Beauty products rarely live up to hype

 

 

Beauty products can seem awfully mysterious. Among all of the lotions and potions that crowd your average drugstore aisle, you’ll find many enigmatic claims about “defying” age, “revitalizing” crow’s-feet and “purifying” pores. Can any product live up to the hype?

 

“There’s a lot of misinformation,” says dermatologist Sandra Read, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Dermatology. “A lot of claims being made out there are unsubstantiated.”

 

Nevertheless, many women — and not a few men — remain seduced by these pint-size elixirs of youth and pulchritude. Which beauty goods are magic in a bottle? Which are just gorgeously packaged gimmicks? Here, the scoop on a few products, new and old, that you may have wondered about.

 

Sad to say, firming lotions can’t flush away the results of too many Twinkies. Often, they contain something totally unrelated to fat cells and skin dimples: alcohol, which dries out the skin. “If it has enough alcohol to dry you out, you feel tight,” Read says. “It’s the sensation of firmness and tightness.”

 

Store shelves are well-stocked with pore-minimizing products. Some contain retinol, which loosens dirt and oil in pores, letting them be expelled naturally. You may also hear about pore-minimizing treatments, including microdermabrasion. All these can help clean your pores, and a squeaky-clean pore tends to look smaller than one filled with dirt and sebum.

 

But can anything actually alter a pore’s size in the long term, turning eraser heads into pin dots? “No,” Read says, laughing. The size of your pores is genetically determined.

 

Think of face primer the way you think of the stuff you slather on your walls: as a base coat that makes your paint (i.e., foundation) last longer.

 

“It’s one of my secrets when I do professional makeup,” says makeup artist Carola Myers. “It will conceal the signs of fatigue and add a luminosity to your makeup.” She suggests primers by Nars, Laura Mercier and Smashbox.

 

 

 

Applied after cleansing, a serum can moisturize, brighten or help firm skin, depending on its ingredients. This may sound magical, but serums are often quite similar to same-old moisturizers, although they may have slightly smaller molecules that can penetrate skin more deeply.

 

“I think they’re just trying to find new words for the same old thing,” Read says. “It’s just a liquid moisturizer.”

 

Toner rids the skin of dirt, impurities and excess oils. Of course, some people would say that’s the job of your facial cleanser. But this age-old product has its fans.

 

“You should use a toner at night, especially if you’ve been using makeup,” Myers says. “We all skip it, but every time I use it, I do feel very clean.” She likes those by Almay and Clinique but says “anything mild would be wonderful.”

 

Full Article

High-tech cosmetic gadgets move from clinic to home

 

Tiffani Bruce, a Walgreen Co employee, had her doubts about the acne-busting gadget called Zeno when her store began selling it two years ago.

 

A victim of the occasional pimple, she decided to give the slim, handheld device a try, and was pleasantly surprised by results of the “heat shock” treatment that destroys offending bacteria without damaging the skin.

 

“When you first hear about it you’re a bit skeptical,” said Bruce, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based drugstore chain. “But it absolutely works. You have to kind of catch it before it’s huge, but it works.”

 

Like the FDA-approved Zeno, more and more high-tech cosmetic treatments previously only available through dermatologists and high-end spas are now being sold at drugstores and on the Internet.

 

Now consumers can zap away unwanted body hair or punish pimples with cellphone-sized gadgets in their own bathrooms. Wrinkle vanishing devices, the ultimate magic wand of cosmetic gadgetry, are also on the horizon, retailers say.

 

Most of these devices are adjusted from versions used in clinics to lower intensity or temperature, to prevent injuries like burns.

 

COST EFFECTIVE

 

“You don’t need to go to the doctor’s office, so it’s much more cost effective,” said Neil Sadick, a Park Avenue dermatologist who helped develop the $250 hair remover called no!no! by Radiancy,

 

While some would consider its price prohibitive, consider this: a full leg wax in New York City can cost anywhere from $50 to more than $100, and more permanent hair reduction treatments using pulsed light or laser usually cost hundreds of dollars per session.

 

The no!no! uses what it calls thermodynamic technology, which helps to destroy hair follicles without damaging the skin around it. In its website the company promises “no hair no pain no noise no creams … no stress no mess.”

 

“The disadvantage is it requires more treatment and the results may not be quite as good (as at a doctor’s office). But it approaches it,” Sadick said.

 

Allison Slater, vice president of marketing at beauty products retailing chain Sephora, said most buyers of such gadgets, including the Zeno and its rival ThermaClear, are moving up from creams and other topical solutions rather than downgrading from professional care.

 

“I don’t think it’s necessarily replacing the dermatologists. It’s an enhancement,” she said.

 

Growth in retail sales of cosmetic gadgets may help an industry — which includes cosmetic laser device makers Palomar Medical Technologies Inc and Cutera Inc — facing a slower economy and increasing competition.

 

WHO DOESN’T WANT THAT?

 

Zeno costs around $150 to $200. Lee Stranathan, vice president of marketing at its maker Tyrell Inc, said the company will start selling a smaller and cheaper version called the Zeno “mini” for around $90 in the next few months.

 

The weaker economy is not, so far, damaging sales, Sephora’s Slater says. She said more gadgets will be launched in the coming year, and the next wave will include anti-aging skin care.

 

“Preventing or decreasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles is really what’s going to be the future of this category,” she said.

 

For now, Sephora’s gadget line-up includes Clarisonic, a brush that uses sonic technology to clean pores, as well as the T3 hair dryer, which uses crushed tourmaline stones to produce “ionic energy and far infrared heat”.

 

“If you can dry your hair with less frizz and shorter time, who doesn’t want that?” she said. “I’d rather invest my money in a state of the art tool that is basically going to save me time in the end.”

Full Article

 

Whiteheads are form of acne - a build-up of oils, sebum and dead skin that plugs up your pores. Just like the blackheads, the whiteheads can be also seen in both teenagers and adults.

Whiteheads can be shortly defined as: tiny, pearly, white raised spots formed in the skin where skin cells clog and close a hair follicle (the reason why they are also called closed comedones ). Many people mistake whiteheads for pimples as they both look alike but there is a difference because whiteheads should be removed very carefully.

The exact cause of whiteheads isn’t still known for sure but most of the dermatologists suggest that the whiteheads are caused by the accumulation of hardened sebum (oil) in the pores of the skin. If the skin pore closes up then the bacteria will remain under the skin – it will begin to grow and after a few days a whitehead will be formed.

Whiteheads usually occur on different parts of the face, most commonly around the eyes and on the cheeks. Most of the people also get whiteheads on the chest, neck and forehead. Whiteheads are often accompanied with blackheads, pimples and acne.

HOW TO GET RID OF WHITEHEADS AND HOW TO PREVENT WHITEHEADS?

You should never try to remove whiteheads alone at home, never! You should know that whiteheads are different from pimples or blackheads. If you try to squeeze the whitehead you may easily break the skin which will result in permanent, reddish scar.

The best way to prevent the formation of whiteheads is to follow a strict skin care regimen, as follows:

Clean your face at least twice a day with skincare products that are appropriate for your skin type. Use a facial cleanser that contain salicylic acid or alpha hydroxyl acids as there ingredients help in unclogging the pores.

Exfoliate your skin regularly – twice or three times a week. Apply the exfoliating products all over your face, using light, circular motions concentration on the problem areas of the face – forehead, nose and cheeks. Try to find a gentle exfoliator with small particles – it will encourage newer, smoother and healthier skin cells to grow, helping to unclog the pores.

Even if your skin is oily or mixed you should never forget to apply a moisturizer or a hydrating cream.

Once a week steam your face for a few minutes to cleanse your skin in deep. Steaming is very important to loosen debris that may be embedded into the skin. When steaming the face you wide the clogged pores and soften the skin in order to cleanse more easily the impurities, the traces of makeup, the dust, the sebaceous secretions as well as the dead skin cells.

You can also use a comedone remover (a comedone extractor ) tool –a handy device to help keep pores free of blackheads and blemishes. It will remove all clogged dark bumps with trapped sebum, bacteria and excess oils dislodging pore blockages leaving skin clear and smooth. This tool should be used immediately after steaming the face.

If you have just a small number of whiteheads don’t do anything – leave them the way they are because sometimes whiteheads go away by themselves in a few days.

You should never try to squeeze the whitehead alone; you had better go to the nearest beauty parlor and consult a beautician or a dermatologist.

The cosmetologists are trained to remove whiteheads and the other forms of acne flawlessly. They use special methods and tools to extract the whiteheads without a risk of skin infections and scarring.

The first thing the cosmetologist will do is to steam your face – to widen the clogged pores and to soften the skin in order to cleanse more easily the impurities. After steaming it will be more easily to remove the comedones /blackheads, whiteheads/ and the little pimples.

Then she / he will use a sterilized needle to gently prick the tip of the whitehead with the needle. A gentle pressure will be needed to ease out the pus. Basically this is to most common way used by the dermatologist and the beauticians to remove the whiteheads. The method resembles the way a pimple is popped but a higher degree of attention is needed.

Useful Tips:

Remember: whiteheads should be extracted by an experienced esthetician or dermatologist.

To prevent whiteheads from forming in the first place, you should use a mild facial cleanser that is oil-free and wash your face at least twice a day.

Never squeeze or pick at a pimple as doing so may spread the inflammation and leave an ugly red scar behind.

Use a face cream or moisturizer containing salicylic acid.

Always look for antibacterial skin care and cosmetic products.

Use skin care products with benzyl peroxide, salicylic acid or AHAs.

It’s essential to keep your skin clean all the time in order to prevent the formation of whiteheads.

Drink plenty of water to keep your skin and body hydrated and to remove the toxins from your skin.

Always apply a toner after cleansing your face in the morning and in the evening to close the pores.

Remember: there is a difference between a blackhead and a whitehead, blackheads are partly blocked pores and the fully blocked pores are called whiteheads.

Never try to remove whiteheads at home – this may lead to serious skin infections and permanent scarring.

Remember: usually the whiteheads go away by themselves in a few days.

Never forget to remove your makeup in the evening; otherwise this may clog the pores resulting in blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and rash appearance.

Never use harsh facial cleansers, soaps or lotions.

Always look for noncomedogenic and nonacnegenic skin care and makeup products.

Like the blackheads, the whiteheads can be seen on the areas around the face, especially around the nose, eyes, cheeks and forehead.

Never use oil-based makeup precuts as they may contribute to the buildup of oil in the follicles.

Always apply moisturizer after washing your face.

Don’t forget to exfoliate your skin once or twice a week with a mild exfoliator to remove the dead skin cells.

Remember: the appearance of your skin is influenced mainly by your skin care routine.

Always wear a sunscreen or sunblock with SPF at least 15, even during the winter months to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays.

Avoid touching your face with dirty hands – you can transform bacteria and cause inflammation.

Remember: the best way to prevent whiteheads is to keep your skin clean and well moisturized all the time.

Regular facials can help prevent whiteheads because they will keep your pores clean.

Do a cleansing face mask once or twice a week.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS TREATING WHITEHEADS:

Sephora Double-Ended Blemish Extractor ($16) - featuring a small loop for white heads and a flat side to extract blackheads.

DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew ($36) - a delicate, fluffy, mild moisturizer free of oil, lanolin, fragrance, and color additives. Pure aloe vera and glycerin help bind moisture to the skin while squalene, and dimethicone help delay moisture loss.

Murad Moisturizing Acne Treatment Gel ($43) - An oil-free, hydrating, fast-acting acne treatment gel. Rapidly reduces acne and skin breakouts by 45 percent in two weeks as it reduces shine and sensitivity.

Kinerase Clear Skin Blemish Dissolver ($39) - This convenient stick with a roller-ball applicator offers precise spot application that helps reduce the appearance of blemishes and other breakout-related skin imperfections.

Clinique Acne Solutions Clear Skin System Kit ($32) - Perfect introduction to the Acne Solutions Clear Skin System. Starter kit contains a 4-week supply of all three steps—cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize. Set includes a 1.7 oz Cleansing Foam, 3.4 oz Clarifying Lotion, and a 1 oz Clearing Moisturizer.

Lancôme PURE FOCUS EXFOLIATOR - Deep Pore Refining Scrub with Micro-Beads ($24) - This pore refining scrub with purifying micro-beads deeply cleans and helps oil and shine disappear for fresh, pure, matte skin. Zinc Gluconate limits the visible effects of excess sebum while salicylic acid unclogs pores. Skin is transformed, pure and lastingly matte.

Shiseido Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Sheets Oil-Free Alcohol-Free ($16) - cleansing sheets that maintain skin’s natural balance while whisking away impurities, makeup, and oil that can clog pores and lead to imperfections. Instantly refreshing. pH-balanced formulation.

Philosophy On a Clear Day Super Wash For Oily Skin ($18) - Minimize oil with this unusually effective super wash. On a Clear Day Super Wash For Oily Skin is designed to wipe away the dirt and grime that cloud your complexion.

Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam ($28) - A creamy, rich-lathering cleanser that lifts away makeup and impurities while leaving skin smooth, balanced, and ready for further treatment.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Foam Cleanser ($6.50) - Effective yet gentle acne cleansing product with salicylic acid.