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Lucire Living 2003

Two research scientists lead the way in the next generation of anti-ageing skin care, writes M. K. Johnson

IMAGES BY BLUE HERON MEDIA

 


Fur Is Dead

 

 

The Perricone Prescription: click here to buy

TOP LEFT: The Perricone line. ABOVE: Dr Nicholas Perricone’s well-known The Perricone Prescription.

 

 

Two leaders in skin care technology are Dr Loren Pickart, a biochemist, and Dr N. V. Perricone, the latest dermatologist to launch his own line of anti-ageing skin care. Their approaches and marketing are vastly different

HE LATEST NAME of the game is inflammation when it comes to treating and preventing the signs of ageing. Inflammation, from the surface of the skin to the cellular level, is being scrutinized not only for leading to physical signs of ageing, but also for leading to degenerative diseases like diabetes. Two of the most prominent leaders in this area of skin care technology are Dr Loren Pickart, a biochemist, and Dr N. V. Perricone, the latest dermato­logist to launch his own line of anti-ageing skin care. Both scientists hold numerous patents on highly effective and sought-after skin care technology. Their approaches and marketing, however, are vastly different.

Dr N. V. Perricone
DR PERRICONE, graduate of Michigan State University and chairman of the prestigious annual International Symposium on Ageing Skin, is the author of the best-selling books, The Wrinkle Cure and The Perricone Prescription, as well as the accompanying journal, The Perricone Prescription Personal Journal: Your Total Body and Face Rejuvenation Daybook. He’s been featured on talk shows, PBS and the Style Network, among many other venues.
   Perricone’s approach to ageing skin begins with diet and nutrition, then leads to powerful topical applications that reinforce the potent antioxidants recommended in his diet plan. The cornerstones of his plan—alpha lipoic acid, Vitamin C Ester (not to be confused with the trademarked Ester-C Vitamin C salt) and DMAE (dimethylamino­ethonal, a popular “brain-boosting” supplement found in salmon), precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that Perricone suggests—could act, even topically, as a firming agent to the skin.
   The benefits of fat or lipid-soluble Vitamin C is the ability to use a base that’s neutral in pH, non-acidic, thus, non-irritating and non-stinging. Solubility enables this form of Vitamin C to reach the surface of the skin rapidly in amounts greater than can be achieved by water soluble Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid).
   Alpha lipoic acid, touted as one of the most potent antioxidants available, is both water- and lipid-soluble. It’s gentle yet powerful—400 times more potent an antioxidant than Vitamins C or E. It’s present naturally in the skin and aids in exfoliation.
   Perricone’s “inside-out” approach to ageing has led to his line not only including a highly popular, prestigiously priced skin care line, but also a line of supporting antioxidant supplements and a new weight-management supplement programme. His supplements include the most potent ingredients in his skin care line, alpha lipoic acid, DMAE, and Vitamin C Ester.
   The supplement line also includes:

  • coenzyme Q10 (US$49);
  • conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a good source of a beneficial fatty acids with the potential to positively affect skin and total body health (US$34);
  • GLA, a combination of omega-6 and borage oil. Omega-6 contains a proprietary blend of oils of omega-6 poly­unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Borage oil is the richest source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Together, omega-6 and borage oil help to soften the skin while preventing excess drying (US$25);
  • L-Carnitine Fumarate, which provides a stable and highly bio-available form of carnitine, a vitamin-like compound that can help improve the utilization of fats as an energy source within the skin and other types of tissues (US$32);
  • L-Tyrosine, a nonessential amino acid (protein building-block). Tyrosine is important to the structure of almost all proteins in the body. L-Tyrosine through its effects on neurotransmitters may positively affect several health conditions (US$25);
  • omega-3 fatty acids, which provide a special blend of EPA and DHA, in a marine liquid concentrate combined with Vitamin E as mixed tocotrienols (US$28).

   While the firming and refining action of his topical products is well documented, in a Johnson & Johnson Skin Research Study, among others, the price of his products remains quite prohibitive. Perri­cone’s Alpha Lipoic Acid Face Firming Activator with DMAE costs US$95 and the accompanying evening product, Vitamin C Ester Concentrated Restorative Cream with DMAE, is US$90. The eye care pair—Alpha Lipoic Acid Eye Area Therapy with DMAE, and Vitamin C Ester Eye Area Therapy with DMAE, which you use together, are US$45 each. Perricone has strategically marketed his skin care line to high-end retailers such as Nordstrom and Sephora and making high-potency versions of his products available to dermatologists. His patents on the topical use of DMAE, Vitamin C Ester and their combinations make it a daunting proposition for competitors to market similar products (though it has been done).

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