Donna Queen
WE HAVE A SUPERSTAR ENDORSEMENT OF OUR OWN
If you’ve watched TV in the last five minutes, we’re willing to bet you’ve seen a commercial in which a celebrity is endorsing, or acting as the spokesperson of, a skincare line.
Whether it’s a flavor-of-the-month teen idol wearing nothing but a bath towel or one of the plethora of celebrities who’ve cured their news-to-us acne problem with 3 easy steps, skincare companies seem to think that stardom equals a medical degree in dermatology.
The latest endorsement comes in the form of the Kardashian sisters acting as spokespersons for a skincare line set to launch this spring. The threesome —famous for … let us get back to you on that — made the announcement earlier this week.
If you need a reality TV personality to tell you how to care for your skin, you’re in the wrong place. We do, however, have an in-house rock star who has a few recommendations for you.
See, the ZO in ZO Skin Health stands for Zein Obagi. As in Dr. Zein Obagi. The same man responsible for the Obagi Medical Products you’re so familiar with. Yeah, that guy. He’s the creator of our line and he’s the only one we need backing our products. Is he a celebrity? Yes — to dermatologists the world over.
ZO Skin Health doesn’t have to pay teeny bopper actresses with all of two years experience caring for their own skin or singers whose skin problems require a magnifying glass to see them to put their seal of approval on our products.
Our seal of approval comes from one of the most respected doctors in dermatology. Our endorsement is in our name, not in a celebrity.
Dr. Zein Obagi
Radical Night Repair Plus–it’s back, and better than ever!
I’ve seen and heard statements to the effect that when it comes to anti-aging, Zein Obagi, MD doesn’t mess around.
I have to agree. And here I go again.
My newest case in point is ZO Skin Health’s Radical Night Repair Plus. This is a product that I’ve worked on for several years, and although there was an earlier version (called Radical Night Repair), this one is even better. Talk about no frou-frou!!
Typical drug store retinol products contain clinically insignificant amounts of retinol. Miniscule, in fact. Why? Because retinol is difficult to formulate with, and because when used in high concentrations, it’s potent. Maybe too potent for some people. So rather than produce a lotion or cream that really works, manufacturers put in just a little. So little, in fact, that it’s worthless. The industry nickname for that is “fairy dust”–like a fairy sprinkled just a little powder from her magic wand. And if you believe in magic wands, you may believe the claims that those manufacturers make.
Here’s a tidbit that you may not know–it’s an unfortunate fact that the cosmeceutical industry is not regulated, and manufacturers are allowed to promote that a product contains retinol (or any other ingredient), even though it contains only a trace amount. That’s not fair to you–the consumer.
That’s just not my style! The concentration of retinol in Radical Night Repair Plus is 6X more retinol that the leading retinol product sold through drug stores and 15X the amount of retinol sold through infomercials and home shopping channels.
The high concentration of retinol in Radical Night Repair Plus enables it to work hard to awaken your cells so that they start producing collagen and enable your skin to act and look younger.
For me, this is exciting. Radical Night Repair Plus could very well be the most effective over-the-counter anti-aging product. In fact, I’m betting on it.
It’s a good thing, but please, don’t get too much of a good thing. It may take your skin days or week to tolerate the high concentrations of retinol. Please begin by applying it only once or twice a week, and as pharmaceutical manufacturers say, follow label instructions carefully. Within weeks, you’ll be able to increase the frequency, and eventually get to apply it 7 nights per week. And then, wow!! You’ll see great improvement.
Donna Queen
TURNING BACK THE HANDS OF TIME
Remember the scene in “Home Alone” when the mother sits back in her airplane seat and finally takes a moment to relax before departing on her Christmas vacation?
She feels so relieved after packing all the presents, getting all the kids through baggage security and fitting her carry-on in the overhead compartment. Then it hits her like a UFC punch: She forgot one crucial, blonde-haired, 8-year-old item.
You’ve likely had an equally alarming oversight with your skincare regime.
So caught up with the damage control above your neckline, you forgot all about the other two body parts that sing your age like a canary if you don’t properly care for them: YOUR HANDS.
Yes, your hands. You know, the things you use to punctuate a lively story, greet people for the first time, exchange money, make a toast, break bread, hold your steering wheel, check the time and well, do just about every other human function?
We realize your face is your face, but your hands attract their fair share of attention, too. And, if you don’t care for them properly, you may as well add 10 years to your birth date and tattoo it across each finger.
That’s exactly why Dr. Zein Obagi created our 3-step Oraser Anti-Aging Hand Care Program. Take a look at the kit and decide if your situation requires all three products or if you can get away with just coupling two. Who knows, maybe your hands just started showing signs of aging and you only need to use one independently. That’s for you to decide.
Designed to correct the damage that’s already been done and to prevent future damage, the products will make it look like you never experienced that panic-stricken moment of realizing you overlooked your hands. And, it’s never too late to get started. Let’s face it, you can’t get away with gloves year-round.
Donna Queen
AND THE AWARD GOES TO …
Surely you tuned into the 82nd Annual Academy Awards last night and watched Monique, Sandra Bullock, Kathryn Bigelow and the others accept their little gold men. Well, today we’re giving out an entirely different kind of award.
Consider these the ZO Skin Health awards for best performing pores, skin tone and elasticity on the red carpet. Without further ado, we’d like to present the Best Skin at the Oscars.
Best Performance by Fair Skin:
Let’s face it. The fairest of them all have a bigger battle against sun damage. That’s why we tip our hat to Tina Fey for keeping her face, neck and chest, well, much better than just fair.
Get the look: Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30
Best Shine Control:
We’ll let you decide whether or not she shines on stage, but teenager Miley Cyrus’ oily skin often has her shining on the red carpet. And not in a good way. But, not this time around. Kudos for keeping the shine in check, Miley.
Get the look: Offects TE-Pads Acne Pore Treatment
Best Overall Elasticity:
We give this award to the cougar with the loudest meow. Just look at Demi Moore’s arms. If that’s not stellar acting — 40 something arms acting like 20 something arms — than we don’t know what is.
Get the look: Oraser Body Emulsion
Lifetime Achievement for Best Skin:
It takes guts for any woman to sport a plunging neckline. But for a 60-year-old woman to do it? It takes magic. Or one powerful skincare regime. Bravo to Meryl Streep whose flawless skin over the years is the only performance for which she hasn’t been recognized.
Get the look: Ossential Daily Power Defense
Did we leave anyone out? Let us hear whose skin wowed YOU at the Oscars.
Dr. Zein Obagi
For Valentine’s Day–Go Straight for the Wine and Chocolate
For Valentine’s Day this year, skip the hearts and flowers; go straight for the wine and chocolate–they’re rich in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help prevent the damage caused by free radicals, and also help skin tolerate UV exposure and environmental pollutants.
But not all wine and not all chocolate are equally good, so make sure that you get the right stuff.
Chocolate—it’s good for you! Indulge a little.
- Dark chocolate is much richer in anti-oxidants; it has more chocolate liquor and has less sugar. Eat dark chocolate whenever possible–it’s the milk, cream and daily products in milk chocolate that reduce its anti-oxidant value.
- Go for the good stuff. High quality chocolates are generally made from natural ingredients, and contain higher percentages of cacao and less sugar.
- Eat while you enjoy it. It will help reduce stress.
In my clinic, we have a dish of dark chocolates in the front lobby—it’s an ounce of prevention!
Wine—propose a toast to your health!
- Red wine—it doesn’t make any difference if it’s merlot, cabernet or pinot noir—all red wine is rich in anti-oxidants, because the skin and the seeds ferment in the grapes’ juice during the fermentation process.
- Stick to one glass per day—120 calories is plenty. If you have two glasses, you’re getting more calories, not more anti-oxidants.
- Moderate amounts of red wine may help protect against estrogen depletion.
- Sit down and enjoy your wine—especially with a good friend. Reducing stress is good for your heart and for your skin!
Happy Valentine’s Day—it’s a perfect excuse to enjoy some dark chocolate and red wine. Remember, it’s Doctor’s orders! For the other 364 days–be sure to also use skincare products that are rich in anti-oxidants!
Dr. Zein Obagi
Vdara Spa–Check it out
The current issue of Harper’s Bazaar (with Tiger Woods on the cover) has a story on Vdara Hotel and Spa. It’s a beautiful 18,000 sq. ft. spa. But that’s not what I think makes the property extraordinary–in fact, there’s nothing ordinary about Vdara.
- It’s a non-gaming (no casino!), non-smoking hotel and spa—which is highly unusual in Sin City.
- The hotel is entirely “green”–and the spa is the one and only certified green spa in Vegas.
- It’s a part of new City Center complex—the largest privately funded real estate development in the US.
- It was conceived—put on the drawing boards—while Las Vegas was flourishing. Now the whole city is in economic crisis, the real estate market has tanked and tourism is in decline. But the owners didn’t pull back, and try to hide during the recession. They took a gutsy move and opened the resort in November 2009—and by all accounts, it has been met with great reviews.
I’m happy that ZO Skin Health is the #1 brand of skincare sold at the Vdara Spa. My Stimulation Peel is the #1 facial treatment performed at the spa. I was happy to be there on opening day, along with Orlando Bloom and lots of other dignitaries. If you’re in Vegas, check it out—I think you’ll like it.
Dr. Zein Obagi
Tattoos (and Tattoo Removal)
One of the leading online news-magazines (www.msnbc.com, to be exact), had a story yesterday about Hollywood celebrities who have tattoos. What’s especially interesting though, is that that story got more hits than any other story on the homepage—generating more visitors than stories about Iran nuclear weapons, Haitian refuges, and gubernatorial primaries. I guess we all need a break from reality now and then.
So why do people like Penelope Cruz (she has the number 883 tattooed on her leg), Angelina Jolie (she had her Billy Bob tattoo lasered off, and later replaced with a map of the birthplaces of her adopted children) and Pink (too many tattoos to enumerate!) get tattoos?
I live and work in Beverly Hills, but I have no idea.
Some people have tattoos for cosmetic reasons (aka permanent cosmetics), for eyebrows, eyeliner, lips, lipliners. Also, some women have tattoos as part of post-surgical breast reconstruction.
Then again, there are Elvis tattoos, dragons, butterflies, leopards and lizards. For all of those crazy varmints and witchcraft tattoos, 50% of the people who get them later regret it. Luckily, there are several ways of removing them, and which technique a dermatologist uses will depend on the size, position and age of the tattoo.
In my practice I use a QS laser, which breaks up the pigmentation. The body’s scavenger cells then remove the pigmentation, over a period of about 30 days. The lasers cause bleeding, oozing and then crusting, so healing takes about 7 days. Generally, multiple treatments are required—but there’s no way of telling in advance.
After treatments are completed, there will be no residual pigmentation, but a flesh-toned outline of the tattoo will remain. Just a little tint—like in ZO Skin Health’s Oclipse sunscreen—will help even the tone and conceal the outline.
Whereas tattoo parlors are sometimes suspect and of questionable quality, it’s important to work with skilled and trained medical specialists for tattoo removal. Before you get a tattoo, just think about Halle Berry. She had the name of her first husband, David Justice, tattooed on her derriere. After she divorced, she had his name lasered off, and a sunflower tattooed in its place. As she said, “I wish I never had the tattoo in the first place. Clean, clear skin is always better.”
Good point, Halle.
Dr. Zein Obagi
When You Lie About your Age…
There’s a new book called “When You Lie About your Age, the Terrorists Win” (Carol Leifer). It has some funny essays about aging, and one line that I especially appreciated was “at age 45, you’re only called ‘young’ if you drop dead”.While age 50 is “the new 40”, there’s no doubt about the fact that our culture values youth—if not the reality of youth (would you really want to make the same mistakes?), at least the appearance of youth.
But I would go even one step further than that book. Fact is, that at age 30 your skin cells go dormant, become lazy, and slow down cellular turnover and activity. So your skin ages considerably earlier than the rest of your body.
If you want to fight aging, fight hard! Beginning at age 30, be sure to use a skincare product that activates and stimulates your skin cells so that your skin cells regenerate, produce collagen and maintain a youthful appearance. During the daytime, consider a product like ZO Skin Health’s Daily Power Defense. In March, we’ll be introducing ZO Skin Health’s cult-favorite, Radical Night Repair-Plus. Now, it’s better than ever—and very effective at anti-aging. Can’t wait til then? In the nighttime, try ZO Skin Health’s Ossential Growth Factor Serum. Keep those skin cells active and vital!
Dr. Zein Obagi
Take Good Care…
When you’re in debt, a financial advisor will advise how to pay off creditors, based on which debts are most costly and damaging. After you prioritize your credit problems, you can knock them out accordingly. But if you’re concerned about wrinkles, and you know you can’t expect to solve all of your problems overnight, where do you start? Should you avoid sunshine and UV damage, reduce stress, change your diet, quit smoking and/or drinking, use better (or more!) skincare products, eat foods rich in anti-oxidants, take nutriceuticals, stay hydrated, exercise, have more facials? Taking good care of your skin isn’t your only priority, so let’s address the biggest problems and worst offenders, and then face the facts.
* 1 UV exposure. This one is the real culprit of aging. UVB rays cause burning, but UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply, cause wrinkles, loss of elasticity and photoaging. You’re exposed to UVA rays even when you’re inside—about 90% of UVA rays are transmitted through ordinary glass and windshields. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen (like Oclipse SPF 30) every day, and use skincare products high in anti-oxidants.
- 2 Wake up your skin cells. Dormant skin cells exacerbate all of the signs of aging. You need to activate and stimulate them with high concentrations of retinol, which is generally considered the best topical anti-aging ingredient. In fact, scientists recently revealed that retinol (and other Vitamin A derivatives) is the only topical ingredient proven to provide anti-aging benefits.
- 3. Kick the sugar habit. Too much of the sweet stuff—either as sugar or as fructose– is the most common cause of glycation and inflammation. It binds to collagen, weakens it, and then induces sagging and wrinkles. Too much sugar will also reduce skin circulation and damage the texture.
- 4. Stay hydrated. Drinking 8 glasses of water/day is important for digestion, circulation and excretion. For skincare, you need even more than that, especially after reaching age 40. Water helps hydrate the skin (thereby disguising wrinkles), flushes toxins from the skin (reducing acne), reduces dark circles underneath the eyes, and reduces eczema and psoriasis. Water is surely the most readily available, and the cheapest, skincare remedy.
- 5. Huff and puff (but not nicotine!). Cardio-vascular exercise is good for your skin. It improves the circulation and delivers nutrients to the skin. Plus it makes you feel better about yourself, and the radiance shines through.
- 6. Relax. Being divorced, a single parent, employed (or unemployed!), a caregiver for an elderly parent can all increase stress, and that stress can cause or exacerbate a blotchy complexion, blemises, dullness and acne and rosacea flare-ups. It’s impossible to eliminate stress, but you should help reduce it. Find time for yourself, exercise, get 7 hours of sleep a night, enjoy friends, practice yoga—whatever works for you.
- 7. Eat a healthy diet, rich in anti-oxidants and Omega-3’s. It’s the perfect excuse to have an ounce of dark chocolate.
Peels, laser treatments, Botox and fillers may be an option, but they shouldn’t be your first choice. What you do every day, how you treat your skin every night may make medical procedures unnecessary.
Women are great at taking care of others. Now try something else: for the benefit of your skin and your health, take good care of yourself as well.
Dr. Zein Obagi
Facials for Acne
Sometimes, despite your best intentions, at-home care for acne just isn’t enough. Sometimes you need the advice and treatments of an aesthetician or a dermatologist. A facial may be a good idea, but make sure that you’re getting the right kind of facial. Some acne facials can actually make it worse! Here’s what to look for–and what to look out for.
* A good acne facial requires four steps– cleansing, exfoliation, extractions, and sunscreen. The exfoliation can be mechanical ( a good scrub, like ZO’s Exfoliating Polish) or a device such as a crystal-free microdermabrasion. Particle-based microdermabrasion (like aluminum oxide) can inflame acne, nick the skin, spread bacteria and cause contamination.
* Crystal-free microdermabrasion is an effective treatment to rejuvenate skin, shrink pores, and most importantly, stimulate the regeneration of healthy skin cells (via the removal of dead skin cells). Here’s how it works: the dead or damaged top layer of the skin is gently exfoliated, while the dead skin cells are vacuumed away in a sterile, controlled environment. This procedures not only improves extractions, it makes the whole process much easier to tolerate, and less painful. The DiamondTome®, Hydra-Facial®, and DiamondPeel are a few of the devices that utilize a diamond tip wand and avoid particles.
* Steam is relaxing and makes extractions easier, but it’s horrible for your skin, especially if you have acne or rosacea. Because of the fact that steam enlarges the glands, it can actually cause acne.
* Either the Blue LED light or Red LED light can be very valuable. Blue wavelengths are very effective in killing the p-acnes bacteria, the major source of acne. You should see a noticeable reduction in acne lesions 2-3 days after treatment. The wavelength is critical to success. Devices that are purchased over-the-counter are not going to penetrate as deep as devices used by your aesthetician or dermatologist. Red lights reduce inflammation but should be used in conjunction with blue wavelengths.
* Tea-tree masks help tighten pores, reduce oiliness and can be a good addition to an acne facial.
Successful treatment for acne however, starts off at home. Be sure to use a cleanser designed for oily skin, cleanse for at least one minute, use an exfoliating polish, and an anti-bacterial topical. Occasional facials are not a good substitute for proper at-home daily care.
