Copper peptides aren't for everyone
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free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:29 pm

Hey all,
I get so educated reading these threads Very Happy

and really need to add my two cents once in awhile to contribute.

I wanted to mention that CP's aren't' for everyone and if you have a negative reaction there are other beauty regimes out there for your skin.

I was on CP's for over two months and the outcome was unfortunate. I am not a beginner w/ skin care and am familiar with how actives work. I frequented Diana Yvonne's forum before ever starting the CPs, I also did a lot of research on Dr. Pickart’s site. I began ever so slowly diluting the regular serum and using the copper peptides for eyes. Always followed up with emu oil, etc. I was sure this product regime was for me. I am 43, sun damaged skin, lines showing up here and there. So many women with my skin problems have had such great results, I thought surely I would be one of them. The uglies occurred and I was patient having expected them, especially in the area around my eyes. But then I noticed that the hallows of my cheeks started to look crinkly Shock

. I ignored it thinking it was part of the uglies and persevered, sometimes diluting the cp's more or skipping days. This went on awhile. I was getting VERY down about my skin-my photos from before the CP's looked fantastic compared to after the CP's.

I stopped the cp's and the area around my eyes would recuperate but my cheek area did not. To this day it is still slightly crinkled and has not gone back to what it was before CP's Crying or Very sad

.

I am not knocking CP's by any means-I've seen what results so many women have achieved. I just want the EDS members to approach it cautiously as with any new active, it’s not ‘the’ miracle cure for age for some of us Sad

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:57 pm

I'm sorry to hear about your exp, soccermominsd. (Congrats on your new sweet baby boy though! That must be exciting. Very Happy

)

I tried the CP off and on, and so far, I didn't notice either the uglies or the pretties. I noticed that actives don't seem to work on me, at least not quickly, and I am too impatient when I don't see any results in a couple of weeks.

The only product I believe works for me at this point in time is the pearl cream. I just noticed my skin to brighten up and even tighten up, too. Have you tried pearl cream yet?

For your crinkled cheeks, I wonder if you should try something from GOW. I recently stopped by their discussion board and learned a lot. I bought some frankincense hydrosol and camellia oil, which I plan to spritz some hydrosol on the crepey undereye area followed by camellia oil to hold the moisture. You might want to chat with the gals on that discussion board to see what products might work to solve your problem. They seemed knowledgeable. I should be receiving my finished products from them soon and can't wait to try. Hopefully they will be good for my skin.

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:08 pm

Hi Bkkgirl...
I actually sent Markey an email, but maybe I should just submit it via the message board and see what the other diy'ers have to say.

I have some pearl cream samples from carekate but I'm not exactly sure how to use it and what it is for. She is sending me a products list so I'll know what goodies do what.

Camellia oil sounds nice, not too familiar with what frankincense does but I'll look into it.

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:10 pm

Soccermom, you're scaring me!!!
I started on CP serum 2 mos. ago and after reading your post I ran to look in the mirrow. Now I think I see more lines in the hollow of my cheeks. My eyes are OK, though.
I've heard of the uglies but what exacly are they? Why do they occur? Should we stop using CP if we see uglies? Do you have more info for us worried women?
Thanks

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:15 pm

bkkgirl, what is GOW? Can you post a link for those of us that are new here?
Thanx

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:44 pm

Hi SoccermominSD,
Camellia oil comes from the tea plant (red, green or black - I just found all those teas are from the same plants but harvested differently, so interesting). I really like it. It's great for your skin. For the hydrosol, I chose frankincense for the anti-fine lines property, or at least that's how I interpreted it when I read the Hydrosol Chart on GOW. I also bought rose geranium hydrosol which I plan to use as a toner since Kristen here on EDS recommended it. It's supposed to smell good. Very Happy

Sometimes Markey doesn't respond quickly on email. I'm sure she's got a lot of orders to process. I often got my questions answered on the discussion board quickly. There're a lot of helpful members there like on EDS.

Bellezza, GOW stands for gardenofwisdom, and you can just add .com to it to get you to the site. They sell a lot of actives and oils for DIYers. High quality stuff. Very Happy

If you do a search on EDS on CPs, you might find the topic on the uglies. I recall reading about that, but don't remember for sure what it is either.

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:09 pm

Bellezza wrote:

Soccermom, you're scaring me!!!
I started on CP serum 2 mos. ago and after reading your post I ran to look in the mirrow. Now I think I see more lines in the hollow of my cheeks. My eyes are OK, though.
I've heard of the uglies but what exacly are they? Why do they occur? Should we stop using CP if we see uglies? Do you have more info for us worried women?
Thanks

Sorry, but I have to laugh. The uglies scared the h--- out me. All the uglies are is some dryness and slight sagging. The uglies don't last. You can totally avoid the uglies by going SLOW. By slow I mean diluting CP's for the first few weeks (in you hand). Perhaps start using them every other night. Build up gradually.

CP's are not expensive and one of my must have skin care products. Right now after using CP's daily for approximately 8 months I am trying Super COP for my surgical scar. I really don't care about the scar as the 100 plus stitches are on my foot. I want to see if the Skin Biology directions for scar removal works. Wink

I am sure it will take a year to respond but I have the time to wait.

soccermominsd,

I just read you post regarding you nightmare with CP's. You are absolutely correct. People have different reactions to products. May I ask, did you start with the mildest form of CP's? Again, I am sorry for your experience and hope you cheeks get back to normal real soon.

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:16 pm

I'm sorry Bellezza-I don't want to scare anyone, I just want you to be informed.

Write the vendor you purchased the CP's from, let them know exactly what your routine is and ask for suggestions about tailoring it. If in doubt about any active having a negative reaction...give your skin a rest,and use some healing products that have worked well on your skin in the past, perhaps emu oil/HA combo. With other actives, if we got the uglies we'd stop in a heartbeat. But because CP's work at remodeling the skin, uglies (IE: crepiness) are anticipated in hopes the end result will be younger looking skin. With me, my eye uglies vanished after stopping cp's but my cheeks did not recover.

From Dr. Pickart's site, though he doesn't call it the uglies he describes it well:
"...with strong Skin Remodeling Copper-Peptides, we recommend that you start off slowly and avoid overuse. Signs of overuse may be: irritation, inflammation, droopiness, looseness, dryness, or any other unwanted effect. Try decreasing usage and/or diluting the product."
I was EXTREMELY careful to dilute. I ordered the super cop for scars and the super CP serum to use after my skin got used to the regular CP serum, but didn't get a chance to use it.

theskincareboard dot com is a GREAT resource for CP information. This is Diana Yvonne's forum and is chock full on knowledgeable & successful CP users and some people for whom CP's just have not worked out for.

I hope this helps.

Bellezza wrote:

Soccermom, you're scaring me!!!
I started on CP serum 2 mos. ago and after reading your post I ran to look in the mirrow. Now I think I see more lines in the hollow of my cheeks. My eyes are OK, though.
I've heard of the uglies but what exactly are they? Why do they occur? Should we stop using CP if we see uglies? Do you have more info for us worried women?
Thanks

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:33 pm

Winnie wrote:

soccermominsd,
..May I ask, did you start with the mildest form of CP's?

Hi Winnie,
Yes I used the regular CP serum. I had purchased it at the end of 2005 and hadn't used it because I didn't want to get the uglies before I got married in Nov '05 and then I got preggy right away so didn't use it. Finally started up in Feb. 07 (4 months after baby was born) and diluted it. Dr. Pickart's site says that CP's last up to 5 years properly stored-which is great for a lot of CP users because a little goes a long way.

Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:28 pm

Hi,I had a similar experience with CP's. I was so excited to start on the routine. I researched and talked and read everything I could lay my hands on before the purchase. I started using 2-3 drops of CP's with 4 drops of emu oil. I noticed within days that something was wrong but let it go! I wanted to give CP's a good try. I finally posted on this forum asking for help with horrible lines underneath my eyes and wrinkles on my skin which were not there prior to the CP usage. A member on the forum told me not to mix CP's with emu but with water only. The emu was really driving the CP's into my skin. I started diluting it with water and letting it completely dry before applying emu. I also stay away from the eye area. Somehow the CP's and my eye area do not like each other. But I have had very good luck since I made the change. Hope this helps!

free skin care · Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:25 pm

Soccermominsd, you could try some Remergent Barrier Repair for a while which will get the moisture back into your skin. Even better would be the Barrier Repair over DNA Repair.
I was really interested in CPs but decided to go with the Osmosis line as it contains CPs but is formulated differently and contains a mix of other actives as well. I am using this line with Remergent DNA Repair and Barrier Repair and am extremely happy with the results. My skin still goes a bit red after the products are applied but this disappears within 15 to 30 minutes. I think it is because the products really increase circulation. A miracle would have to come along before I would change this routine now.

free skin care · Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:08 am

I am so sorry that your skin turned for the worst. If I was in your shoes right now, I would invest seeking treatment by a skincare specialist. Maybe get about 6 micro's done (to get a deep exfoliation), a few peels (to even the skin tone and calm the skin), start taking vitamin C serum (to maintain skin firmness and nice skin tone) and eat more fish that has lots of Omega 3 to help fill out fine lines and keep your skin look like it's glowing!).

I think this should help for now. All the best to you and please let us know what you did.

free skin care · Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:42 am

soccermom, I had a similar experience with CPs with negatively impacted areas around eyes and neck. My neck looked absolutely horrible. I am still recovering from it.

The product that helped me the most with the recovery is camellia oil. My neck is not quite as it was prior to CPs, but improved from the disastrous look a lot with the help of camellia oil. I got it from the GardenOfWisdom, and use it every day in the evening. I have been using it for about a month. Hope this helps! Smile

Need to look into Hydrosol as bkkgirl recommended....

free skin care · Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:08 pm

mpstat wrote:

soccermom, I had a similar experience with CPs with negatively impacted areas around eyes and neck. My neck looked absolutely horrible. I am still recovering from it.

The product that helped me the most with the recovery is camellia oil. My neck is not quite as it was prior to CPs, but improved from the disastrous look a lot with the help of camellia oil. I got it from the GardenOfWisdom, and use it every day in the evening. I have been using it for about a month. Hope this helps! Smile

Need to look into Hydrosol as bkkgirl recommended....

I'm really excited to try the F hydrosol, too. I will update once I got my order, and start using it. The name of this hydrosol reminds me of Frankenstein. I just hope I don't look like him after I use it.

free skin care · Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:09 am

Thank you ladies for your wonderful advice.

I am actually looking into your suggestions. I definitely plan on buying the camellia oil and I would like to see if I could get a sample of the Remergent line somewhere even eBay. I'll be seeing my PS in a few weeks so I'll discuss the deep exfoliation (basically mircrodermabrasion right?).

Quote:

I am so sorry that your skin turned for the worst. If I was in your shoes right now, I would invest seeking treatment by a skincare specialist. Maybe get about 6 micro's done (to get a deep exfoliation), a few peels (to even the skin tone and calm the skin), start taking vitamin C serum (to maintain skin firmness and nice skin tone) and eat more fish that has lots of Omega 3 to help fill out fine lines and keep your skin look like it's glowing!).

Quote:

The product that helped me the most with the recovery is camellia oil. My neck is not quite as it was prior to CPs, but improved from the disastrous look a lot with the help of camellia oil.

Quote:

Soccermominsd, you could try some Remergent Barrier Repair for a while which will get the moisture back into your skin. Even better would be the Barrier Repair over DNA Repair.

free skin care · Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:52 am

I'm sorry to hear of these reactions--they sound horrible! There is nothing worse than feeling as if you've unknowingly made an irreversible change to your skin.
Do you all think the GHK-cu serum must be applied as carefully as the Regular copper peptides?
I'm very curious since I just got some huge samples and am not so sure if they should be used every night or not. There's not as much usage info out there on the GHK kind of Cu peptides, all I know is that they are much less intense.
I have the high retinol protect and restore, too, which I think has copper in it. How should that be worked in?

TIA!

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:36 am

bkkgirl wrote:

I'm really excited to try the F hydrosol, too. I will update once I got my order, and start using it. The name of this hydrosol reminds me of Frankenstein. I just hope I don't look like him after I use it.

bkkgirl, please keep us updated on your hydrosol progress.... At GoW they have so many different kinds of hydrosols... I am trying to choose which ones I should get. Thanks for letting us know about hydrosols. Very Happy

Carrot seed hydrosol also looks good....
http://www.gardenofwisdom.shoppingcartsplus.com/hydrosol.html

free skin care · Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:15 am

RE CPS, I too hade the uglies at first (skin looked really crummy,tired out, sagging, fragile) & I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong.

Well, as it did turn out, I was using too much. My mistake was thinking that by applying less than what I'd normally use of any other skin product, it was the proper amount. NOT! What I did do properly, was give my skin about a wk's break when it was at its worst. THen I decided to try the GHK first generation version and cut down on the amount used even with that milder formula. Whaddya know, after exactly 4 wks,the cell renewal cycle, my skin starting looking better.

I fiddled around for what seemed like ages before finding just how to apply, how much to apply & how often & what product of CPs were right for me. Yes, it took patience & for that I must have believed (which I did) that CPs would help my skin. My skin responds best to stronger exfoliation products (40% lactic acid peel & a quality mask used wkly) along with exfoliatiors in the CP line.

What is true even now is that I cannot use even the eensiest amount of Premier Eyes....BIG undereye bags result. So use Airbrush for moisture(emu oil eye cream) + NCN's CP Accelerator on top for firmness (it is FAB, FAB, FAB). Has made a big difference in my eyes.

Now, along with all the xfoliation, CPs, the DPL unit for which I give eternal thanks to Nanci at NCN for her sale of this item, my skin is really coming along.

WEre I to eliminate any of these products, my skin would start to deteriorate.

Here's to lookin' goooood...

free skin care · Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:29 am

bushy wrote:

Soccermominsd, you could try some Remergent Barrier Repair for a while which will get the moisture back into your skin. Even better would be the Barrier Repair over DNA Repair.
I was really interested in CPs but decided to go with the Osmosis line as it contains CPs but is formulated differently and contains a mix of other actives as well. I am using this line with Remergent DNA Repair and Barrier Repair and am extremely happy with the results. My skin still goes a bit red after the products are applied but this disappears within 15 to 30 minutes. I think it is because the products really increase circulation. A miracle would have to come along before I would change this routine now.

So glad to see you here bushy, was wondering if you had given CPs a try.
Am familiar w all your raves about Remergent & Valmont...& based on them,I did the unthinkable. Bought the Remer DNA Repair & Barrier Repair while on sale, for use on non CP days.

Have only used them a few days, but admit I was really disappointed when I finally saw a full list of ingredients...all the 'junk'? in them.

YIKES - give me strength...have spent big bucks on these & now wonder if I'm going to ruin my finally cleaned of junk skin by using these products?

Bushy, Bushy, Bushy --- need your xpert opinion on this. Our skin is the same tho' confess to being more 'mature' (ha ha) than you.

Whadayathink?

Arya

free skin care · Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:39 pm

Arya2, I am not sure what you mean by junk ingredients in the Remergent products? Please let me know.

free skin care · Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:25 am

bushy wrote:

Arya2, I am not sure what you mean by junk ingredients in the Remergent products? Please let me know.

Firstly I should say I'm not a purist but have learned while a member of this forum there are certain ingredients that make me pause, compromise, or totally dismiss a product. Some of these are mineral oil, silicones & their derivatives, sodium lauryl sulfate, carbomer - actually, these are in the 'dismiss the product' category. Have found that products containing these ingredients seem to improve my skin initially. But very quickly, within a couple of wks, skin starts looking dull, and worse.

Remerg's Barrier Repair lists Dimethicone, a silicone derivative as the 3rd ingredient, which doesn't please me in the least. I know from other products I've used, this ingredient just coats my skin, & at first I think oh great, skin looks smoother, more refined. But then it also quickly clogs my combo skin, & before long it looks lifeless. That this ingredient is in the moisturizer is not surprising. But my experience has been that it doesn't assist in moisturizing at all. It just seems to smother & gunk up my skin.

Mineral Oil has the same effect on me & its the 5th ingredient in a very long list of Valmont's Contour cream. Worse still, Petrolatum, which is a form of mineral oil I think, is the 2nd ingredient. Even the sound of these ingredients conjurs up images of adding thick, gooey oil to my already naturally well lubricated skin. These are petroleum based, not natural oils & they have the same effect on my skin as those poor birds we see caught in oceanic oil spills.

Admittedly, this topic is relative - what one person likes & accepts, the other rejects. It's just that with the high price tag of these lines, I'm decidedly unimpressed that these ingredients form a significant percentage of any of their products. Foolish assumption on my part....

I'm not displeased with the ingredient list of Remerg's DNA Repair; doesn't look too bad to me so will keep it. But the Barrier Repair is not for me. Silly me, I broke the seal, then read the ingredient list. If you're interested, I'll give you an extremely good price on it.

As for Valmont's Contour which you love, I did use it once, then read the ingredient list. Live & learn I guess. Same offer to you on this product.

Well, that's my own beef. If these products work for you & you're happy, that's fine. But not for me...

Cheers to you on Canada's Thanksgiving Day....gotta run and get that turkey ready

Arya

free skin care · Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:02 am

You should be aware that some silicones are employed to keep sensitive actives fresh and viable, such as ascorbic acid. They are often added to a product for a very good reason, and without them, the actives may not be effective. If silicones bother your skin, avoid them, but don't be so quick to label them as junk. They do have a purpose in many treatment products.

free skin care · Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:19 am

MBGirl wrote:

You should be aware that some silicones are employed to keep sensitive actives fresh and viable, such as ascorbic acid. They are often added to a product for a very good reason, and without them, the actives may not be effective. If silicones bother your skin, avoid them, but don't be so quick to label them as junk. They do have a purpose in many treatment products.

That's interesting....do you know which silicones might be used for that purpose? More I know the better.

TIA
Arya

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