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Professional Grade Skin Care Products vs. Over the Counter Products

Beautiful saleswomen, bright lights and awesome packaging bedazzle us as we walk through department stores seeking cosmetics and skin care products. This is big business. Statistics say that one out of three woman stop, use a tester, listen to a sales pitch or spritz an elegant fragrance onto their wrist. Because this is such a big billon dollar business, department stores plop the cosmetics right smack dab in the middle of the store so you can't miss it.

Over-the-counter products (OTC's) are one of the largest industries in the world. Companies like Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clinique, Chanel and others are making a killing on these products. The question is, is it all hype and glitz or is that eye cream at $90 for a 1/2 ounce jar really that good. Such companies produce products containing all the latest ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids and anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C but will not disclose the percentages of such ingredients. This is because these products must be benign enough for the average user to tolerate. They must not cause irritation in the most sensitive of skin types. If a consumer purchases a glycolic acid product in a department store, they may or may not be instructed on its proper use. They may or may not be assessed as to the correct product for their skin type. As a result they also may or may not get satisfactory results from its use. This is because such products are buffered down to a neutrality level that a newborn baby could tolerate. In addition, because of the mass production of such lines, literally thousands of a single cream can sit in a warehouse for a year or more before it reaches the retail shelf and is sold to the retail consumer. The consumer will then take the cream home and keep it for 6 months to a year or longer before it is used up. This adds up to the fact that most products you purchase over-the-counter are aged, neutralized, heavily preserved and, as a result, stand a good chance of being less effective than professional products.

This is where the professional esthetician and well- trained sales staff can play an important role in helping to improve and/or clear up skin problems. We teach our clients about the enhancing benefits of product ingredients and guide you to products that work with your skin type and particular skin problems.

The FDA requires that manufacturers list the product's active ingredients first and then other ingredients thereafter. It also requires that ingredients be listed in order of their amounts in the product. However, with OTC's they are not required to list product efficacy (i.e. 10% AHA glycolic at 3.4 pH) which to a professional would tell them qualitatively its' effectiveness, not quantitatively. The label may just read, "XYZ Moisturizer with Alpha Hydroxy." Just how good is it? It's anyone's guess.

OTC's, especially those found in better department stores are far more expensive than professional "cosmeceuticals". The fancy packaging, primetime television advertising, magazine full page ads and high rent has to be recuperated somehow by these companies. OTC's in health stores are often "suspect" because, they too, are not required to list their efficacy, yet you do not typically overpay for these products. Health stores are an easy target for savvy businesspeople with an idea, low capital, and a "copy cat" approach to anti-aging with little science behind them.

Not all OTC's are of lesser quality than professional products. There are some truly fine ones out there. But how do you know? Can you get scientific data on the product line? Has the sales person been trained to assess your skin to be able to tell you if this is the best product for your type? And will they accept an exchange for an opened jar of cream that you say "broke you out"?

Final Cut offers skin care consultations by skilled estheticians and a sales staff that will steer you towards the right products for your particular needs. We will also exchange a product for another one until we find the right product for you. What we offer is conscious skin care for an educated consumer.

972-580-8473                      5477 N. MacArthur, Irving TX  75038