AntiAging Formula - Part Two

Finding the Best AntiAging Formula for You

This article consists of a very long e-mail I received from Nicole and my equally long answers.

I have tried to break this all down into several articles that try to answer the questions raised.

This is Part Two dealing with skin care regimens and SPF safety.

Part One deals with antiaging skin care products.

Part Three deals with facial exercises and the products I use.

I have presented everything in a question and answer format.

AntiAging Question

I am looking for advice on my skin-care regimen.

A dermatologist once told me that I should try not to use too many products on my skin (especially at an early age), but there are so many on your site that interest me.

I hope that you can point me in the right direction to either modify or over-haul my skin-care regimen.

I can't say money is no object, but I don't mind paying for a superior product if it will keep me looking young.

Of course, I would always prefer the less expensive option if the results are the same!

Here is my current skin care regimen:

• Cleanser (day and night) - Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser
• Toner (day and night) - Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner Moisturizer (day) - L'Oreal Pure Zone Oil-Free Moisturizer
• Eye Cream (day) - Pond's Age Defeye
• Moisturizer (night) - Almay Kinetin Repair & Rejuvenate Night Concentrate (now discontinued but I have a stock-pile in my refrigerator)
• Eye Cream (night) - Shiseido Benefiance Revitalizing Eye Cream

AntiAging Answer

There is little to fault in your skin care regimen. You have chosen excellent products to address your specific skin concerns.

If your dermatologist can't prescribe anything more to help with your breakouts, you'll need to stick with a regimen that controls your oiliness while you look for products to moisturize without causing breakouts and perhaps an under-eye product specifically designed to treat under-eye circles.

You should add a body moisturizer.

When you run out of the discontinued Almay Kinetin Repair & Rejuvenate Night Concentrate, I suggest you try Cellex-C Hydra 5 B-Complex, which you already expressed interest in, or another moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid.

You might want to try an eye cream specifically formulated to lighten under-eye circles. I would recommend either Kinerase Under Eye Rescue or Kinerase Intensive Eye Cream depending on how severe the condition is.

For a body moisturizer, my favorites are the top three from my list of the Best Cellulite Creams: Peter Thomas Roth Ultimate Body Sculpting Slimming Gel; Almay Body Firming Lotion; and Institut DERMed Body CelluliteRx LipoKit.

AntiAging Question: SPF Safety

I do not use an SPF simply because of recent studies that have shown that many of the primary ingredients in SPF can be harmful, and I have little or no sun exposure as I work from home.

AntiAging Answer

I'm not aware of "recent studies that have shown that ... ingredients in SPF can be harmful". I am aware that ads for "natural" sun protection products make such claims (which seems like a pure marketing ploy to me).

If you know details of any such studies, perhaps you can enlighten me. I would be interested to read the research.

It is true that some people are allergic to some ingredients. Actually it's also true that some person somewhere is allergic to every single substance known to man.

According to dermatologists, the manufactured SPF ingredients most likely to cause an allergic reaction are PABA, benzophenones, cinnamates, and methoxydibenzoylmethane.

If you are concerned, you could look for sunscreens which do not contain any of these. Dermatologists still call sun protection the single most important thing you can do for your skin.

If you stay with the decision not to use topical sun protection, you might consider a high antioxidant cream and antioxidant supplements to boost your body's ability to fight off free radicals.

For more of this articles, visit Part One and Part Three.