Why choose medical grade skincare?
So we all want to look younger. . . Don’t we? Or we at least want to look really good for our age. Before I started my aesthetics training, I thought the only way I was going to achieve a new shiny, youthful me was to travel down the slightly daunting road of Botox and fillers (don’t get me wrong, I love having Botox). But I have since been re-educated. The underlying structures of the face (that’s bones and fat to you and I) do diminish as we age, but ageing also has an impact upon the quality of our skin, the knock on effect being dry dull texture, thinning, sun spots (hyperpigmentation) from years of sun exposure (how many of you actually use a daily SPF?), fine lines and wrinkles. Not only that but acne or acne scarring also impacts how our skin looks and how it makes us feel.
Think of it like this . . . you’ve redecorated your bedroom, you’ve bought a lovely new bed frame and mattress. . . Would you shove on your crappy old duvet cover, or would buy a fresh new one? Think of your face as that lovely new bed and treat it to a new duvet cover!
“So what can I do?” I hear you say. Stop washing your face with shower gel in a hot shower for a start (you know who you are) and put in place a good skincare routine. Now, these can include products you buy in the local supermarket or high street shops, or you can go for the gold standard and invest in medical grade skincare. Which brings me to my original question. . . Why choose medical grade skincare?
Some people may be put off by the cost of medical grade skin products, however there is a good reason for the higher price tag. They offer scientifically backed active ingredients which penetrate the upper layers of the skin to have an effect upon some of the skin concerns previously mentioned. You may have heard of some of these ingredients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A (AKA retinoids) and Hyaluronic Acid to name a few. “But I can get these ingredients in my over the counter products” you say, and yes this is true, however the concentrations of active ingredients are often much lower than is needed to have a true impact on the skin, whereas medical grade products have optimal percentages of these ingredients to produce clinical results. They are also often not bioavailable (fancy word for actually immediately useful) to the skin and have to be converted by the body which also diminishes how effective they are.
Finally, is there a place for over the counter skin care products . . Yes . . It’s got to be better than shower gel. . But take the claims of youth with a pinch of salt, and beware, sometimes you can end up paying almost as much for over the counter products that do very little as you would for science backed, research based medical grade products. However if you decide to invest in medical grade skin care you should always seek the advice of a medically trained skin care professional who can tailor the products to your specific concern.
Go on, treat yourself to a new duvet cover!