With so many skincare products on the market, it can be tough to choose which brands or products are the right ones for you. And what’s even more troublesome is determining the price points. Many products priced from $10 to $100 will claim overnight results, while others are filled with active and inactive ingredients most people can’t pronounce. So how can anyone possibly choose the right products for their skin?
Let’s take a step back and start with the basics: over-the-counter (OTC) products vs. medical grade products. OTC products are skincare items that can be purchased from any drug store or retailer – yes, even your $260 jar of eye cream from Neiman Marcus. Why are these products considered “over-the-counter?” These products don’t contain concentrated amounts of an active ingredient that should be prescribed or regulated by a medical doctor. Thus, leads us to medical products.
Medical-grade skincare products are those that can be purchased from a medical doctor’s office, such as SkinCeuticals® or Revision Skincare® but what makes these medical-grade skincare products so amazing, and why should you even consider them in the first place? After all, does a hefty price tag really deliver results? As the short answer: yes. And here’s why:
1) Quality: Medical-grade skincare products deliver more concentrated ingredients.
This is code for: the product delivers results for a longer amount of time. There are only so many active ingredients that will do wonders to your skin, such as salicylic acid and glycolic acid just to name a few. Highly-stabilized, potent active ingredients in a medical grade formula will take more time to degrade, thus your first use of the product is as good as the last. OTC products often contain lower amounts of the active ingredient and are often surrounded by additives that only provide a fraction of the benefit one would see with a medical-grade product. Additionally, medical grade products use various mechanisms of absorption to enhance the delivery of its active ingredients. So rather than applying that OTC product twice a day, medical grade products are often so potent, you’ll apply the product more sparingly, saving you money (you’ll purchase less product) and time (we’re always looking for ways to cut down our morning routine, right?)
2) Testing: Medical-grade skincare products are created, designed and supported by doctors.
Think about it: a dermatologist’s medical license is on the line if a medical grade product created by a doctor claimed effects that weren’t true. While all skincare products (as well as prescriptions, OTC drugs and more) are regulated by the FDA, medical grade products are a level up as these products are subject to rigorous extensive clinical testing. Years of data and research are taken into account before the product is ever available on the market, so their claims are substantiated with independent evidence. Also, because the products contain potent amounts of the ingredient, a medical doctor will want to prepare a patient for possible side effects depending on the patient’s skin type. Wouldn’t you want to use a product that a skincare doctor created, recommended? After all, they know your skin, its sensitivities and possible side effects better than you do.
3) Results: Medical-grade products teat issues that occur in deeper layers of skin.
Super-concentrated ingredients will treat issues that arise from within the deeper layers of skin. These concentrated ingredients – Retinol, Vitamin C and Lactic Acid, for example – can treat issues, such as fine lines and wrinkles or rosacea, which no OTC product can do (as much as they throw in their marketing spin).
Curious to see the difference medical-grade skincare products can make with the results they promise? Click here to learn more! Contact us today for a skin care consultation with Heather Davis, LE, our skin health expert.
