By: Felicia Munion, CEO and Co-Founder of Arizona Facial Plastics
Summer can be a rough time for your skin—you are out there playing hard, sweating, and enjoying the sunny days. The intense Arizona heat can also trap pollution, smoke, and debris from wildfires. All these factors can contribute to irritated skin that looks less than its best.
The last thing you need are products that add to your irritation instead of helping you maintain glowing, youthful, and vibrant skin. When you are adding products to your skin-care routine, there are ingredients to avoid and some to be sure to look for. Here is a quick and easy list to help you keep your skin on track all summer long!
Ingredients to avoid:
- Propylene glycol – It causes chemical irritation, dissolving natural skin lipids and disrupting the moisture barrier. It can also cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), especially on sensitive or compromised skin.
- Fragrance – This is the most common cause of ACD from skin care products. Linalool (a widely used fragrance ingredient) oxides cause ACD in 5-7% of the population. Limonene (another fragrance ingredient) and its oxides are also potent sensitizers in more than 3% of the population.
- Kathon – This is a cytotoxic allergen. This should be avoided at all costs! It is often shown on a cosmetic label as Methylchloroisothiazolinone and it is a preservative that kills bacteria, mold and yeast.
- Parabens – They can cause ACD in patients with barrier compromised skin. There is evidence that Methylparaben can be converted into a toxic reactive oxygen species on exposure to UV light, leading to skin aging.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) – A powerful skin irritant, used as an irritation-causing standard for testing anti-inflammatory agents. It is such a good detergent it can remove natural skin lipids and dry out the skin.
Ingredients to look for:
- Retinoids – Best-proven anti-aging ingredient
- Tocopherol (vitamin E alcohol) – Among the most powerful oil-soluble antioxidants
- Idebenone – A powerful antioxidant that supplements Vitamins C and E
- Caffeine – Used as an antioxidant, anti-puffiness, and anti-cellulite agent
- Sulfur – Fabulous keratolytic, anti-infective and antioxidant
Arizona Facial Plastics offers a wide range of aesthetic procedures and treatments as the leading full-service facial-plastics and medical aesthetics practice in Phoenix. They also have their own line of medical-grade products available at arizonafacialproducts.com.
New patients get a free skin consultation to learn more about their skin – from volume loss, tone, texture, wrinkles, and more.
Visit www.arizonafacialplastics.com or call 480-296-0488 to schedule an appointment.
