Skincare Reviews – Why You Can’T Trust Them

Let’s face it, we’re all on the lookout for new skincare reviews. It seems like everyone you know is, at least, halfway disappointed with their skin cream. But it isn’t surprising, this constant dissatisfaction. We look in the mirror and see wrinkles, lines, and sagging and we want them gone. We think, is there a product out there that’s better than the one I’m using? We want to know what other people think is the best skincare brand.

But this often gets us into trouble; let me explain.

Where do you often read skincare reviews? Magazines, right? You find them in both womens and mens magazines. If you don’t believe me guys, go pick up the lastest issue of Mens Health and I’m sure you’ll find skincare info in it. Anyway, in the pages of magazines is where you frequently find articles about the best skincare brand; you may even come across a Top 10 Skin Creams of 2009 list. The question is: can you trust these reviews?

In my opinion, no.

There is often a financial conflict of interest that prevents a magazine from giving an unbiased review of a product. If you regularly read womens or mens magazines, you’ve probably noticed that most pages are advertisements. They’re annoying to flip through for the reader, but they generate sizable revenue for the magazine. A good chunk of that revenue comes from skincare and cosmetics companies paying to adverstise in the magazine.

Here’s where the conflict comes in. A magazine’s editors often write skincare reviews of the same products that are featured as advertisements. When this is the case, it’s unreasonable to expect a fair review. The magazine has a huge financial incentive in naming a product the best skincare brand. If they panned the product instead, the cosmetics company that manufactures it may never advertise in that magazine again.

Where do we consumers stand in all this? We’re being manipulated.

While the magazine earns revenue dollars and the cosmetics company gets a favorable recommendation in a national publication, the honest consumer gets stuck with a biased review. And, unfortunately, many people make a purchase based off that review. It’s a fruitless way to find the best skincare brand.

Is there an alternative to these skincare reviews?

As a consumer, I think the best way to fight skin aging is to learn how skin aging works. You see, there is a science behind wrinkles, lines, and sagging, and you can learn something about it. The first things to learn are the three root causes of skin aging. Since they’re not the main thrust of this article, I’ll only list them here. Here are the roots:

 

The gradual slowdown of collagen and elastin production

 

The breakdown of hyaluronic acid by a harmful enzyme

 

Free radical oxidation damage to skin cells

 

These are all natural processes that worsen with age. To make your skin firm, pliant, and younger-looking, the best skincare brand must target these major skin agers.
Now, this is just a taste of the science of skin aging. Are you interested in approaching skincare scientifically? If so, I encourage you to visit my website where I organized more detailed info on this topic.

To sum up, what I really hope you got out of this article is a new skepticism of skincare reviews. Next time you’re in a waiting room and flipping through a magazine, read that Best Anti-Wrinkle Creams of 2009 review and remember what you learned in this article.

Anti-aging…?

I’m 29 and was wondering what kind of anti aging facial creams or therapies would be a good fit for my age group. I’m looking to prevent wrinkles and such before they start to show up as I haven’t noticed any yet (thank God!) I just want to be ahead of the game. Any suggestions?

Things You Won’t Like About Hypoallergenic Skincare And Things You Will

Hypoallergenic skincare and parabens-free skincare are gaining a lot of popularity these days. But with the availability of a lot of brands, it is important to separate the grain from the chaff. Your vigilance is important if you want to avoid waking up to some rude shocks!

So what truly qualifies as the right hypoallergenic skincare? As a rule of thumb, a true hypoallergenic skincare is the one in which you can literally “eat” the product! Anything less than that cannot really be called hypoallergenic. It means that the ingredients so be 100% natural and safe enough that you can literally consume them without the fear of any side effects.

Even parabens-free skincare products might not be totally hypoallergenic. Even though they do not contain parabens, but they might contain other artificial and synthetic preservatives. Thus, they cannot be called 100% safe for our skin.

Parabens are the favourites of skincare product manufacturers. They are the cheapest preservatives available. Parabens help in giving them fatter profits as they improve the shelf life of their products. But parabens cause a lot of health problems for the consumers.

They interfere in the functioning of the endocrine system. They cause hormonal disruptions and are known to cause cancerous breast tumors! They are found in these forms: ethyl, butyl, methyl, propyl and isobutyl parabens. Avoid them by all means in any skincare products that you use.

The best thing to do for getting the right parabens-free skincare products is to look for those products which contain natural ingredients; as well as only natural preservatives, not synthetic ones. Grape seed oil and natural vitamin E are the best natural preservatives. Besides that, they are extraordinary antioxidants too and make the skin healthy, supple and radiant.

Another test for effective hypoallergenic skincare products is whether they are safe enough to apply on a wound. If the answer to this question is No, then it is not truly the best hypoallergenic skincare product.

Look for cutting edge natural ingredients such as Phytessence Wakame, active Manuka honey and macadamia oil.

Phytessence Wakame is a Japanese sea kelp which is rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and calcium (its calcium content is 15 times more than milk). It revitalizes the skin and makes it young, smooth and creamy complexioned.

Active Manuka honey is sourced from the Manuka bushes in New Zealand. It is rich in active enzymes and is known for its extraordinary antibacterial, antioxidant and healing properties. It makes the skin soft, pliant and beautiful.

Macadamia oil is also called the luxurious oil. It has a composition very similar to the sebum (natural oils of our skin). It performs a deep skin moisturization and heals the skin naturally.

Unfortunately, the local drugstores and department stores do not have true hypoallergenic skincare products with such amazing natural ingredients. These are only manufactured by niche skincare companies which sell their products online.

Visit my website to find out more such amazing natural ingredients that you should look out for in the best hypoallergenic skincare and what harmful substances you should avoid, so that you can achieve a young, beautiful and naturally glowing skin.

Acne Skin Care Tips – to Help Reduce your Breakouts

If you are like most acne sufferers, you might get obsessed with the whole wash your face regularly and avoid certain foods thing. Although the main cause of your acne is not due to poor hygiene or eating certain foods, in so many instances some factors tend to worsen you acne conditions, leading to more pimples (zits) on your face.

Proper acne skin care helps in reducing the amounts of breakouts on your skin. A number of skin experts and health practitioners are of the opinion that natural acne treatments are the best for reducing the intensity of acne lesions on the skin and tend to recommend the following acne skin care tips.

One factor that could worsen your acne condition is clogged pores, which results in more pimples on your face. Before you go scrubbing your face a million times a day, you should know that you have to be gentle with your face. Wash your face at most thrice a day, and you should use lukewarm water. Avoid soaps that contain chemicals and ingredients that damage your skin. Try using a mild cleanser. Remember to pad your face dry and avoid scrubbing.

I know you can’t help it. But hey!!! Keep your hands by your side, stop touching, squeezing, rubbing or picking your pimples and other lesions. Incase you don’t know, doing that can cause severe acne scarring and more acne flare-ups. So simply put “get your hands off your face”.

If your are a guy, then you should be careful how you shave. Try and find out which razor type is best for your skin. Although I used to use electric razors when I had a lot of pimples on my face, but now I use “twin blades” shaving sticks to shave. Always shave gently to avoid scrapping your acne lesions, which could result in acne scars.

There is a type of acne that is termed “cosmetic acne” which is usually more prevalent in girls. Using certain type of cosmetics can worsen your acne problem or could even be the major cause of your breakouts. Oil-based (comedogenic) cosmetics are the major culprits in worsening your acne condition and you should stay clear of such. Try using water-based (non-comedogenic) cosmetics, which do not clog your pores.

If you are light-skinned (Caucasian), and you regularly sun-bathe, you might feel that a tan would look good on you by giving you a nice complexion and drying out your pimples, but you should try reducing the amount of sun exposure. When you expose your skin to high intensity sunlight, Ultraviolet rays from the sun would dry the outer layers of your skin resulting in it peeling off. Regular exposure to high intensity sunlight makes you prone to having skin cancer.

A very common argument among dermatologist, doctors and health care practitioners is whether diet affects acne or causes acne. Well there is one thing that is certain, a large number of acne sufferers know that there are certain types of foods that increase the amount of pimples (breakouts) on their face. I have noticed that there are some foods that when I take in large quantities I expect breakouts (pimples) in the next 5 to 6 days.

To prevent skin problems such as acne, white and dark spots and pimples, you should consider changing the content of your meals by including more nutritious foods. You can improve your acne condition by eating foods that are rich with antioxidants. These help in keeping you healthy by fighting heart diseases and slowing down cell regeneration. Fruits and leafy vegetables contain enough of these.

Doctors have always recommended that you take at least 10 to 12 glasses of water a day. Your water intake affects your skin’s health. Taking the recommended amount of water a day would make your skin healthier. Try reducing your sugar intake by drinking less sodas, and fruit juices. Instead take fruits; this will definitely prevent age spots and discoloration of your skin.

In addition to the following acne skin care tips that you’ve just read, you should try using an a system, which combats you acne problem from the inside and the outside. An excellent acne skin care product is the clear pores system which consists of a deep cleansing facial and body wash, protection cream and a herbal supplement that is guaranteed to fight acne inside the body.

Another very good product is Revitol’s acnezine system which also consists of a skin anti-Oxidant Capsules and a Moisturizing Crème, all to ensure that your skin is clear of acne. The acnezine system was what made my skin free of pimples. It seems the healthy pores system has so many testimonials to its effectiveness; it is also a wonderful product you can use in ridding your skin of zits.

Most acne sufferers would talk of tales of what acne did to them in terms of their social life and how clearing those little monsters off their skin has made life more enjoyable. If you suffer from adult or teenage acne, it is guaranteed that following these acne skin care tips and using an effective acne skin care product, you would have the smooth and clear skin that you deserve.

For more information on how you can permanently get rid of Adult Acne from your life and look more youthful and beautiful visit adult acne treatment a brand new blog that gives information, tips and advice on how to solve the problem of acne.