The Lumixyl Experiment.

I have been dealing with hyperpigmentation for years. As I get older, it inevitably gets worse. Much worse. I actually went to the dermatologist recently and have a prescription, for which I have yet to fill. Why not? First off, I am hesitant to use it with its' high concentration of hydroquinone. Don't get me wrong, if all else fails, I will try it. Second, I just read about this new hydroquinone alternative called Lumixyl, and I want to give it a try first.

Lumixyl is a brand new skin brightening cream that claims to be non-irritating. It contains a newly found synthetic peptide technology that has been helping to improve the appearance of unwanted discoloration, age spots, sun spots and uneven skin tone.

Developed by dermatological researchers at Stanford University, Lumixyl's ground-breaking technology is the only peptide shown to measurably promote healthy skin function in restraining tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for initiating the overproduction of melanin, that can cause uneven pigmentation and dark spots.

The studies have proven that Lumixyl has been very successful in improving hyperpigmentation. From everything I have read, I have decided that Lumixyl deserves a good try, as I said. I am going to chronicle my experience here, with photos of my forehead, where I have the worst sun damage. Every week or so, I will update on my "Lumixyl Experiment" so you can hear and see how it is working for me.

I do have a lot of freckle, and I never expect them to disappear. It is the more blotchy areas, that are like patches of molted together freckles. Those are the areas where I really hope to see improvement.

Lumixyl is only available through a dermatologist or physician for $120 for 1 oz.

*I received a press sample of this product.


Defy Your Age Beauty Award Winners and a Chance to Win Them Yourself!

Prevention magazine put the leading anti-aging beauty products to the test again this year and found seven products deserving of the “Defy Your Age” seal, including Olay ProX Age Repair Lotion, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream and Estée Lauder Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment.

To determine the winners, Prevention enlisted seven leading dermatologists to test the claims of the 35 most promising products of the year on a group of 175 women, ages 40-plus, for a period of up to eight weeks. The doctors then employed state-of-the-art equipment to measure which products best delivered on their claims using before and after skin analysis. The teams investigated seven categories of products including hand, eye and night creams; lip, adult acne and microdermabrasion treatments; and day lotions with SPF. This year’s winners are all available for less than $50.

 

Check out the winners below and see how you can win the goodie bag containing these beauties!

  • Best Day Lotion with SPF: Olay ProX Age Repair Lotion SPF 30

This lotion contains two powerful peptides that work to smooth fine lines and firm skin by speeding the production of new collagen. ($42; drugstores)

  • Best Night Cream: Roc Multi-Correxion Night Treatment

Includes multitasking ingredients like retinol and vitamin C, which smooth and firm skin and lighten discoloration. ($25; drugstores)

  • Best Lip Treatment: Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge La Base Revitalizing Lip Treatment SPF 10

Contains Pro-Xylane, a sugar molecule that boosts production of collagen and skin’s built-in moisturizers to plump lips and diminish fine lines. ($29; lancome-usa.com)

  • Best Microdermabrasion Treatment: Estée Lauder Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment

This skin polisher instantly boosts brightness, decreases pore size and smoothes skin thanks to salicylic acid, glucosamine and a blend of spherical beads. ($49.50; esteelauder.com)

  • Adult Acne Treatment: Avon Clearskin Professional Acne Treatment System

Unlike teenagers’ treatments, this trio of products—a scrub, a toner, and an oil-free lotion—contains humectants that soften and smooth. ($34; avon.com)

  • Hand Cream: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream SPF 30

This cream smoothes fine lines and keeps hands soft with heavy-duty humectants and emollients; potent UV protection helps stave off future damage. ($6; drugstores)

  • Eye Cream: Skin Effects by Dr. Jeffrey Dover Cell 2 Cell Anti-Aging Eye Treatment

Made with hyaluronic acid, peptides and dermaxyl (a nonirritating synthetic retinoid), this cream decreases wrinkles, brown spots, and under eye darkness. ($15; CVS pharmacy)

A feature on the award winners, why they work and how to use them for best results can be found in the current issue of Prevention, on sale now or at http://www.prevention.com/beautyawards2009.

Now, Prevention Magazine has offered up one lucky Beautiful Makeup Search reader the goodie bag which contains a sampling of the winning products and some other fun goodies. To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me your biggest anti-aging concern you have and why. One winner will be chosen at random to receive the prize, valued at over $200. This giveaway is open to US residents aged 18 years and older only. One entry per e-mail address, only please. Multiple entries will be discarded The deadline to leave a comment on this post is Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 11:59 P.M. One comment will be randomly selected and the winner will be notified by e-mail on Monday, August 10th.

Talk About Restorative; These are Super Restorative.

There comes a point in life where skin needs a bit of extra help. I have been at "that time" for some time now. Even if you are not at the time when your skin is in continual need of extra help, a weekly or monthly skin re-charge is always in order.

I have been re-charging my face and neck a few days a week with this great Super Restorative combo from Clarins. What a delightful re-charge it has been.

First, I use the Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask. It is a thick, rich creamy white cream mask that hydrates and tightens my skin, while even-ing out my skin tone. It can be come quite addicting, especially when you feel skin needs an extra pick me up. Which for me, is like I said, a few times a week.

I follow up the mask with this wonderful Super Restorative Wake-Up Lotion. This is a thicker toner-like liquid that is meant to be splashed over the face, though I like to apply it and gently swipe away impurities by using it on a cotton pad. It is a perfect compliment to the mask as it further wakes up the skin and makes it appear even more fresh. This lotion can be used in place of toner everyday, but I find it best as a follow up to the mask, for a mini-facial, if you will.

Both of these Restorative beauties are available at Clarins counters as well as their Clarins.com.

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