FAQs: Which skin care products should I apply first?

Answer: Start with the lightest consistency and end with the heaviest (e.g., gels before serums; serums before lotions; lotions before creams). “Thick products can prevent thinner ones from penetrating,” says dermatologist Jeffrey Dover, MD, author of The Youth Equation. Rub in each layer until it disappears, then slather on the next. And apply products to clean skin — the more makeup or dirt a formula has to pass through, the less effective it will be.

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Quick Tip: Hand Mask

Beautiful, well-kept and delicate hands are important. Hands tell you a number of things about yourself. No matter how firm the face, your hand can give away your true age–just ask any Real Housewife. Treat hands to some TLC when you use a face mask by spreading any excess product on the back of hands (exfoliating, moisturizing, and anti-aging masks are ideal) to keep your paws in perfect condition. Try these SkinMedix favorites!:

Moisturizing
Alchimie Forever Kantic Brightening Moisture Mask
Clark’s Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask

Exfoliating
Cellex-C Betaplex Clear Complexion Mask
PCA Skin Purifying Mask

Anti-Aging
Murad Age-Diffusing Firming Mask
Clark’s Botanicals Intense Radiance Mask
DermaQuest Skin Therapy C-Lipoic TX Mask

Quite a handy little tip!

MUST HAVE: iS Clinical Active Serum

Happy Thanksgiving, SkinMedix Fans! This year I’m thankful for SkinMedix.com and my new favorite must-have serum, iS Clinical Active Serum!

iS Clinical Active Serum is a potent formula designed to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and control acne. It contains an impressive array of active anti-aging ingredients which includes glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid, arbutin and kojic acid which all work together to smooth texture and decrease pigmentation.

What do I LOVE about Active Serum? Everything! This is a fabulous one-stop shop serum that instantly transforms my skin both in the moment and over time. I love the light menthol scent and the slight tingly feeling I get when I apply this serum that makes me feel like it’s working. My skin feels soft and supple after use and over time it has transformed the look of my skin. This has been my go-to serum when my skin is acting up, breaking out, and needs triage. I apply and wake up the next morning with almost perfect skin.

iS Clincal Active Serum is available in 4 convenient sizes: 0.5 oz, 1.0 oz, 2.0 oz Pro-size, and Travel Sample 5 Packs!

Wishing you a blessed holiday with family and friends!

Talk soon! XO

5 Holiday Beauty Saviors

Thanksgiving is here and it’s time for turkey and pumpkin pie which, of course, is just the kick off to the holiday overflow of insatiable sweets. We often forget what this indulgence can do to your complexion. As the holiday season begins to rear its roller-coaster-ride-head: traveling, family affairs, late nights and shopping sprees are on the horizon. While the end of the year is festive and full of cheer, it can wreak havoc on your skin–going from fresh and dewy to Brilo pad overnight. Before Santa hits the malls, a simple point and click to these 5 products will have you stocked up for a radiant glow all season long!

SkinCeuticals Micro Exfoliating Scrub – Designed to help open congested skin, this luxurious scrub will slough away dead skin leaving you with a smooth, even complexion. This mild exfoliating gel combines natural microbeads with gentle cleansing and hydrating agents to thoroughly cleanse pores and promote healthy cell renewal without damaging or drying skin. Diatomaceous earth microbeads are formulated at maximum density to provide intense and even exfoliation without causing lacerations. Additionally, the highest purity of aloe softens polished skin.

Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% – This professional strength serum uses advanced scientific formulas developed and tested by leading Vitamin C experts. Obagi Professional-C 20% offers maximum daily antioxidant protection and greater penetration than other Vitamin C products. The greater the penetration, the greater the antioxidant benefit to your skin.

NeoStrata Ultra Moisturizing Face Cream – Staying hydrated is always a challenge during the holidays. We pull late nights, eat gluttonous foods and toast to one too many New Year’s resolutions. When you don’t hydrate your body, the first place you’ll notice it is on your skin. When you’re hitting the slopes and visiting higher altitudes, lotions, which contain more water than creams, will evaporate almost immediately upon skin contact. Whereas a cream moisturizer will actually penetrate into the skin and create a shield against harsh, drying weather.

NeoStrata Ultra Moisturizing Face Cream is an antioxidant moisturizer formulated to gently exfoliate, moisturize, and restore the skin, reducing the visible signs of aging on the face and neck. It helps calm and strengthen the protective barrier of dry, stressed and sensitive skin. As part of a daily PHA regimen, this formula has been shown to reduce skin vulnerability and redness over time, and to significantly improve texture, firmness, lines, and overall skin clarity.

iS Clinical Youth Eye Complex – My, what big eyes you have! When your beauty nemesis makes a snarky remark about how tired you look, you know it’s time to resuscitate those baby blues. This breakthrough formula utilizes “intelligent proteins” to combat the signs of aging at a cellular level. These proteins are clinically proven to target damaged sites and help regenerate skin. Powerful peptides, key growth factors and potent antioxidants rapidly reduce wrinkles, puffiness and dark under-eye circles to keep skin moist, smooth and protected all day long.

RevitaLash Volumizing Mascara – Maximize your lashes! With a high performance, clump-free formula your lashes will look thicker, fuller and more luscious than ever. The custom designed brush will separate and define for an eye-popping finish. Used together with RevitaLash the results are even more stunning. This volumizing Mascara by RevitaLash frames your eyes so your true beauty shines through. Between the Youth Complex Eye Treatment, a few drops of Visine and a wave of this waterproof mascara wand, Holiday party hopping will not affect how fabulous you look!

What SkinMedix products are your Beauty saviors during the holidays?

Skin Care for Every Ethnicity

Each skin tone has its own Achilles’ heel. Skin care is not ‘one size fits all’. Below, one of Allure magazine’s beauty experts explains the complexion issues unique to your color, and how best to treat them.

BLACK
The problem: “Skin cells become sticky and don’t shed properly,” explains Susan C. Taylor, founding director of the Skin of Color Center at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals in New York City. “You get uneven skin tone, such as dark patches on the cheeks and forehead.”

Top treatment: AHAs like glycolic, malic, or lactic acids. “They break the bonds between dead cells so they shed more easily, and they’re less irritating to dark skin than rough, granular scrubs,” says Taylor. She recommends DDF Glycolic 10% Exfoliating Moisturizer.

WHITE
The problem: “Skin pigment provides some natural sun protection, but since fair skin has little, it’s more prone to free-radical damage from ultraviolet rays,” says Mary P. Lupo, a professor of dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

Top treatment: “In the morning, use antioxidants like vitamin C, green tea, and CoffeeBerry, then repair skin at night with retinol to smooth its surface,” says Lupo. She likes SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic and SkinMedica Tri Retinol Complex

EAST ASIAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN
The problem: Seborrheic keratosis. “Studies have shown that Chinese and Koreans have large numbers of these growths, which look like raised brown spots on the face,” Taylor explains. The only way to get rid of them is to have a doctor remove them. “It’s as simple as removing a mole.”

Top treatment: “One study showed that women who protected their skin from the sun had fewer growths,” says Taylor, who prefers sheer sunscreens like Topix Replenix Ultra Sheer Sunscreen SPF 55.

SOUTH ASIAN AND DARK MIDDLE EASTERN
The problem: “Deep olive skin is especially prone to dark patches by the upper lip, on the cheeks, and on the forehead, which can be exacerbated by sun exposure, irritating skin treatments, or picking at skin,” says Taylor.

Top treatment: Apply a hydroquinone cream or gel both morning and night, says Taylor. (We love NeoStrata HQ Skin Lightening Gel.) Because it will lighten normal skin, precise spot application is crucial, she adds; try using a lip brush, like Jane Iredale Retractable Lip Brush.

LATINA
The problem: Sagging and melasma. “Many Latinas end up with photodamage, like Caucasians, and pigmentation problems, like those with darker skin,” says Taylor.

Top treatment: Retinol. “It stimulates collagen to firm skin, and it’s been demonstrated to help reduce excess pigmentation,” she says. To minimize the irritation that’s common with retinol—and can trigger even more pigmentation—use it every third night to start, and add one night a week until you build up to five nights a week, advises Taylor, who recommends PCA Skin Retinol Renewal pHaze 26.

How to Avoid Puffy Eyes

Our favorite eye cream secret revealed! If you missed our list of Top Eye Creams available at SkinMedix.com, revisit it here! In the mean time, check out this How-To guide by thebeautydepartment.com below!

When to Replace Your Beauty Products

We all have those rarely used beauty products we aren’t quite ready to throw out. What we may not take into consideration is that beauty products do go bad. At best, they stop performing as well as they used to and at worst, they can cause irritation or even infection.

The expiration clock starts as soon as you open each product – allowing for air and bacteria to come in contact with the formula, causing certain ingredients to oxidize and degrade. There are usually signs of when a beauty product has taken a turn for the worst— an unpleasant odor, change in color, texture or consistency, or a separation of components within a product.

You know your beauty products won’t last forever, so be sure to reference this guide when deciding whether a certain product is still safe to use:

• Body lotions, shower gel, and shampoo: These products generally last about two years, unless they contain specialized ingredients to fight dandruff, acne or other conditions.
• Sunscreens: The active ingredients in sunscreen lose their potency after two to three years. Check the package for an expiration date as some brands print it directly on the package.
• Clarisonic replacement brush heads: For best results, replace your brush head every 3 to 4 months to prevent bacteria buildup. Buy more and save with our brush head twin packs offer.
• Micro Needle Rollers & Dermal Stamps: It’s sometimes difficult to notice that your roller’s needles have gone dull, because they are so slowly getting less and less sharp that you tend to forget how they used to feel on your skin. These products should be replaced every four to six months for infrequent use (three times per week) and every three to four months for more frequent use.
• Face creams and acne treatments: These products last up to a year as they contain antioxidants that are easily oxidized, so keep an eye out for any changes in color. Be sure to follow the expiration date if available.
• Perfumes: Fragrances usually last about 2 years – they can be adversely affected by light and heat, so if you’re looking to get more mileage out of your perfume, resist the temptation to display a pretty bottle on your vanity and instead keep it in a cool, dark place.
• Nail polish: Polish tends to only last about a year as it is particularly sensitive to heat and humidity. If you notice your nail polish turning clumpy or stringy, it’s time to toss it out.
• Deodorant: For deodorants, a general rule of thumb is that it expires about 1 to 2 years after opening, while antiperspirants will typically have an expiry date printed on the package.
• Foundation: Check the ingredients on your foundation: A water-based foundation will last up to 12 months, oil-based will last up to 18 months. Be sure to wash your make-up brushes at least once every three months to reduce a buildup of bacteria.
• Mascara and liquid eyeliner: These products last three to four months. Make sure you’re diligent about replacing these items to prevent contamination and infections.
• Eye and lip pencils: These can usually last 3 to 5 years. Sharpen them before each use in order to preserve them and keep them clean.
• Lipstick: Lipstick is good for 1 to 2 years. When expires it tends to gather bacteria in the form of beads of oil on the surface of the lipstick itself as well as have unpleasant taste and odor.

Let’s face it, we all have some beauty products that have been sitting around for a while. Whatever the reason may be, if you’re not sure if it’s good any longer just throw out the old and bring in the new!

Can Positive Thinking Lead to Better Skin?

An interesting concept, isn’t it? I recently came across an interesting forum discussing an article in Elle Magazine asking this very question.

The feature focused on a rare idea in the product-based beauty industry – that emotional well-being can have an equally, if not more, transformative effect on the skin.

In the article, Lucy Walker writes about a sensation that many of us know all too well – that of your skin giving away your emotions via acne breakouts and urticaria flares. Rather than seeking help from a dermatologist, Lucy consulted “skin psychologist” Dr. Ted Grossbart, a pioneering practitioner using hypnosis and meditation to treat the skin from within. I’ve often read about the effects of stress on the skin, but Grosshart believes grief, a lack of self-confidence, anger, and fear can all play their part too. By creating a timeline of her life, Lucy was able to see fluctuations in her skin and pin point the events that triggered her rebellious skin.

Part of Grosshart’s approach is in self-regulating the behavior that triggers breakouts, so you can better control your stress levels and your skin in the future.

What do you think? Can you pair your skin fluctuations with periods of heightened emotion in your life? Or do you think it’s more about general health?

Talk soon! XO

Scar Recovery

On Halloween, many people were actively using makeup and prosthetics to get fake scars for a spooky appearance. Now, it’s the start of November and we want our skin to be scar-free and flawless! Scarring can be caused by burns, injuries, surgeries or even acne. The formation of a scar is natural to the healing process, and although a scar may never completely disappear, they can be minimized with the help of these proven products available at SkinMedix.com!

• SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel – This therapeutic gel works to smooth and minimize the appearance of scarring commonly resulting from cosmetic, general and reconstructive surgeries, as well as C-sections and everyday cuts.

• Neocutis Bio Cream Bio Restorative Skin Cream with PSP – Nurtures, nourishes and refreshes stressed skin and helps promote recovery and skin restoration after cosmetic or dermatological procedures and surgeries.

• Kinerase Scar Healing Therapy – Ideal for old and new scars associated with cosmetic procedures, plastic surgery, general surgery, C-sectons, burns, or everyday cuts and scrapes.l creates a silicone barrier over the top of the scar to provide 24-hour treatment, as it that softens, flattens and smoothes scars. The silicone sheet reduces redness, hardness, elevation and pain often associated with old and new scars.

• Dermatix Ultra Advanced Scar Treatment – This highly effective treatment option that has be proven to diminish the appearance of scars as they appear on the surface of the skin. Able to reduce the appearance of keloid and hypertrophic scars, Dermatix Ultra is a multi-faceted treatment option that can fade your scars regardless of their source. With each use skin will be soothed as the healing process is accelerated and symptoms such as itching and discomfort begin to disappear. Dermatix Ultras cutting edge formulation is based on the power of silicone technology.

• iS Clinical Super Serum Advance Plus – Reduces the appearance of scar tissue, stretch marks, and uneven pigmentation. This new and improved formula is three times more effective than the original Super Serum, and is very effective at lightening hyperpigmentation and fading scars and stretch marks.

What is your favorite product to treat your scars?