse texture, wrinkles), colour (hyperpigmentation, freckles, age spots), uneven wetting (dry skin, oily skin) and weeds (open pores, blackheads, acne), appropriate, effective exfoliation and cleansing are the opening tenets of all meaningful skin maintenance, treatment or rejuvenation protocols.
   
   
2. A means of enhancing the skin's declined functions, if any. By the time most people seek treatment, they will require skin firming, immunity re-building or otherwise stimulating topicals to help revert their skin to more youthful behaviour. Women now also have the option of topical skin care which replaces declining levels of female hormones.
   
   
3. A means of protecting the skin's functions which are presently trouble-free, and protecting the progress and health of those which are being rebuilt. This refers in the first instance to antioxidant and true broad spectrum sunscreen usage at all times of the year during the day, but also to the avoidance of skin care products not derived from an understanding of cellular functioning. The body seeks to eliminate non-native ingredients because they are at odds with its chemisty and this process is associated with aging and allergic reactions, be they outwardly visible or not.
   
   
4. Twice daily maintenance. Just like brushing teeth only once a day still leads to cavities, skin care and treatment protocols which are haphazardly followed produce extremely limited results. In fact, some anti-aging and skin resurfacing programs will produce adverse results if not followed correctly.

All four elements must be used in concert.