Help me understand Prevage
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free skin care · Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:56 pm

What exactly is Prevage supposed to do? When it first hit the market, it was all the rage because it was one of the first products to use the super power house anti-oxidant, idebenone. Well, that is no longer such an amazing discovery as many products now have that as an ingredient. Plus, anti-oxidants are to PREVENT, not reverse, further sun damage. As I see it, you can't measure "prevention" you can only hope that years from now you look at yourself in the mirror and say, gee, it worked.

Yet I hear raves about wrinkle reducing, skin toning and firming, smoother skin, etc. from use of Prevage. I don't quite understand how this product woud effect this results.

The science of anti-oxidants in skincare has come a long way in a few very short years and there are many great anti-oxidants. So what is it about Prevage that still justifies the high cost? I would think, like microwaves and hi-def TVs, the price should be coming down by now since idebenone is no longer a novelty. Is there some other ingredient(s) that actually shows results rather than just prevention? I read posts here and elsewhere about remarkable results. From what? No retinol, no matrixyl, no peptides, no argiriline, no AHAs or BHA - what the heck is producing results?

free skin care · Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:42 pm

Really good question. I will be interested to see if anyone can come up with any answers.

free skin care · Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:44 am

Elizabeth Arden has a site for Prevage which may answer some of your questions in the FAQ section.

http://www.prevageskin.com

free skin care · Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:40 am

Rufus wrote:

Elizabeth Arden has a site for Prevage which may answer some of your questions in the FAQ section.

http://www.prevageskin.com

Isn't this only the pretend Prevage with half the amount of idebenone. I had the impression from forum members here that no one used the Elizabeth Arden product.

free skin care · Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:41 am

When it first came out, I was intrigued, til I read the ingredients! Wow it's got SO many chemicals in!

I personally think it's another Creme De La Mer, hyped up rubbish! Just my opinion! Smile

free skin care · Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:11 am

burned the heck out of my skin also can't use th True makeup it has the same ingredient in it Idebeione

free skin care · Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:31 am

bushy wrote:

Rufus wrote:

Elizabeth Arden has a site for Prevage which may answer some of your questions in the FAQ section.

http://www.prevageskin.com

Isn't this only the pretend Prevage with half the amount of idebenone. I had the impression from forum members here that no one used the Elizabeth Arden product.

I got to try the sample on the counter and couldn't stand the smell so there was no thought of buying.

free skin care · Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:53 pm

Original Poster here, the Elizabeth Arden site is useless, just marketing hype.

In attempting to bottomline my question, how can an anti-oxidant effect visible results when anti-oxidants are preventative?

Those who have rec'd this from an MD, was there an explanation?

Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:21 pm

Idebenone burns? Idebenone is just another version of Co Q-10, and overall a fairly benign product. It could be that you ARE allergic to idebenone- but I've used products where I thought the active ingredient was bugging me when it's the preservative or some other chemical in it.

free skin care · Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:23 pm

hi everyone, get ready for a long post here.

I too, was initially intrigued by Prevage, but some careful searching helped show me that:
*whether we are talking about the regular Prevage or the MD version, "idebenone" should in no way be that expensive.
*there are other anti-oxidants that are WAY more effective out there and can be purchased for far less $$

I am glad I happened upon a review on MakeupAlley.com by Jennifer36. She is a veteran there, and has purchased and tried just about everything on this earth, so I really trust her opinion. I have posted her entire review here (trust me, it's worth the read!):

Treatments -> Elizabeth Arden -> Allergan - Prevage
Reviewed by jennifer36 on 4/23/2006 12:17:00 AM
This ladies is a BIG scam. Now here is the scoop behind this product. The company that makes the main ingredient in Prevage (idebenone) used to sell idebenone to a company called "Isomers" too. In fact you can see a review somebody left under isomers. Isomers called the cream idebenone cream. The company that makes the idebenone cream said to isomers that they needed to charge more money for it in order to be fair to Prevage. Isomers was charing about $39.99 for a 2oz bottle. The people at isomers said no and dropped that company. Then they created this.Isomers Carnosine+ Antioxidant Complex - 1oz An even better antioxidant than pure **IDEBENONE **-

Independent laboratory testing shows that Isomers Carnosine+ Complex is over 250 times more powerful than pure idebenone (an analogue of co-enzyme Q-10) as an anti-oxidant (using the Trolox Laboratory method) Carnosine+ Complex is designed to help support skin elasticity $39.99 Carnosine+ Complex is a patented pending proprietary complex that belongs only to Isomers Laboratories. What is Carnosine+ Complex? Its key role is in helping address oxidation and glycation - both of which contribute to the cross linking of proteins (collagen and elastin are proteins). Isomers looked for powerful antioxidants to help the skin address the free radicals that are part of the everyday assault of the skin. But Carnosine does more - it also helps the skin address the everyday aging from protein cross linking - called glycation.

Benefits: Isomers most powerful antioxidant formulation Antioxidants help protect the skin from damage free radicals cause to the proteins of your skin: collagen and elastin Free radical damage can affect the structure of proteins - collagen is the structural protein of bones, tendons, ligaments, and skin. More about Carnosine: Carnosine is a naturally occurring dipeptide (small molecule) formed by linkage of amino acids alanine and histidine Carnosine is found in relatively high concentrations in several body tissues - most notably in skeletal muscle, heart muscle, nerve tissue and brain, it's also found in food.
Caronsine is a key ingredient because it has a multifunction role and scientists are just starting to unlock the many secrets of carnosine. Aging is associated with damage to cellular proteins, resulting in inter- and intra-molecular cross-linking. Carnosine helps protect proteins from such metabolic damage in at least two ways: -First, carnosine helps address the formation of oxidized sugars, or glycosyl radicals, also called advanced glycosylation end-products (AGEs) -Second, carnosine can bond with potentially harmful carbonyl groups that attack and bind with proteins imbedded in the cellular membrane, and helps reduce their effect . Both of these processes have important implications for anti-aging cosmetics, in that carnosine not only helps reduce the damaging cross-links from forming, it helps reduce the cross-links that have previously formed Anti Glycation Effects.

Aging is associated with oxygen free-radical induced macromolecular damage; in this process oxidised / cross linked / denatured proteins accumulate -Non-enzymatic glycation can cause cross linking of proteins and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), collagen is cross-linked in the course of glycation and the consequent formation of AGEs - this can rob the skin of elasticity and youthful tone -Carnosine helps protect against protein cross linking (glycation) You can only buy this on shopnbc.com

Sincerely Jen the huge beauty product junky

P.S. (update by Steffers)
For some still unsure, see what Wikipedia has to say about Carnosine:

CARNOSINE
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. It is highly concentrated in muscle and brain tissues.

Studies have shown that it can be used as an effective dietary supplement for people with autism, potentially improving such areas as auditory processing, speech & language skills, motor skills, and socialization. However, supplemental carnosine may increase corticosterone levels, which can explain the hyperactivity sometimes seen in high doses. Researchers in Australia, Britain, and Russia have also shown that carnosine has a number of antioxidant properties that may be beneficial.

Carnosine has been proven to scavenge ROS (radical oxygen species) as well as alpha-beta unsaturated aldehydes formed from peroxidation of cell membrane fatty acids during oxidative stress. It can oppose glycation and it can chelate divalent metal ions.

Steffers here again. For more information on this product, seewww.isomers.com
I purchased this Carnosine Complex months ago, and am very pleased. AS a flight attendant working in virtual free radical HELL, i really need a strong and proven anti-oxidant, and this is it for me, and at $39.99, it doesn't break the bank! I will repurchase for sure.
Hope this helps!

Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:34 pm

I didn't see any results with Prevage mind you I only used it 4-5 weeks, I had better products waiting in line, so I dropped the Prevage and didn't miss it Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:17 pm

Thanks everyone. This has very much confirmed my original thoughts about anti-oxidants and the outrageous price Prevage is still charging in a market that offer better options and for less.

I find it interesting that I haven't heard from any Prevage devotees and their experience with results yet I know I have read about amazing results.

free skin care · Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:16 pm

steffers wrote:

Steffers here again. For more information on this product, seewww.isomers.com
I purchased this Carnosine Complex months ago, and am very pleased. AS a flight attendant working in virtual free radical HELL, i really need a strong and proven anti-oxidant, and this is it for me, and at $39.99, it doesn't break the bank! I will repurchase for sure.
Hope this helps!

Thanks for posting the review steffers,
Can you compare the effect of Cartnosine to more common antioxidants like Vit-C, E, and green tea extract etc. I had almost zero success with True Cosmetic's Truth Revealing Idebenone Cream. I did regret buying it. Mad

Wild Cat

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