Although skin care counters normally do have licensed Aestheticians selling their products not everyone is fully aware of adverse reactions and contraindications of certain cosmeceutical ingredients. They are trained to sell the “MAGIC” of the product versus actually educating you on how to properly use them. Today, everyone is extra concerned with sun spots, fine lines and wrinkles. This is putting pressure on over the counter manufacturers to compete against more aggressive prescriptive product lines.
My top two tips to all uneducated consumers:
· Retinol is a miracle anti-aging product when used correctly and at the proper dosage. Prescriptive strengths of retinol are much more effective on aged skin and using for corrective purposes. You must wear proper sun protection everyday when using retinol to avoid developing hyperpigmentation (brow spots) due to retinol making your skin photo sensitive.
· Another product that is out on the market and can be sold over the counter under a certain percentage is Hydroquinone. Hydroquinone is considered a “bleaching” cream that actually works to inhibit the production of melanin. It is extremely rare that when purchasing a product that contains this ingredient, that the non-professional will be fully aware of the proper use of Hydroquinone as well as adverse reactions. Hydroquinone is best to be used twice a day and for NO LONGER than 6 months at a time. The product actually plateaus around this point and could possible start to cause darkening if over used. Also, you must wear sun protection everyday with this product as it can cause your skin to become photo sensitive.
ALWAYS SEEK A SKIN CARE PROFESSIONAL AT A DOCTOR’S OFFICE TO RECEIVE PROPER INFORMATION AND EFFECTIVE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS.
