By Natalie Ledbetter CRNA, DAcOM
There are so many lotions and potions available these days that claim to make you look younger, less wrinkled, and more refreshed. How can you tell which ones actually do what they claim? Are the super pricey items worth it?
Well, I have tried many anti-aging creams since it is my job to help people look and feel their very best. I tried the cheap brands and the expensive brands and what I have finally settled on for myself is that I choose to use medical grade skin care products.
Medical grade products must do testing and prove that the claims they make are true. They are able to use a much higher concentration of actives than non-medical grade products since they are required to be tested and must prove their effectiveness. To purchase medical grade skin care products, the clinic must have a medical director. If there are any side effects from the larger doses of active ingredients, a physician is available to assess your skin.
My favorite medical grade anti-aging cream of all time is TNS Advanced Serum. I started using TNS 10 years ago when I first started noticing wrinkles. My skin went from good to dull, lifeless, and crepey almost overnight. My pores were huge! I went to a medspa and they did an assessment of my skin and performed a microdermabrasion. They also put me on a medical grade skin care line and told me I should start using Botox. At the time, I was not sure about Botox so I just went with the skin care including the TNS and a retinol.
My skin improved so much in only a few weeks! I was pretty happy and kept using the TNS and retinol until a couple years later when we moved, I ran out and I didn’t know where to go in Austin to get more. My skin started looking dull again and I was noticing so many lines!
About that time, my husband and I opened a medspa and I started getting Botox and began using great skin care products again. Oh wow!! What a difference that made. I really believe that Botox, retinoic acid, and TNS serum combined helped me look at least 5 years younger within a few months.
Now I have done other skin procedures such as microneedling with radio frequency, fillers, and threads and I feel I look 10 years younger now in my 50s than I did in my 40s. If I had to choose only one skin care product (God forbid!) I have to say that I would choose the new TNS Advanced Serum. I would miss my retinoid so much!! I can’t imagine NOT using a retinoid, but if I could seriously choose only 1, TNS would win because it contains over 90% human derived growth factors. This is at least 40% more than the next leading growth factor product on the market in the US, which is what makes it my favorite anti-aging cream.
As we age, the levels of growth factors in our own skin naturally decline and the number of receptors decline. Left to its own devices, our skin decreases in the ability to produce collagen and to repair our skin cells. The growth factors help speed up healing and collagen production as well as increasing skin cell production. This helps thicken the skin, getting rid of the crepiness and fine lines, and softens wrinkles.
There are many great products out there that can help you care for your skin. If you had to pick just one to start with, SkinMedica TNS Advanced + Serum is where I would start. We have TNS at all 4 of our Austin area locations so give us a call and we can set one aside for you.
Here is another blog about TNS:My Favorite Medical-Grade Skincare Products
Here is another blog about SkinMedica products:http://alongevity.com/tns-essential-serum-review/