Do You Want Poison In Your System For Beauty or Natural Products?

Educated Consumers Make Smart Choices

Consumers Trust in You for a Purpose

This is written by Christine Pemberton, International Sales Director For

Skin 2 Skin Care

a Natural Line I carry on my website.

As professionals, consumers trust you to provide fact based information regarding general and skin health, as well as assist in deciphering the plethora of information available in the anti-aging sector. Anti-aging can consist of esthetics, interventions, fitness, chakra balancing, spa treatments, diet, homeopathics, etc, etc. It is unique and individual to each of us. In the last week we have been asked quite a few times about injections, vs natural topical treatments to address the signs of aging. Most specifically; deep lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, dark spots; especially around the forehead, eyes, nasal and ear areas.

In brief, most Rx, or prescription products are derived from nature, and some cosmetics have active ingredients derived from Rx. To provide a few examples; ephedrine to treat asthma and other bronchial conditions is derived from nature, a herb, ephedra sinica, Rogaine for hair loss, or hair thinning, a topical, was discovered as a side effect of Loniten and the active ingredient Minoxidil as people found hair growth as a side effect, similarly Latisse for lash growth, from Lumigan for the treatment of Glaucom using and active called a prostaglandin analogue. In the cosmetic industry, many Rx type injectables are used as “treatments” to affect the reduction of lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. These injections are comprised of Botulinum toxin A, which prevents nerves from functioning normally, there are others derived of hyaluronic acid and NASHA a natural polymer, as well as others that simply use hyaluronic acid as a natural filler. Many peptide based products can be used as alternatives. So, in brief, the science between natural products being used in Rx treatments, and Rx actives used for cosmetic purposes is very grey and cross purpose.

Often whether it be herbal, natural, Rx, OTC (Over The Counter), whatever you may choose, there is usually warnings and side effects; the severity or number vary depending on the active (to state very simply). Natural, as we discussed earlier is minimally processed, or closest to nature. Skin 2 Skin™ Care and other companies with this accolade choose to work with the bodies natural processes to address signs, symptoms, ailments and physical appearance, as well as health naturally. While comparative advertising is considered elementary, it is important that consumers are educated and free to make choices based on desire, side effect profile, efficacy, and very important is the safety.

Almost all of us are concerned with looking old, and wanting vibrant, glowing, even toned, plump, wrinkle free and taut skin that yields a youthful appearance. For comparison, lets examine the natural ingredients in a topical anti-sagging serum/anti-sagging solution to a Botulinium Toxin A injection. This ingredient can be found in Botox™ ®. The sources of this comparative information range from Medline™, to various science based web-sites such as argirlene white papers (clinical trial) and the International Journal of Cosmetic Science to name a few. In a comparison, easily found on the internet the following was concluded in trials comparing topical vs injections: “Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) represent a revolution in cosmetic science because of their remarkable and long-lasting antiwrinkle activity. However, their high neurotoxicity seriously limits their use. Thus, there is a need to design and validate non-toxic molecules that mimic the action of BoNTs. The hexapeptide

Ac-EEMQRR-NH(2) (coined Argireline) was identified as a result of a rational design programme. Noteworthy, skin topography analysis of an oil/water (O/W) emulsion containing 10% of the hexapeptide on healthy women volunteers reduced wrinkle depth up to 30% upon 30 days treatment. Analysis of the mechanism of action showed that Argireline significantly inhibited neurotransmitter release with a potency similar to that of BoNT A, although as expected, it displayed much lower efficacy than the neurotoxin.” ( Int J Cos. Sci). There is also SNAP 8, which results show at a 0.05% concentration “In clinical studies, the severity of wrinkles around the eyes decreased up to 63.13%. Both in vivo and in vitro efficacy testing suggests that SNAP-8 is approximately 30% more active than its parent peptide Argireline. “ So, there are alternatives, such as products that use peptides, and vitamins that are deemed “powerful or 21^st century” that can work as effectively in the right combination and concentration without a comparative side effect profile. It really comes down to individual choice, education which is a human right, and the side effect vs. benefit profile. Whether it be pharma, OTC, HABA (health and beauty aid) or consumer brand, individuals will choose to ask their health service provider for the answers or seek their own research. Skin 2 Skin ™ Care has produced the Anti-Sagging Renewal Serum, containing 5% Tego-Pep 4-17, 15% Matrixyl 3000, and Un-wrinkle Forehead and Crows-Feet Cream with 20% Argireline, Snap 8 at 10%, and Dermaxyl at 2%. These are safe, 100% effective, natural, vegan, PETA certified, gluten, soy, and toxin free alternatives. With the simple snippits of information in quotations above there is just a sampling of the efficacy of these non prescription derived alternatives. Vitamins A, C and E are also of benefit to the mix, and source. For the reasons of this post we are comparing topical vs injectables since that was a topic several people have asked about in recent weeks. Next post we can clarify Vitamin C as questioned from the “rare Swiss apple” vs others, and the importance of anti-inflammatory agents both systemically and topically for good health.