Page 22 - Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture Booklet

Cosmeceutical Products

With a plethora of skin-care products on the
market, it can be a challenge to navigate
through them in order to identify those
necessary to include in an effective anti-
aging strategy.

In answer to this challenge, The Skin,
Health, and Beauty Pyramid system of skin-
care was advanced to serve as a guideline
for the use of dermatological professionals
when advising their patients.

The pyramid, which is based upon a
database of extensive research, serves to
prioritize and outline the goals of an
effective skin-care program and identifies
specific agents necessary in order to protect
and rejuvenate skin.

As can be seen, the most important and effective measures to undertake, located at the
base, involve the use of preventative sunscreen, antioxidant and repair enzyme
preparations. Such a combination of agents is necessary because no single formulation
can provide the full gamut of protection and/or repair functions on its own.

SPF formulations protect against damage from sunlight, the primary environmental
stressor responsible for the aging of skin. Even when used properly, however, they are
not completely effective and offer lesser degrees of protection from UVA induced
damage and no protection from other environmental stressors. For these reasons, a second
line of defence, in the form of antioxidants is necessary.

These agents serve to scavenge the damaging free radical products of solar, as well as
pollutant,exposure and happen to be most effective when administered through a
combination of both oral and topical channels.*

A last line of defence is offered by DNA repair enzymes. These agents are relative
newcomers to the market and represent the leading edge of anti-aging skin-care products.
They work by helping to facilitate the natural ability of cells to repair free radical and UV

* 2007 Beneficial long-term effects of combined oral/topical antioxidant treatment with the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin
on human skin: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.