Skin care made easy

I am often amazed at the marketing power out there that drives women (and men) to spend an absolute fortune on skin care. A friend of mine recently asked me what’s good to use on your face, and she told me her mother had a $1500 tub of face cream! I just about fell off my chair. I don’t doubt that that product is good, but in my mind there is no need to spend anywhere near this much on good, proven skin care.

There is a mentality out there that the more you pay the better a product is, and this is not always the case.

When it comes to Medicine, we’re all about the studies. We like to know that something does what it says it does before we will use it, whether that be an asthma inhaler, a heart medication or a skin care product. I’ve summarised below what I think is important when it comes to lathering up your face, chest and neck.

1. Sunscreen
   If you were only able to use one thing on your face, I would recommend sunscreen every time. You only need to compare a middle-aged person from the U.K. to the same aged person from Australasia to see that sun exposure ravages our skin. Not only does it worsen skin condition, wrinkles, pigmentation and broken vessels, but it also causes skin cancers. Australasia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
   The best protection from the sun is provided by a sunscreen containing Zinc or Titanium Dioxide which provide a physical barrier to UV rays. Ultraceuticals does an excellent Zinc sunscreen, which we stock at Palm Clinic.
2. Vitamin A
   Studies show that Vitamin A mops up damage to DNA in our skin cells caused by UV rays, pollutants, oxidants and stress. It helps prevent and reverse ageing caused by the sun, improves hydration and improves texture. Environ provides a great range that progressively exposes you to higher and higher concentrations of Vitamin A  as you complete each tube. This is necessary so that your skin becomes accustomed to Vitamin A.
3. Vitamin C.
   This is a highly potent anti-oxidant which runs around and clears up damage done to skin cells. Think of Vitamin C as a ‘pac-man’ which runs around and gobbles up the nasties. It also helps promote collagen formation leading to a smoother, more even skin tone. Environ and Ultraceuticals both do a good stabilised Vitamin C.

 So there it is in a nutshell, skin care made easy.

1. Sunscreen
2. Vitamin A
3. Vitamin C