ZO Skin Health
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.
ZO Skin Health
If you follow all the rules, you miss all of the fun.
I like that expression–”if you follow all of the rules, you miss all the fun”. To a certain extent, that’s the way I’ve lived my life.
So I like it when people do their research, follow package directions, but ultimately–change things a little and do what’s right for them. Sometimes, when it comes to skin care, I learn a lot from those people.
That was the case with a blog that came to my attention–from Diva Debbi. On her blog, she rated Oraser Daily Hand Repair as “one of 2009′s Top Beauty Faves”. That was nice, but it’s even more interesting what she said about it. She said:
ZO Skin Health’s Oraser Daily Hand Repair is part of a trio of hand repair products. Despite wasting the SPF 20 while I sleep, the day version is richer and more emollient than the night, so I use this one twice a day. Packed with retinol, vitamins and anti-oxidants, this hand cream truly lifts away dark spots, plumps wrinkles, improves elasticity and softens cuticles. Nothing gives your age away faster than old looking hands. Worth every cent of the 6500 pennies it costs…and yes, I’ve contemplated using it on my face…many times.
Wearing a hand repair lotion on your face? I’ve reviewed the formula, and it does contain good anti-aging ingredients that would work well for your face. I personally prefer SPF’s of at least 30, though, for your face. But darn, you’re right… I’m glad that you’re an independent thinker and realize that a day hand cream can work perfectly well at night. It will even work for your face (provided it’s not too heavy!) There’s nothing in the formula that would cause any contraindication.
ZO Skin Health
If you want to look younger, hold up your hands.
At about age 35, your hands begin to make you look older. Then, wham! Wrinkles, age spots, loss of elasticity, protruding veins.
In fact, 68% of women claim that their hands make them look at least 10 years older (if you’re in the 32%, you don’t need to read any further).
So why do most hand lotions fall short?
Tip: As we get older, the skin on our hands begins to thin. Because there’s so little fat and muscle in our hands, the bones, wrinkles, veins all begin to show. You need to thicken the skin on your hands—and retinol is the best ingredient for that. Retinol is the only ingredient proven to work on intrinsic (not environmental) damage. So why don’t most companies put in retinol? It’s expensive.
Tip: Your hands are covered with up to 30 layers of dead skin—called the stratum corneum. Occasionally you need to exfoliate all of this dead skin so that the active ingredients can penetrate the epidermis, and to make your hands soft and smooth. At least once a week use a good scrub to polish your hands. Try the ZO Skin Health™ Oraser™ Microderm Hand Renewal, or mix sea salts in an acidic base (like lemon juice).
Tip: Fragrances like “peppermint kiss” may be nice for your nose, but don’t do a darn thing for your hands. Look for ingredients that really mean something—like:
- Shea butter (it moisturizes and protects, and is particularly beneficial for sun-exposed skin).
- Retinol (it boosts cellular turnover and reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles, plus it reduces hyperpigmentation—aka sun spots)
- Sunscreen with an SPF15+. UV rays are your skin’s worst enemy. Wear it every day!
That’s what we mean by “no frou-frou skin care.” Our anti-aging hand lotions aren’t loaded with the namby-pamby stuff. Just high concentrations of active ingredients.
One woman that I spoke with told me that she doesn’t worry about how old her hands look—she just sits on them! She meant to be funny, but hands that make you look older are no joke.
