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Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:35 pm  |
There are SO many different actives and they are all helpful for something. I see people talking about using like 5-10 different actives and products. I really just want to narrow it down and only use a few different things. I don't really care about particular products or brands. I'd just like to know what is the best active for different problems. And only the topical choices, not injections. And not prevention stuff, but corrective. I know that vitamin C is favored for so many reasons, but yet I don't know if it is 'the' best thing for skin lightening for instance. I've heard it is good for that, but is it enough for that on it's own? There are too many choices, too many anti-oxidants, and I don't know what to choose or how to choose. So, for any opinions, what do you think are the best actives for these conditions?
1) Sun Damage/Uneven pigment/Skin Lightening -
2) Exfoliation/Smooth Texture/Clearness - (manual, acid or enzyme?)
3) Fine Lines -
4) Nasolabial folds / Elasticity / Plumpness -
5) Dark Circles / Puffyness (under eyes) -
6) Refined looking pores and glow - |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:40 pm |
Hello BRYG,
I would love to be able to tell you which actives work the best...I think everyone would have different answers, there isn't much consensus except Retin-A for wrinkles and fine lines.
To exfoliate, refine pores, IMO I think EP-II is the best bet. I wish I can be more help. |
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Simple but No Simplier...Approaching late 20s, Normal/Combination Skin, Rarely Breakout now but have some old acne marks, sunspots, & broken caps |
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Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:09 am |
I am not the expert on actives. I bought my actives from SAS based solely on what they said it would do.
From what I gathered by reading EDS posts from other knowledgeable people, it appears that Vit C is good for sun damage, uneven pigment, but not sure about skin lightening. Kojic acid might be better for that. Pearl cream is also supposed to be good for skin lightening.
For exfoliation, AHA is good for that while BHA is good for cleaning out your pores.
Fine lines - heck, if I know this, I won't have them. lol
Melatonin combined with Ester C is supposed to be good for elasticity according to SAS description. That's why I bought it.
I can't go on. I am too tired to think.  |
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Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:46 am |
Hello  I haven't posted for a while, and this seemed like a fun place to start.
My opinions on everything-
1) Sun Damage/Uneven pigment/Skin Lightening -
Most importantly sunscreen/sun avoidance, then an Rx Retinoid, then aha's and vitamin C (in that order)
If you're feeling brave, a TCA peel will help with pigmentation very much very quickly...
2) Exfoliation/Smooth Texture/Clearness - (manual, acid or enzyme?)
From what you listed, acids and ezymes work best for me, but nothing can compare to what tazorac has done for my skin. I like using raw honey (enzyme) for this as my skin is way to sensitive now (because of tazorac) for acids.
3) Fine Lines -
Stable sunscreen most importantly, then a retinoid, then AHA acids/vitamin C serums.
(in that general order)
4) Nasolabial folds / Elasticity / Plumpness -
same as above.
5) Dark Circles / Puffyness (under eyes) -
From what i've researched DMAE is the only ingredient proven to help with dark circles, and as a side note- perricone says it works best with ALA. Reviva makes a serum with ALA/C-Ester/DMAE.
Prodocts with caffeine get rid of my puffiness from exhaustion in minutes. I like 100% Pure's coffee bean eye cream for that, it's pretty cheap ($20 for an ounce, sold at B&BW). Or just green tea bags will do the trick really...
Juvena makes a "renewing eye serum" with caffeine, but it's 90 for an ounce, and it has no actives that are proven for fine lines, so I just stick with 100% Pure's cream.
6) Refined looking pores and glow -
For me, tazorac gel is essential for keeping my pores refined. Raw honey masks really calm my skin, give me a glow, and they help with the flakes from tazorc.
Also, Avene's thermal water is my HG for treating redness/irritation. I'm really not into snake oil product type things anymore (lol) so I was skeptical that it would do anything, but there are a lot of interesting studies on avene's website about it. I use it instead of PSF's o2 serum now, which I used for redness in the past. I find that it works just a good and it's like 100x cheaper, lol. |
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Sun Apr 01, 2007 6:56 am |
For uneven pigment/skin lightening- The very best (probably other than laser) and only proven topical is hydroqunoin (sp?) you also need Retin-A. They need each other to work correctly. Vit C does have "some" bleaching ability but nothing like hydro. You also need s/s or the sun will "feed" the pigmentation and you will not be successful.
Exfoliation-Retin-A for deep exfoliation and an AHA for "peelies". I like Obagi's Exforderm for peelies.
For fine lines- Retin-A again is the best with AHA a distant second. For a temporary "fix" any product that has hyaloranic (sp) acid in it. HA is the best moisturizer.
For N/B folds other than injections, I don't know.
For dark circles- I too have decided DMAE would be the best active. Haven't tyed it yet.
You must realize we all react differently to some of the same products. That's why it can be so difficult to answer a "what's best" question.
Retin-A is probably the best thing out there for skin. There are now many forms and you need to decide what type would be best for your skin. |
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Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:35 pm |
Thanks. I knew there would be various answers but also figured there would likely be a lot of the same answers. It helps. Even though some of the stuff I can't use anyways and have to find alternatives for. Like Retin-A I just heard there are too many side effects and that it causes sensitivity to the sun, and therefore easier and quicker sun-damage (no SS is 100%). Same with BHA and AHA (at least with AHA, I'm not sure about BHA).
With the weaker over the counter vitamin A creams, do they also cause similar sensitivity to the sun like the Retin-A does? I think I would rather get strong AHA peels (although I am NOT brave!), rather then use it long term and daily use. Since then I could completely stay out of the sun and shut myself in while my skin healed and it became less sensitive again. I can't avoid the sun completely on a day to day basis.
I didn't know about DMEA and Melatonin though. More things to look into! I guess I should increase my intake of cherries! About the DMEA though, I just read from another board that there was some weird study done on it that found it to be cytotoxic. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17300230&query_hl=1&ito
Kind of concerning. I guess that leaves me with Vitamin C, ALA, CoQ10, Melatonin, Hyaluronic Acid, Enzyme Peels and possibly a weak Vitamin A. And I have to find a gentler skin lightener that works better then Vitamin C. I have so many spots left over from breakouts, it's horrible. I never used to need more then a concealer, now I need full base coverage to even out my skin tone. I'm just tired of reading and reading and reading more and more ingredients and possibilities and products etc. I just need to narrow it down and select a program and do it. I'm tired of thinking about it and re-thinking about it. Too much information! |
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