With so many skin care products to choose from, where do you start? There are creams that help us fight the signs of aging, ointments that will make a rash stop itching, so that will keep the acne clearing our faces, and much more. But how can we tell which products work and which are duds, and is all of this fuss over our skin worth it? We attempt to break it down for you and make the decision as easy as possible.
Overview
Our skin is our external organ, it covers us entirely and is one of the first things that people see. In a society and culture that values appearance so much, it’s good to keep your skin looking healthy through the years. This requires daily maintenance, and there are several companies, and thousands of products out there all hoping to win you over with their results.
Aside from the purely cosmetic benefits of having healthy-looking skin, it’s also a good idea to provide real health benefits to you skin with a proper skin care routine. Always remember that a good skin care strategy involves more than just piling on products. You have to let your skin breathe, and also eat a proper diet so it stays lustrous and healthy day after day.
As we age it gets harder to keep up with our skin, and the effects of ageing can start to show in numerous forms such as wrinkles, age spots, and a loosening of the skin in general. To keep our youthful looks, it’s best to start early, but there is also a large range of products for you to choose from to fight back against the sands of time.
Product Review Recaps
Here is a sampling of several products we’ve reviewed on skin care. We try to answer the question of whether or not they work, so you won’t have to sift through all of what’s out there and get overwhelmed. Keep in mind that if we recommend against something that sounds good to you you should still try it and see if it works in your case. We can only make recommendations for the majority of people and they will always be the exception to the rule.
Loreem Skin Care System Recap
Loreem tries to take the guesswork out of which skin care products you need, and which ones you don’t. By coming up with a comprehensive system they really tried to tackle any kind of problems you would have with one kit. Many users have said they’ve been able to buy less products for their face after buying the Loreem skincare system.
If you’re tired of staring blankly at the large wall of beauty and skincare products at your local store, you might want to give Loreem a chance and see how it works for you. At this price it’s hard to justify not trying it out and seeing for yourself what sort of results you get.
Check out our full review of Loreem Skin Care System
Bio Oil Recap
Bio Oil gets good reviews and even gets recommended by pharmacists when asked about what you should use to get rid of stretch marks and scars. Made from mostly all-natural ingredients, the thought is that by using an oil-based treatment it better penetrates the skin to give results that other products can give.
You have to be committed to using Bio Oil every day as directed by the instructions that come with it. The way you use it differs from one condition to the next, so it’s important to read the directions and follow the system for the specific condition that you’re trying to get rid of.
Check out our full review of Bio Oil
Red Light Therapy Recap
Red light therapy is somewhat of an alternative treatment that has many health benefits associated to it, one of those being an improved condition of the skin. The procedure basically involves sitting under specially designed lights that use infrared technology to penetrate the skin and provide the said results.
Like many alternative treatments, there is much debate as to whether or not procedure actually does anything, or if it gives the results it says it does. Since it is hard to test out the effectiveness of these treatments is really left to the individual to decide whether or not they experience positive effects for having it done. Find out more about what we discovered below:
Check out our full review of Red Light Therapy
Quick Relief Recap
Quick Relief is meant to be a solution to psoriasis and eczema, and it is supposed to be able to work just 10 days. After researching more into this it became clear that there were some major contradictions that couldn’t quite be explained. One of these is their instructions to use their product over a long period of time when they say that it’s effective in just a week and a half.
The other problem we had with it is that they tell you to discontinue using the product once you achieve the results you’re after, but then they want to ship you a new supply regularly.
Check out our full review of Quick Relief
Celtrixa Recap
Celtrixa is a product that promises to work on your stretch marks, which as you’re probably aware are not the easiest thing to get rid of. The makers of Celtrixa obviously understand this also because they want you to use the product for three full months before you start trying to evaluate the results.
While it’s great that the product works, it is unlikely that most women can stick with the regimen every single day for 90 days or more. If you got the dedication level this might be the products that finally relieves you of your stretch marks.
Check out our full review of Celtrixa
Hydrolyze Recap
If you’re like many people, you probably struggle with the problem of having dark circles under your eyes. Hydrolyze hopes to change all that for you with their rather pricey but reportedly effective product. If you’re willing to shell out the $60 for a tub you’ll probably see some decent results for the money pay.
Of course with any product there are the naysayers, so it’s not exactly easy to pin down whether or not this one works. We did our best to delve into the data that’s available and come up with an answer on whether or not you should buy it.
Check out our full review of Hydrolyze
Anti Wrinkle Creams Recap
Anti-wrinkle creams have been popular and will be popular for the next two decades at least as baby boomers get older and the wrinkles get more plentiful. It happens to us all sooner or later, so battling wrinkles might feel like a war that you’ll never win. But many companies like to throw their name in the hat and take a chance to see if they can fix the wrinkles, wherever they may be on your body.
Most people focus on the wrinkles on her face because those are the ones they see every day in the mirror. The wrinkles can show up in other places on your body so really you have to take comprehensive approach to this problem and don’t be shortsighted only focusing on crows feet and smile lines.
Check out our full review of Anti Wrinkle Creams
Stretch Mark Creams Recap
Stretch marks can be one of the hardest things to get rid of, and many women have given up the thought of getting rid of them completely. There are some new products out there that promise to take care of this problem caused by having a baby or losing a lot of weight quickly.
With so may stretch mark creams on the market that don’t work, it can be frustrating playing the trial and error game. Some women have even turned to tattoos in order to cover up her stretch marks because so many creams did not work for them. We tried to bring you the best there is and steer you clear of things that just don’t work.
Check out our full review of Stretch Mark Creams
Different Types of Skin Care Products
No matter what your ailment, there is a skincare product out there for you. If your problem is common enough bound to have a solution in the form of a pill, cream, lotion, powder, oil, system, or whatever else a company can convince you to buy. There are even books that have been written on how to take care of the skin and many of them will suggest at-home remedies that you can do for pennies a day.
Anti-Aging and Anti-Wrinkle
Many products fall under the category of anti-aging, because most of the problems that we experience happen because were getting older. You don’t see many children running around with all the skin problems we experience as adults. Acne happens because we hit puberty, wrinkles happen because we get older, and all sorts of other skin irritations and problems emerge as we go through life.
Anti-wrinkle products I’ve always been popular, and will continue to grow in popularity as more people get older and try to combat sagging skin, fine lines, and even not-so-fine lines. Many of these products will contain some form of skin firming agent in them since his skin loses its elasticity and starts to droop and places it didn’t used to.
Aging also brings all sorts of things like new moles, new scars, crows feet, wrinkles on the forehead, smile wrinkles in the cheeks, wrinkly elbows, sunspots, age spots, liver spots, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, scalp problems, dry skin, oily skin, and more.
What fuels this market is that there aren’t a lot of viable alternatives for most people. Celebrities are often seen getting work done in order to fight the signs of aging, but this comes with a hefty price tag that many people can’t swallow. For the rest of us all that’s left to choose from are the products manufactured by big corporations like Johnson & Johnson, or from upstart mom-and-pop companies looking to make a name for themselves in the skincare industry.
Stretch Marks
There are more and more products coming out that are promising to be the solution to stretch marks. Many women get them and soon realize that they are hard to eliminate once they show up, especially if you’ve got deep or wide ones. Part of the problem is that you have to stick with the treatment that you choose for a long period of time in order to see results. This is because the skin needs to repair itself, much like when you cut your finger it takes time for it to heal.
Acne
Perhaps no other skin condition gets as much attention as acne. Both teens and adults will always be on the lookout for a treatment that works. Dermatologists can only do so much, and if their prescriptions don’t have an effect, there’s little a person can do but to search through what’s available until they find something that works. But there are a time of products all jockeying for your purchase. To see the ones we’ve evaluated so far check out our full review of acne products.
Whitening
In many Asian countries skin whiteners are very popular. For as dark and tan as Americans like to get, and as much as they shun the pale skinned look, many Asian people strive to get as white as they can. It seems to be a grass is greener situation, since many western people have fair skin and think that this shows you’re not healthy because you don’t go out in the sun, and many Asian people think that the darker you are the poorer your family heritage is because they had to spend so much time outdoors while the aristocrats stayed inside and white.
Sunscreen/Tanning Lotion
Sunscreens and sunblocks are a multi-million dollar industry, capitalizing on the widely held belief that the sun is our skin’s enemy. Nearly every dermatologist you ask will tell you to avoid the sun, and also to use a sunscreen for the times when you can’t avoid it. There are even products that try to get you to use them every day because they say you tally up lots of sun exposure just getting to and from work or running errands.
There is a giant industry that caters to those that want to get a tan at home, or a better tan from the salon. These products usually include extra moisturizers so that the skin can hold up through repeated tanning sessions. Find out more about them at our review of different tanning lotions.
Rashes
There are skin care products specifically designed to take care of that itchy rash. Depending on what type of rash you have, whether athlete’s foot, ringworm, hives, or more, you can bet that there’s a cream or lotion out there that will target your problem. These treatments are meant to be used ad hoc, and not as part of a daily skincare regimen.
Moisturizers
Properly moisturizing your skin is very important, and there are a lot of products out there that only address this issue. Some are made with all-natural ingredients, but many contain lots of synthetic, man-made ingredients. It’s ironic that something you’re meant to massage into and onto your skin would be made of unnatural ingredients. So which kind should you go with?
Today more and more moisturizers are purporting to be made with natural ingredients such as aloe vera and other herbal plants. It is unknown how natural these “natural” products are, or what sort of quantity was used when making the product. Looking at the label gives us one clue, the closer the natural ingredient is to the front of the list the more is in there. However, even if it’s showing up as having a large quantity, quality of the ingredients is also in question.
So the best answer is to go with a company you trust, the smaller the better, and check for all-natural or organic ingredients in their moisturizers so that you are rubbing toxic substances into your skin.
Cosmetics
Many cosmetics and makeups out there will also incorporate some type of skin care system to them. This is because they are very damaging to the skin as they block the pores and don’t allow your skin to breathe naturally. Some companies out there are promoting products that cover the entire body with makeup. This can lead to many different health problems, as the skin is responsible for releasing toxic material from the body, and it can’t do that if it’s blocked all over.
If you use makeup every day and it’s even more important for you to take good care of your skin especially on your face so you can counteract the negative effects the cosmetics have on your face. Many companies that make cosmetics also sell products designed to remove the makeup and open your pores, but it might be a better idea to use an all-natural product instead.
Alternative Treatments
There are several alternative procedures out there that can help you take better care of your skin. Something as simple as a daily oil massage can go a long way to make your skin look and feel better than it currently does. These types of Ayurvedic massages only use natural oils like sesame oil or olive oil, so you don’t have to invest in expensive, proprietary products from a corporation.
You may be thinking that the sort of alternative treatments are for you. Maybe you don’t buy into all of the New Age medicine and you want something that has more scientific backing. But it can’t hurt to try these alternatives because they don’t have any negative side effects, and the benefits could be very great indeed. The world of risk, any time you risk very little book could gain a lot it makes sense to go for it.
The Importance of Skin Care
Our skin is often overlooked until something is wrong with it. We can’t help but take it for granted because it’s just always there. Also, many times we just look at it with disgust or dissatisfaction because we don’t like what we see. We focus on all of the problems but fail to see the bigger picture, and we don’t recognize how beautiful our skin really is when taken as a whole.
Our skin is a very important organ of the body, in fact it’s the largest organ in the body. It’s hard to get your head around the fact that the skin is in the same category as your heart, lungs, liver, and stomach, but it is. This means we have to take care of it, not just when there’s a problem with it, but every day for regular maintenance.
The reason the skin seems to wear out and break down over time, is because it often gets neglected from day-to-day. The cumulative effect of all of this neglect is that problem starts to occur to bring your attention to areas that need help.
Our Recommendation
by following a regular skin care regimen which focuses on nourishing the skin, as well as removing dead skin cells from the epidermal layer, you can keep your skin looking healthy for a long time. If you need to deal with specific problems such as wrinkles, acne, stretch marks, rashes, or any other element it’s best to go with the most natural ingredients you can find and try to take it easy in your skin.
Many people wage war on their skin problems which only serves to exacerbate the situation. By being nice to your skin and giving it reasons to be nice back to you, you avoid these kind of battles and you can be friends again with your skin. So no matter which route you go in regards to your skin care options, always be good to yourself and you’ll reap the rewards.