The video above was posted to my Facebook timeline asking for a review of sorts, from a high school friend. I’m sure she did not expect this review. In the field of aesthetics, the one thing we all can 100% count on is a new “product of the day” with extreme promises, miracle status, insert glory music and all. Is it true, and does it work for all? First, let me give you a little disclaimer. I am clinically trained and holistically balanced. Yes, I have sat in far too many “pharma” presentations. Do some of their drugs deliver? YES. Do I, or any of the Physicians I have ever worked with blindly follow them along like Lemmings? NO. We do not take kick-backs (that’s actually illegal) and they do not get paid for writing prescriptions. I am a believer in eastern medicine. I am also a believer in western medicine and I long for the day they live in perfect harmony. I know the services I deliver are unique. I know that most “professional advisers” will tell me my business model will fail because I refuse to sell ridiculously expensive 6 step skincare lines. To this I say: “watch me”. In business school, I had a mentor who was MIT educated. I mentioned “well rounded” students in a conversation, to which he replied: “MIT didn’t much care if you were “well-rounded” (for the program I entered), as much as our ability to focus on Math”. That has stuck with me. I sell laser. A laser platform that cost more than many homes – and one that I have spent more years training on than I have mothered my son. Delivering safe, efficacious anti-aging medical laser treatments is my focus. Do I recommend products? Sure. “As needed” and very specific to you. I will always believe that those who take to main stream media and recommend “skincare” lines – whether they be “natural” or “chemical” are delivering a bit of fraud. UNLESS, they have studied skin, have credentials, know how tissue responds (well, or poorly) to any product or service, as well as review any medications & supplements you take (and know what that means, or what the contraindications are) – you should regard them as, perhaps, the same you would a girlfriend. But not your skincare professional. What is the difference? Training. Education. The ability and knowledge to know when to tap out. To a Physician. (Personally, I have a supervising Physician who has been in this field for almost 30 years, and then a medical director to also meet the State of TN guidelines. In my past, I have opened, assisted with the opening, or act as the Practice Administrator for roughly 27 local medical practices. With few exceptions, I highly regard these Physicians and know the blessing that has been afforded to me with the ability to “curbside” text or call them. Of course, this is a two-way street. About Face, (all pun intended) is the best thing I have professionally done so far. If any of my strategist friends are worried, I just counted, I have 16 ninety-minute laser services to deliver by the close of business Monday. It’s going to be okay. (If you’re still worried, look how much fun & handsome my son is!)
Ready for the review? Let’s break it down!
Water. First and largest ingredient (92%). Water is relatively free and you should be drinking plenty of it! Use COLD water compresses or ICE and the puffiness under your eyes will go away, too. Eyes are very vascular organs and often the puffiness is simply vessels that are swollen. If you ice the skin under your eyes, your makeup will apply flawlessly. Want to take ice to the next level? Buy yourself a jade roller. It looks like the photo below and is very inexpensive. As in $10. If you need one, let me know. Mine is kept in my freezer. Used religiously every morning. Roll down the face (right over your closed eyes) and you have instant lymphatic drainage for your face.
Sodium Silicate: Most commonly used in cements, passive fire protection, textile & lumber processing, refractories, and automobiles = and apparently now – for a volatile area of skin under your eyes. Help me, Lord!
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate: has one of two meanings in skincare products. Either, the presence of a white chalk-like powder that occurs naturally in nature in soil clay, or manufactured industrially for use in products. This form of magnesium aluminum silicate is sometimes referred to as white clay, hectorite or kaolin. It is considered “generally safe”, but the FDA warns that it should be a very limited use. This products version is manufactured industrially.
Acetyl hexapeptide-8 (trade name Argireline and technically known as acetyl hexapeptide-3/Centerchem. Argireline is a synthetic peptide that is manufactured in Spain. According to their Web site, “Argireline works through a unique mechanism which relaxes facial tension leading to a reduction in superficial facial lines and wrinkles with regular use. Argireline has been shown to moderate excessive catecholamines release.” Whether or not that is true when applied topically comes only from their information, read: there are no published research studies substantiating any use of Argireline topically on skin. So, what are Catecholamines? They are compounds in the body that serve as neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, adrenaline, and dopamine. Epinephrine is a substance that prepares the body to handle emergencies such as cold, fatigue, and shock. A deficiency of dopamine in the brain is responsible for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. None of that sounds like something you want a cosmetic to inhibit or reduce, correct? If acetyl hexapeptide-8 really worked to relax your facial muscles, it would work all over the face, would it not? So why just pick on the eyes? If all the muscles in your face were relaxed you’d have a sagging mess! You will not have youthful skin, not to mention, following this logic – it would affect your hand if you apply it with your fingers, correct? If this is true and you’re not prepared to glove up each time you apply this product, then please do not apply mascara afterwards. Also, do not pick up a steaming cup of hot coffee near small children or animals – and DO NOT drive your children to school! Paralysis of muscles is no joke.
In regards to working “just like Botox”, regardless of your feelings about injectible Botox – there IS a clinical study that says, basically: NO. I’m surprised my friends at Allergan are not all over this statement. The clinical study reveals that this ingredient is not even remotely as effective as Botox in reducing wrinkles. If you are a non-believer in clinical studies because of their funding source, simply remember that regardless of who one is paid by, clinical studies must be able to scientifically prove something, or not. (Source:www.cremedevie.com/clinical_details.htm; International Journal of Cosmetic Science, October 2002
Phenoxyethanol. A chemical preservative (glycol ether) often used in dermatological products such as skin creams and sunscreen. It is a colorless oily liquid. It is abactericide (usually used in conjunction with quaternary ammonium compounds), often used in place of sodium azide in biological buffers because phenoxyethanol is lesstoxic and non-reactive with copper and lead. It is used in many applications such as cosmetics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals as a preservative.
Last ingredient besides artificial colors: Ethylhexylglycerin. This serves as a surfactant and preservant enhancer and acts as a safe preservative in minute amounts. It is a proven preservative-enhancer and is often used instead of controversial parabens, Synthetically derived from glycerin and works by reducing inter-facial tension on the cellular walls of micro-organisms, promoting their more rapid destruction and a wider spectrum activity. Known and published safety measures and side effects: “Although Ethylhexylglycerin is generally considered safe, it has been found to be an irritant to the skin in two studies, causing allergic contact dermatitis”. Beautiful, tight reactive skin around swollen eyes – just what your dermatologist or ophthalmologist wants to see!
A quick glance at actual customer reviews shows and average of 3 stars. The most common complaint is that it works to smooth the skin around the eyes – until you apply make-up or any other liquid.
There you have it. My review. If you still think it’s worth a go, I noticed it ranges from $8 – $130 on Amazon.
What would I rather you do? Drink water, use ice or a jade roller, ingest a lot of Phytonutrients (carrots, even!) via juicing – and yes, another product I DO love, Juice Plus. But, that review is for another day.
Now, back to attempting to process the Laser Bikini line hair removal special ($250 for up to 12 treatments!) and 3 Cellulite shrinking body wraps with free laser genesis for the face ($300) – ends today, and I may crash this server. Happy Friday the 13th!
I’m the mother of two gorgeous girls. When my elder daughter, Natasha, was 7, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She passed away nearly five years later.
About Face Time 