SkinMedica
Medical Professionals
FREE SHIPPING on all orders Your Account Shopping Bag Shopping Bag (0 items)

Posts tagged "vitamin a"

Travel-Friendly Skin Care

Planning a vacation this summer? Don’t slack on skin care while you’re away!

Instead, make your regimen travel-friendly by packing sample or travel sizes of your favorite products, or transfer your skin care products to mini plastic bottles (three ounces or less, per TSA regulations).

In flight, take steps to avoid dehydration,…

Read More

What’s the Perfect Skin Care Dose?

In an effort to maximize the efficiency of skin care products, it’s often tempting to slather on creams and serums with abandon. But to achieve the best results from your skin care, how much is too much?

Often, the answer is quite simple: A little goes a long way. Clinical skin care products are typically formulated with high concentrations of potent ingredients like retinol, vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids. When these…

Read More

A closer look at antioxidants

In recent years, doctors and researchers alike have come to believe in the free radical theory of aging. You’ve likely heard of free radicals as well, and it’s important to understand these chemical particles before delving into more about antioxidants.

Free radicals are unstable molecules that seek out electrons in our bodies and in our skin. Free radicals are the byproducts of our bodies’ oxygen-driven energy system, and they steal electrons from cells and collagen, in turn degrading and corroding our cells, which causes aging changes both within and on the…

Read More

What are the benefits of chemical peels for the treatment of skin discoloration?

Anyone who has had uneven, blotchy skin or a skin condition called melasma knows how challenging it is not only to treat these skin disorders, but to also prevent a recurrence.  Understanding the causes of skin discoloration is a great first step to correcting it.

Skin inflammation: Acne or any skin trauma such as a scratch or burn often leads to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), which can take weeks or even months to go away.

Melasma: Irregular patches of pigmentation are commonly caused by pregnancy, birth control pills,…

Read More

Vitamin A - The Key to Younger Looking Skin

SkinMedica® Tri-Retinol Complex™ ES delivers three forms of vitamin A to pack a powerful anti-aging punch 

Retinol is considered to be one of the most effective anti-aging ingredients available today, but the different forms of this vitamin A derivative have varying effects on the skin. SkinMedica’s new Tri-Retinol Complex™ ES contains three distinct retinols that work to smooth rough…

Read More

Retinoids: Improving skin from the inside out

Few skincare ingredients have as storied a history as retinoids. These vitamin A derivatives first found fame as a novel and effective treatment for acne in the early 1970s, until older patients found it to have aesthetic anti-aging benefits as well. As a result, Retin-A received the FDA's first anti-aging approval in the early 1990s. Today, retinoids are considered by many dermatologists to be one of the most effective topical ingredients for treating symptoms of sun damage. Found both in prescription and over-the-counter creams and gels, retinoids are available in multiple…

Read More

What makes the skin around the eyes so fragile and vulnerable to the aging process?

You may have noticed that the first signs of aging are typically seen around the eye in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles and even puffiness.

Here are a few reasons:

  • Skin thickness: Skin varies in thickness depending on the location of the body. The thinnest skin is on the eyelids (0.05 mm thick) and the thickest skin is on the palms and the soles of the feet (1.5 mm thick). As we age, skin loses its elasticity and becomes even thinner due to a natural decrease in collagen production.
  • The amount of oil glands:

Read More

What are the anti-aging benefits of using topical antioxidants with retinol?

Our skin - the largest organ in the body - performs many important physiological functions and is particularly susceptible to free radical damage. Skin acts as the primary barrier against fluid loss and environmental abuse, and is constantly exposed to ultra-violet (UV) light and other oxidative stressors. This free radical damage causes wrinkles, loss of skin tone and elasticity, hyperpigmentation and aging. The face, neck, décolleté and hands are the most exposed and vulnerable parts of the body. Therefore, they require additional, targeted antioxidant…

Read More

Sun damage and how to treat it.

Photoaging refers to the damage that is done to the skin from prolonged exposure, over a person's lifetime, to UV radiation. Sun freckles (also known as liver spots, although they have nothing to do with the liver), irregular pigmentation and dilated blood vessels (often referred to as "broken" blood vessels) are some examples. Other examples of photoaging include fine lines and laxity from the loss of elastic fibers and healthy collagen.

To understand the difference between photoaged vs non-photoaged skin, look no further than your arms and chin. Notice how the…

Read More