Skin Care

Skin care needs to be individualized. Factors such as your age, your degree of sundamage, associated problems (eg eczema, acne, irregular pigmentation) have a major influence on how your skin should be managed.

Skin Care Basics

• Have a baseline skin assessment done by your dermatologist: if you have any underlying problems your skin specialist can guide you in the right direction.
• Wash your skin twice per day. QV wash is one of my favourite cleansers. Cleansers don’t need to be expensive, they just need to clean the skin well. Cleansers are rapidly washed off, so active ingredients have little time to work.
• Moisturise your skin twice a day: your skin type will determine what moisturizers you need
• Manage problems: use products to treat your problems eg bleaching creams for abnormal pigmentation, medicated acne creams if you have pimples, steroid creams if you have eczema. (Read my article below about cosmeceuticals before buying products)
• PREVENT: the best antiaging cream available on the market is SUNSCREEN.
  Apply it regularly and stay out of the sun.

Cosmeceuticals - what works?

Skin care is no longer about a brand. Consumers are informed and are now asking me about the latest “ingredient” that has age defying benefits, reduces pigmentation or can improve acne. Cosmeceutical is a household name, considered by the informed to be as important to their health as brushing their teeth.

“What is that secret ingredient doctor?”, is how my consultations frequently begin. This is often immediately followed by the “plastic bag”. Jammed to the brim with products, the patient slowly pulls out each product one after the other. This one stung, this one cost $900 and didn’t do a thing, this one caused pimples, this a rash and so on. Fielding through the labels words like Coenzyme X, Ketoenzyme this and that, polysaccharide such and such jump out. They sound good, but are they really? The world of cosmeceuticals is not regulated by an authority, such as the FDA, or TGA. Just because an additive looks impressively scientific and terrific, in truth, it may represent no more than marketing mumbo jumbo. But to the consumer and many doctors and aestheticians, fielding your way through what is cosmetic company hype and what is real and effective is, to be frank, a complete nightmare.

Cosmeceutical means a scientifically designed topical agent applied to the skin that has both cosmetic and quasi pharmaceutical effects. The effects are not as therapeutic as a drug but are claimed to contain active ingredients that have proven benefits. Some cosmeceuticals definitely have a role in enhancing the effects of procedures and prescription medications. Separating fact from fiction will mean the difference between ordinary and superb results for your clients and will keep them coming back.

Common Traps

When selecting cosmeceuticals to sell, it’s not just the ingredient itself that is important. Concentration, pH and the type of the type of cream added with the ingredient have a major impact on the effectiveness of that ingredient. For instance, a product may contain retinol; but we know that only small amounts of retinol or retinyl palmitate can be converted in the skin to the active ingredient that produces all the desired dermal anti-aging effects. This is why, very often it is prescription strength preparations contain synthetic retinoic acid (eg tretinoin, adaplene, tazarotene) that are required. Some cosmetic companies; however, have perfected the art of delivering valuable concentrations of retinol to the skin, for example, skinceuticals.

In a similar vein to the retinoid issue, Vitamins can be unstable and other ingredients added to the cream can effect their activity. To be frank, we really don’t know a lot about the benefits of topical application of vitamins, which is surprising seeing their large presence in the market place. Hydroxy acids are effective, but the concentration and pH in a topical preparation really must be significant to have the desired reported effects. Ask the representative of the brand curly questions to prove that the ingredients in their products are stable and of adequate concentrations. The below list is not exhaustive but is designed as a guide to common scientifically proven ingredients.

What works in a nutshell?

* The use of hydroquinone in some countries is controversial

Effective cosmeceutical ingredients to look for and how they work

A referral is not always required for cosmetic consultations as these do not attract a Medicare rebate unless you have a medical problem.

If you are uncertain if you need a referral contact our helpful staff on (02) 9958 1555.
Our dermatologists request that you bring all of the cosmetic products you are using or have tried previously along to the consultation.