Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog: anti-aging treatments

Showing posts with label anti-aging treatments. Show all posts

Thursday, April 3, 2008

No. 1 Way To Fight Wrinkles

picture of RevaleSkin

The No. 1 way to fight wrinkles, according to my dermatologist, is a beauty product containing coffeeberries, the outer layer of the coffee fruit, which is a rich source of antioxidants, with research reporting that 400 mg of concentrate has a radical scavenging activity equal to 9.6 grams of fresh blueberries, 6.2 grams of strawberries, or 4.9 grams of raspberries, a veritable antioxidant fruitfest.

Admittedly, I have been a fan of Prevage MD for the last year, but the jury is in and Prevage MD is too irritating for most women's skin. My dermatologist recommended I switch to RevaleSkin. RevaleSkin is the first and only professional line of anti-aging skin care products exclusively formulated with the powerful, natural antioxidant ingredient, CoffeBerry. Unfortunately, it is only available through physicians' offices ($40 t0 $110), and a few online resources, from which I have not purchased a beauty product.

What is particularly significant about the launch of this anti-aging skin care line is that it taps into two of the biggest trends in the cosmetics industry at the current time - the move towards natural cosmetics combined with consumer interest in anti-aging treatments.

According to the company, RevaleSkin's CoffeeBerry ingredient not only has the advantage of being naturally-derived, it is also one of the most powerful antioxidants known to man, a property that makes it highly effective in the treatment of fine lines, age spots -- I mean sunspots -- and other photoaging-induced symptoms.

I am quick to jump on the anti-aging bandwagon, primarily due to my age! I started the CoffeeBerry skincare regime yesterday, so I will keep you posted as to the results and my continued research. At this juncture, I am not convinced that RevaleSkin is better than any other beauty product that contains antioxidants. Until I learn otherwise, I am hedging my bets with food sources that are high in antioxidants, like drinking a cup of green tea or an acai fruit smoothie, as well as beauty products containing antioxidants.

Until then, meet a friend at the corner cafe for a cuppa CoffeeBerry. It can't hurt.

Have a great Thursday,

Beckie

Monday, March 31, 2008

Better Than Botox? Beauty Product Review of AlphaDerma CE

picture of AlphaDerm CE

When you receive a product to review that is advertised as "Better than Botox," it really makes you sit up and take notice.

"A surgical injection of Botox® is designed to paralyze facial muscles to prevent them from contracting. AlphaDerma CE is formulated with 10% Acetyl Hexapeptide 3 (AH3), also known as Argireline. Argireline is the only ingredient in cosmetics today that offers the same results as Botox® without needles or the risk of damage to the skin or facial muscles. Argireline blocks the nerve signals that control the contraction of facial muscles. This produces a significant reduction in both the depth and size of wrinkles and fine lines."

When I first applied the product, I thought I had found a painless topical alternative to Botox (although I don't use Botox.), but the sceptic in me knew it was too good to be true. The next morning, sans makeup, I took a picture of my face without AlphaDerma CE, and then after applying AlphaDerma CE, I took another picture. (Only if you say, "pretty please" will I post the pictures here. A closeup picture is not my friend anymore.)

On a positive note, I found that AlphaDerma CE has a tightening effect which is beneficial, but if you want the Botox effect, you need to pay to play. As you can see below, AlphaDerma CE is a cocktail of eight anti-aging ingredients. Like most peptide potions, the formula is costly, too: $129 from Janson Beckett.

Alpha Lipoic Acid, the most potent antioxidant on the market today, helps repair aged skin while preventing future damage.
VITAMIN C ESTER (ascorbyl palmitate) boosts protective antioxidant action and helps repair past damage by aiding new collagen production.
DMAE often called “facelift in a jar”, helps Firm and Tighten the skin.
ELASTIN is the main ingredient in the skin that allows it to stretch without leaving stretch marks. AlphaDerma CE contains 100% rare, costly, freeze-dried powdered ELASTIN concentrate – which has almost 100% amino acid content. This makes our ELASTIN 10x more potent than any other standard ELASTIN products used in the U.S. or abroad.
COLLAGEN is an integral part of the support structure of the skin. The addition of our collagen to the formulation fills in unwanted fine lines and wrinkles. Our special delivery system allows the collagen to be absorbed into the lower levels of the epidermis - which is the "birth" layer of new cells. Our collagen is hydrolyzed collagen, which is a form of collagen that is broken into smaller molecules, allowing it to be more easily absorbed into the epidermis."

Before testing AlphaDerma CE, I had been using Prevage MD for about six months. Prevage MD’s key ingredient is Idebenone, which according to my dermatologist is the most powerful topical antioxidant available on the market today.

It is also interesting to note that Allergan, the pharmaceutical company which makes and markets Prevage MD, is also the maker of Botox. Once again, I have not found a topical alternative to Botox, but maybe Allergan is getting closer to finding youth in a bottle.

Have a great Monday,

Beckie

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

How To Control Your Fear Of Wrinkles

Yesterday we discussed rhytiphobia -- fear of wrinkles. If you are experiencing any signs of rhytiphobia, you might want to add Prevage MD to your skin care routine to control your fear. Four months ago, I added prescription-strength Prevage to my routine and I am suffering much less from fear of wrinkles.

Prevage is made by Allergan, the same folks that make BOTOX. Allure magazine named Prevage as a Best of Beauty Award Winner.

According to the Prevage MD Company Line:

"PREVAGE® MD protects your skin from environmental stressors known to cause skin aging including UV light, air pollution, ozone, and cigarette smoke.
The antioxidative power of PREVAGE MD anti-aging treatment has been shown to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as skin roughness and
dryness, and to even skin tone to restore youthful-looking skin."

According to Dr. Andrew Scheman, MD, an associate professor of clinical dermatology at Northwestern University Medical Center, as quoted in Prevention Magazine:

"Smaller-than-ever molecules make idebenone an agile, streamlined version of its chemical cousin, CoQ10. They can slip readily into dermal cells in the deepest layer of the skin, where they neutralize destructive free radicals."

Both the MD version and the department store version of Prevage contains idebenone (eh-DE-be-known). Idebenone is an antioxidant that has been found to effectively combat the signs of aging brought on by those nasty little factors such as age, sun damage, and smoking (I have two out of the three working against me).

It also has been used in some neurological diseases because of its powerful antioxidant effects. The prescribed formula contains 1.0 percent idebenone, which seems to cause skin irritation and itchiness in some women who have sensitive skin, and the non-prescribed formula contains 0.5 percent.

For four months, I have put on Prevage MD after I washed my face in the morning. I use Retin-A at night, and have for years, so my skin must not be extremely sensitive because I have never experienced skin irritation nor itchiness.

As to whether I have seen a significant difference, to be honest, I am not sure. I have always used some type of antioxidant, as well as Retin-A for two decades. Rhytiphobia is not something I suffer from because I realize there is only so much preventive maintenance a girl can do. So until beauty scientists come up with a stronger antioxidant for the skin -- maybe CoffeeBerry -- I will continue using Prevage MD.

Brains on Beauty: The non-prescribed formula, 1.7 ounces, is $150 from Sephora, while the prescribed formula runs around $120 for 1 ounce from your dermatologist. If you have sensitive skin, I would opt for the non-prescribed formula. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, choose the prescription-strength formula.

As always, it is recommended that you consult with a qualified professional about the most appropriate course of action for your rhytiphobia or preventive skin care measures.

Happy Tuesday,
Beckie

Sources: Total Beauty, Allure Best of Beauty Products , Prevention
Image: Sephora

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