I have had my head in clinical papers all day as I try to work out whether to get all excited about a couple of new product launches that are making headlines at the moment. One is from Nu Skin who’s new and improved range talks about how it works on gene expression  to reduce the signs of ageing and secondly there is the new range from Proctor and Gamble.  I am going to tackle the Nu Skin research later this week but for now, what is going down at P&G?

Proctor and Gamble have just launched Pro X with the tag-line “Potent. Proven. Professional“  that has been proven to work as well as Tretinoin ( a brand name for a vitamin A derivative) for improving the appearance of facial wrinkles.  One product is a cosmetic, the other a prescription medicine.

So I guess it would be rude not to have a better look (picture sourced from Media Post Publications)

Potent.

Well it’s a great word but what does that mean in the skin care sense?  For an ingredient to be potent in the formulation it would have to be used at concentrations high enough to give a measured effect.   It is normal  for  ingredient manufacturers to test their actives in laboratory trials on fake skin or other media to see if they have an effect – in vitro testing.  They may even carry out panel testing (in-vivo) to see if there is a visible effect with the ingredient.  Companies such as Proctor and Gamble would use this data to help select ingredients. They would probably then carry out their own tests to make sure it does what it says it does as nobody’s data is as good as your own.

The Potent ingredients in this new range are:

When in comes to a winter bath some might say the hotter the better – it isn’t worth doing if you don’t come out sweating!  While others like nothing better than a body-temperature esque 40C or so to soothe away the stress of the day. But what is best from a skin care perspective?  Are we doing ourselves more harm than good by sweating it out or are we missing one of life’s simple pleasures by going cold-turkey?  Let’s look at the science.

Our body sits at a rather cozy and oh-so-constant (unless sick) 37 ish C on the inside while the outside can get as cold as 6C or as warm as 37C depending on where we are, what we are doing and how long we do it for.   It is important for our insides to remain at a constant temperature as this provides the optimum environment for our organs to work, blood to flow and water to be managed. Our bodies are constantly trying to keep things in balance – the term for this is homeostasis.

Our outside is a different story! If you think about it, it is important for us to ‘feel’ cold or warm on the outside so that we can make the environmental changes needed to help our insides in regulating temperature. Our skin has many nerve cells running through it to pick up on heat and cold as well as other stimuli.

But does a hot bath do damage?

A number of scientific studies have shown skin to become more permeable (the ease of which things can pass through) to water as the temperature rises (here is a study that is free to view). This would lead me to believe that as the bath temperature increases, your skin temperature increases and therefore the permeability of the skin increases.  If your skin is more open to sucking in water at higher temperatures it would probably mean that it would go wrinkly quicker in hot water than cold – what a great experiment to do at home! 

Introducing the Adorn Perfect Finish Mineral Setting Powder - close-up & camera ready flawless skin finish!

Perfect for brides….The Adorn Perfect Finish Mineral Setting Powder’s multi-tasking formula helps keep skin looking balanced as it naturally absorbs excess oils (without drying the skin), and offers a gorgeous mattifying shine.

This high performance, sheer, loose mineral powder invisibly conceals imperfections for that perfect, camera-ready finish on your wedding day.  It is suitable for all types and shades of skin providing a shine-free, colourless finish and is perfect for high-humidity conditions.

This all natural, Australian made, versatile powder can be used alone or with other Adorn Mineral Products such as the ‘Porefect & Protect’ Liquid, loose or cream foundations and applied over your eyelids, it locks down your make-up offering all day, crease-free beautiful eyes!  For maximum long lasting effect use a finger or a flat powder puff instead of a brush.  A must in any brides touch-up make-up kit!

Contact Adorn now and order your ‘Perfect Finish’ magic minerals and you will receive a Free bridal make-up trial with one of our leading make-up artists.

(Applies to Melbourne brides only with purchases made over January and February 2010)

Tips for the lips:

Eyelluring looks:

Scott Barnes, renowned makeup artist, who is the man behind Jennifer Lopez's iconic look has a new book out called About Face.  Scott reveals his techniques and tips on how to create beautiful looks for women of all skin tones, textures, and ages.

Here are some of his tips:

What's the best makeup look for Spring?

Almost ice-cream pale shades. If you're going to do eye shadow, it should be soft, and blushes should be really soft, too. It's a time of rebirth, so I say, "You know what? Let's look fresh."

What’s the best way for a woman who has minimal time to incorporate some of your principles into her daily makeup application?

There's a chapter in the book, with a woman named Linda, that's about exactly that. I always tell people that at minimum, the easiest way to pull your look together is by curling your eyelashes, then applying a beautiful mascara — I like Cover Girl. Use eye drops to really brighten up your eyes; one of my favorite brands in the world is Naphcon-A because they last up to 12 hours and they're lubricating, so they don't dry out your eyes like a Visine does. Then, throw on a lip gloss.

What are your tricks for getting a great eyelash curl?

Cosmetic Surgery - Is it for You?

Would you ever do it? 

Have you thought about it but are not sure and have questions?  Stylescene was privileged to have access to Dr. Kourosh Tavakol, who has answered our probing questions.

Q1: If I was wanting to have botox treatments, how would I know the best place to go.  Do I see a beautician or a cosmetic surgeon or a dermatologist?  Should they have qualifications?
Do your research and look for a clinic that is under a supervision of a Plastic Surgeon. The person injecting should have at least 12 months experience in Injectables.



Q2: What is an estimated price for a facelift for someone in their 40s and what is the recovery time?
Price all up is around $12,000. The recovery for a short scar facelift is about 2 weeks.



Q3: What is the best way to find a good cosmetic surgeon and what qualifications should he/she have.
In my opinion its best to locate a Plastic Surgeon who specialises in Cosmetic surgery, namely a Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon. Doctors that refer to themselves as Cosmetic Surgeon tend to be inadequately qualified and in most instances are mere general practitioners.
 

Thank you to our readers who asked the questions and a big thank you to Dr. Tavakoli for providing us with the answers.

Dr. Tavakoli is a fully qualified Australian trained Plastic Surgeon specialising in Cosmetic Surgery. He is a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and Australian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons - the societies affiliated and recognised by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons for Plastic Surgeons. The most popular cosmetic operations performed by Dr Tavakoli in the past 12 months are: ·    Breast Augmentation ·    Rhinoplasty ·    Short Scar Facelift ·    Labioplasty ·    Post Pregnancy Makeover: Tummy tuck, breast lift ·    Liposculpture ·    Gynaecomastia ·    Pectoral Implants ·    Ears, Facial implants, Buccal fat pad removal Visit Dr. Tavakoli's website here:  www.drtavakoli.com.au