The Importance of Using Medical-Grade Skin Care Products

Using medical-grade skin care products is an investment to prolong the results you achieved in the treatment room.

In today's growing beauty world, there are more than 40K cosmetic and skin care products competing for your attention and dollars. You can buy most of these from your local department store, drugstore, or on the Internet. We understand that the choices can be confusing and somewhat overwhelming.

The good news is that you don't have to sort out all of this information by yourself. Your skin care professional can offer you customized suggestions of home care products that are superior to over-the-counter products and that are designed for the unique and evolving needs of your skin, health, and lifestyle.

Every dollar you invest in skin care treatments with your skin care provider works harder for you when you support it with the highly specialized professional products he or she offers. Your provider is a skilled professional with significant knowledge and training that helps determine what's best for your skin.

A major advantage to getting professional advice is that your visit includes a thorough skin analysis before treatment. As well as closely studying your skin, often using special analytic equipment, your skin care provider will take a detailed health history from you, asking about skin conditions you have or had, any medications you are taking, and allergies you have. All of this information is factored into your treatment. None of this is available when you buy something from a clerk in a retail setting who may be unskilled and disinterested, or when you order from a completely impersonal website. When it comes to your skin, one size truly does not fit all.

Because professional products are available to you from a licensed professional, the law allows higher concentrations of active ingredients in these products. This means you are getting more effective formulations that will likely result in better and faster results. This makes your investment in products and your home care regimen all the more valuable.

The proper home care regimen enhances and maintains the results from your treatments and prepares your skin for further care. It greatly increases the effectiveness of certain procedures only a professional can provide, such as chemical exfoliation, microdermabrasion or laser treatments. With a licensed provider's care, you have the opportunity to ask questions and express any concerns you might have about your skin. Your routine and products could very well change over time, and only expert care can determine this. Common causes for reevaluation include the change of seasons or a move to a different climate; changes in your health; and hormonal changes.

If you look at labels on over-the-counter skin care products, you'll soon realize that it is impossible to understand ingredients without special knowledge. While many products are subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, the main purpose of this regulation is to ensure minimal safety standards, not to validate product claims or promises. While they may have ingredients that are generally useful for various skin problems, it's unlikely they'll have active ingredients that are concentrated enough to make these products effective. It truly is "buyer beware" when it comes to sorting through product claims and promises. There is little to no accountability for these manufacturers.

To capture your business, manufacturers spend vast sums of money on marketing, advertising and packaging to distinguish their products from the myriad offerings vying for your purchasing loyalty. The cost of this advertising, marketing and packaging is built into the cost of the products. In some cases, the packaging may actually cost more to produce than the product itself. Why rely on the trial-and-error, one-size-fits-all approach? Just as you wouldn't wear someone else's eyeglasses, you shouldn't use someone else's skin care regimen.

On the other hand, your skin care professional is interested in a long-term relationship with you that is based on trust and that depends on your continued satisfaction over time. He or she invested substantially in their training and most likely entered the field with a career in mind rather than just a job.

While professional skin care products and services may seem more expensive at first, they offer a better value for a few reasons. (1) You will likely need fewer products per application since the active ingredients are more concentrated; (2) You will achieve better results and gain more from your skin care treatments if you maintain the correct home care regimen; and (3) you'll have the confidence in knowing your products have been chosen specifically for your skin, health, and lifestyle by someone with skill and knowledge.

Your skin care treatments should be provided by a properly trained professional. Don't hesitate to ask your skin care therapist about his or her background, training, and experience-- especially as it relates to the treatment you are considering. Your skin care professional has comprehensive details on changing trends and treatments at his or her fingertips, so you'll be receiving the most current information and care possible.

Call today to schedule your complementary skin care consultation.