In partnership with SA’s top medical aesthetic companies
When you use your daily skin moisturiser, did you know that you’re probably using a multi-functional ‘smart cream’? Besides replenishing and containing the skin’s own moisture, most moisturising creams also pack additional benefits.
Read any good article on skin care, and the advice will be to make it work extra-hard for you by choosing treatments that do more than simply help your skin to keep its moisture levels topped up. Good-quality skin creams contain a cocktail of ingredents designed to shield the skin from external damage – antioxidants to fight free radicals and UV damage, anti-ageing vitamins (such as vitamin-A retinoids), and other ingredients that prevent and treat your skin concerns – excess pigmentation, redness, and even conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
What sets medical skin-care ranges apart is their formulations. They contain research-proven, effective ingredients at the right levels and delivered efficiently to feed your skin for optimal health and appearance.
SkinCeuticals call their multi-fuctional creams Correctives – and have different treatments against premature ageing, such as the legendary A.G.E. Interrupter, an advanced wrinkle treatment that fights the visible signs of ageing (skin thinning, wrinkles, loss of firmness, dryness and dehydration) caused by advanced glycation end-products (A.G.E).
The extras: 30% concentration of proxylane™, 4% blueberry extract, and 0.2% to improve the appearance of wrinkling and restore the loss of firmness caused by the glycation process.
Lamelle use a patented retinoic acid ester (a form of vitamin A) in Dermaheal Ultra Renewal Cream. Known as one of the most powerful retinoids, while also being the gentlest on the skin, it’s used in Dermaheal to advance skin cell turnover (exfoliation) without being harsh on your skin. In fact, it’s actually quite soothing.
The other extras: Next-level Recombinant Human Growth Factors, including TGF-B3 – probably the most potent, healing human growth factor in existence and only found naturally in your body when you’re a baby in the womb. Lamelle have created these in the lab, but they’re 100% identical to the types of growth factors naturally found inside your body, so your body recognises and accepts their instructions as they signal your cells to regrow, divide, or shed, while at the same time fighting chronic cell inflammation which ages skin, normalising cell life cycles to revive youthful skin.
For very dry skin prone to dermatitis/eczema, Lamelle’s Serra Soothing Cream sorts out redness, itchiness and discomfort almost instantly.
The extras: Besides unparalleled skin barrier support to reduce skin dryness and discomfort with patented Ceramide-P, soothing oat beta-glucan extract, Dexpanthenol and advanced anti-inflammatory peptides that directly interact with the skin immune response to reduce the extent of redness, burning and swelling. It is also fragrance-free and paraben-free.
NeoStrata Enlighten SkinBrightener SPF25 is a daily triple action moisturiser formulated to specifically target the appearance of dark spots. and poor skin tone is diminished. This cream will leave your skin bright and protected against further discoloration and damage.
The extras: NeoGlucosamine® gently exfoliates and encourages cell turnover to break up pigment clusters and diminish the appearance of skin discoloration. Skin brighteners B-Resorcinol and SabiWhite®, potent antioxidants Chardonnay Grape Seed Extract and Vitamin E work together with broad spectrum sunscreen to help prevent environmental and oxidative damage.
Cautions: Not suitable for sensitive skin, rosacea-prone skin or those with eczema or psoriasis.
Not suitable if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. NeoStrata’s Refine Sheer Hydration SPF 35 is an oil-free, daily hydrating moisturiser that helps control and reduces excess oiliness, reducing pore size as well as enhancing radiance and clarity.
The extras: NeoGlucosamine to improve uneven texture of your skin as well as reduce the appearance of dark marks. Botanical Phytotal manages your skin’s oil production without any irritation. Broad-spectrum sunscreen protection.
Obagi C-Therapy Night Cream is an oil-free, moisturising nighttime treatment that helps protect the skin against free radicals while also reducing discoloration and hyperpigmentation.
The extras: antioxidant vitamins C and E and arbutin, to combat excess pigmentation.
Cautions: Not suitable for sensitive skin, rosacea-prone skin or pregnant and breastfeeding women.
For those in need of deep hydration, Obagi’s Gentle Rejuvenation Advanced Night Repair gives your skin a deep dose of comforting, soothing moisture and nourishment, as it does its nightly repair process. It also helps to improve early signs of sun- related ageing (fine lines, uneven skin tone and rough texture).
The extras: Ceramides for advanced barrier repair, Kinetin and Zeatin plant growth factors, and advanced peptides to smooth out visible signs of fine lines and wrinkles as well as reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation
To help identify your skin type and the moisturiser suitable to yours, visit Skin Renewal at www.skinrenewal.co.za
Take the quick Beyond Beauty Survey and you could win a R2 000 Skin Renewal voucher to spend in our online store, with free delivery within South Africa. T&Cs apply.