On The Way To Happy

Eight years of my career, I worked in some facet of technical medical sales. I spent the past six years working in the anti-aging skincare arena, selling scientifically based skin care regimens to plastic surgeons, dermatologists and physician owned spa’s. I found the industry truly exciting since I myself, am aging, highly motivated to look my best and because I was able to learn the details and  nuances various product line’s formulated, the science behind very specific ingredients and the effects on cells. The outcome for years and the message we in the sales force were trying to educate physicians and the public on alike, was the fact that some skin care regimens have been proven to benefit and improve skin on a cellular level. This month, Dr. Michael Gold, an expert skin care industry veteran, was quoted in Dermatology Times ( a well-respected peer-review based professional magazine) that indeed, some OTC products are extremely beneficial to aging skin. Furthermore, some of the best products can be found in smaller, less known companies. The secret is simple, just like we consumers did with food, we must read the labels of ingredients and educate ourselves better.

Figuring out what products work collectively and how to decipher each product’s  scientific claims continues to be the confusing part on the consumer side, due to again, no real regulation of “claims” made by manufacturers. The industry is so loosely regulated by the FDA and OTC customers are subsequently confused and cynical, from decades, if not centuries of unproven products being peddled to the masses with the newest “Fountain of Youth.”

A decade ago, many physician-formulated skin care systems were snubbed by fellow medical evaluators (for a myriad of reasons having little to do with scientific evaluations, I might mention), but finally the data has been clinically evaluated often with significant proof of effective skin care, so we consumer’s can finally feel our monies are being spent on what we’re being sold. Granted, however, consumer’s must know the subtleties and the technical aspects because is marketing, words are so important. What do I mean by that statement? Vitamin C, for example, is proven to be beneficial topically to skin. So every company peddles a Vitamin C product. The questions a consumer should ask are several specifics. What is the specific ingredient of Vitamin C? There are a multitude of Vitamin C ingredients that classify as Vitamin C and not all are created equal.  Also vital, how is the Vitamin C able to penetrate the surface of the skin to actually affect collagen production? Otherwise, a consumer is paying for Vitamin C not realizing that molecularly, it cannot penetrate the stratum corneum to do its work. There’s much too much to understand and the consumer is the one left confused. Ask away, I would love to help any of you out there and begin a dialogue on what works, why it works and issues you might be facing that concern you with your skin. You can trust that I do not gain any favor, money or benefit by discussing this matter or products that I find excellent.

The final step the skin care industry must tackle is to finally convince the public that in order to be effective, skin care must be a routine completed at least once a day and often twice daily. We want easy and we often don’t like spending the dollars to make a true difference. If those two statements ring true for you, then soap, water, moisturizer and sunscreen are for you. The only thing I will say regarding the matter is this, you can listen to whatever professionals say about products. Pro’s and con’s are worth hearing. However, if anyone is selling product for a profit (and you are allowed to ask that question), please consider doing a little research beyond the information you may understand from the person profiting. I was amazed in all my years of selling, how often (not all, please, there are much more practices that are exceedingly knowledgable and honest, so don’t write me with complaints) office staff did not truly understand some of the complexities of a particular product and why it might be better for certain skin condition than another comparatively. So as always, buyer beware, but commit to saving your face and find a product line that works for you.