Professional Wins by Knockout

You get bombarded in department stores by attractive saleswomen, bright displays and awesome packaging as you walk through seeking skin care products. Why not take a look and hear the sales pitch? This 0.5 oz. jar of eye cream must work because it’s $90, right? Is there truly a difference between professional skin care products and the alternative, over-the-counter (OTC) skin care products?

Billion-dollar cosmetic companies manufacture OTC products containing all the latest ingredients such as antioxidants and alpha hydroxy acids, but will not disclose the percentages of such ingredients. This is because: 1. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require OTC products to list product efficacy (i.e. percentages and/or pH) and 2. OTC products must be well tolerated for the average user. These products are designed to not cause irritation, even in the most sensitive of skin types.

Are the active ingredients in OTC products even effective (i.e. are they chirally correct)? Many companies manufacture OTC products with chirally incorrect ingredients because they are cheaper and easier to produce. Ingredients that are not chirally correct are one of the main reasons why certain skin care products do not deliver on the results that they claim. For more information regarding the importance of chirality, please read our blog post The Reality of Chirality, January 26, 2012.

Because OTC products are mass produced, thousands of a single cream can potentially sit in a warehouse for a year or more before it even reaches the retail shelf and eventually making it into the hands of the consumer. For the most part, the skin care products you purchase over-the-counter are aged, neutralized, and heavily preserved. Would you want to put that cream on your face? What if the cream was on sale for an unbeatable $20? Remember that OTC products include those sold in brick-and-mortar stores, the internet and on television. If anyone can purchase a product without a professional license, how do they know what they are getting or even how to use it?

This is where the professional esthetician plays an important role in helping to improve and/or clear up skin problems. Skin care specialists are knowledgeable about product ingredients and guide you to products that work with your skin type and particular skin problems. Salespeople generally don’t have access to scientific data on the product line they are selling nor do they know how ingredients will affect the skin while someone is taking medication, pregnant, have allergies or a health condition.

The health of your skin shouldn’t be taken lightly. Do your research before you invest in a skin care product and consult your licensed skin care specialist for more information.

The Reality of Chirality

All living things contain chiral molecules. The concept of chirality is this: molecules existing in two forms that are mirror images of each other. They are related but are not superimposable, just as your hands are. Chiral molecules are often described as being left-handed or right-handed. Chirality is very important in skin care when it comes to ingredient efficacy. Chirally correct ingredients are easily recognized by your body. Because of this, your cells can better absorb and utilize these ingredients.

Here are some examples:

Vitamin C:  Exists as L-ascorbic acid (L for levo meaning left) and D-ascorbic acid (D for dextro meaning right). D-ascorbic acid promotes drying, itching and burning. In fact, the D form of Vitamin C is used in turpentine and for recycling tires.

Vitamin E: D-alpha-tocopherol is the chirally correct form of Vitamin E. DL-alpha-tocopherol is a mixture of both right- and left-handed molecules. Some skin care companies use the DL form because it is cheaper and easier to produce. However, this form of Vitamin E is known to cause irritation. This is because the L form is not utilized by the body correctly and therefore does not produce the soothing property of the chirally correct D form.

So, what do these examples tell us? Basically, if an active ingredient is chirally correct, it will do the job it is intended to do. If the ingredient is not chirally correct, it won't work or may even do actual harm. Most importantly, ingredients that are not chirally correct are one of the main reasons why certain skin care products do not deliver on the results that they claim. For best results, use professional skin care products manufactured with chirally correct ingredients.