GENIUS IN A BOTTLE The medics whose state-of-the-art skincare ranges are revolutionising anti-ageing
Want to look as peachy as an A-lister? Now you can sample the expertise of their go-to cosmetic gurus in the comfort of your own bathroom. Beatrice Aidin meets the doctors whose state- of-the-art skincare ranges are revolutionising anti-ageing The frazzle fixer
LONDON-BASED COSMETIC AND DERMATOLOGICAL SURGEON DR LUCA RUSSO SAYS THE KEY TO KEEPING SKIN YOUTHFUL IS SPF.
Dr Luca Russo is as close to evangelical as a dermatologist can be regarding the importance of sun protection, even on cloudy days. ‘Eighty per cent of ageing is due to sun exposure,’ he insists. ‘People don’t apply adequate sun protection. If they did, they wouldn’t have enlarged pores, laxity, wrinkles, pigmentation and change of tone – all signs of sun damage, 97 per cent of which could be prevented with the correct use of SPF 30.’
But given that the sun doesn’t shine that often in winter and, for the most part, SPF can be gloopy and leave you looking ghost-like, it’s easy to see why many of us are tempted to skip it. Dr Russo explains: ‘You should apply a whole tablespoon of SPF 30 to your face first thing in the morning, 15 to 30 minutes before leaving the house. Most people don’t, so just taking the dog for a walk means they are exposing their skin to incidental sun damage before they even start their day.’
To combat the problem, he has created his Dr Russo Skincare SPF 30 Sun Protective Day Cleanser (€56). Used in the morning to wash the face, it works by binding SPF to the skin. ‘ The technology is simple and uses the same principle as hair colour,’ he explains. ‘You apply dye to the hair and it binds; whatever is not needed is rinsed out. Here, the sun protection attaches to proteins on the skin and any excess is washed off.’ For full coverage Dr Russo ➤
➤ recommends following with Dr Russo SPF 30 Sun Protective Day Moisturiser (€112) and, if you want to make sure your hands are protected, too, Dr Russo SPF 20 Sun Protective Day Soap (€26, available from 1 April). By using proper UVA and UVB sun protection daily, Dr Russo says, ‘You can reduce skin damage by 25 per cent.’ drrussoskincare.com
The eye reviver
DR MARYAM ZAMANI, AN OCULOPLASTIC SURGEON AND FACIAL AESTHETIC DOCTOR AT THE CADOGAN CLINIC IN LONDON, HAS AN EYE FOR OPTIMUM SKINCARE. ‘I believe skincare should be like lingerie: you wear it even if no one else is going to see it, and the sensorial experience is as important as its purpose,’ says Dr Zamani. ‘So when I couldn’t find a scientifically precise skincare range fused with a beautiful sensory experience – from texture to packaging – I decided to create one myself.’
The aim of her MZ Skin range is to reveal the clarity of beautiful skin, enhancing its best qualities and protecting it. ‘Even at 90 years old, Queen Elizabeth still has beautiful skin because it is so clear,’ says Dr Zamani. The MZ Skin range consists of eight products. ‘It’s a capsule collection. I wanted to create a range that is as simple, effective and accessible as possible – today our list of obligations is so long that skincare should be straightforward.’
Being an oculoplastic surgeon and facial aesthetic doctor, Dr Zamani receives a lot of visits from patients concerned specifically about the eye area. ‘ The first place you see ageing is around the eyes, with lines, dark circles and puffiness,’ she explains. ‘We blink 20,000 times a day, so the orbicularis oculi – the muscle that opens and closes the eyes – gets a lot of wear. Added to this, the skin around the eyes has the least number of hydrating glands of the face and it is hard to maintain hydration in this area.’ MZ Skin Collagen Activating Eye Complex (€106) contains ceramides and a non-irritating retinol to hydrate the skin, plus bark extract designed to decrease dark circles over time. But for a quick pick-me-up, Dr Zamani recommends applying her Hydra Bright Golden Eye Mask (€76 for five) straight from the fridge, to ‘brighten, rehydrate and firm the skin around the eyes. The effect is a close second to coming to see me,’ she says. harrods.com
The youth booster
COSMETIC DOCTOR BARBARA STURM, WHO HAS CLINICS IN LONDON, DUSSELDORF AND LOS ANGELES, HAS USED HER EXPERTISE IN ORTHOPAEDICS TO PIONEER SKIN REJUVENATION. Flying around the world to see her patients, Dr Sturm has discovered a universal truth. ‘People don’t want sagging skin or wrinkles.’ Today, thankfully, as well as cosmetic interventions there is state- of-the-art skincare, such as Dr Sturm’s Molecular Cosmetics range.
Dr Sturm reveals that she isn’t your average aesthetics practitioner. ‘I never planned a cosmetics line. Before going into the aesthetics business, I helped to pioneer a treatment against osteoarthritis which employed the body’s own proteins. It produced great anti-inflammatory, cell-regenerative effects on the joints using the body’s healing ability. Because skin cells are from the same family as cartilage cells, I knew that they would work in the same way,’ she explains. ‘So I created my range.’
For her Dr Sturm Molecular Cosmetics range she has focused on telomeres, the protective caps at each end of our strands of DNA. ‘ Telomeres degrade and get shorter over the years due to the natural ageing process and external factors such as UV exposure and oxidative stress,’ says Dr Sturm. When the telomeres become too short, the cell either dies or mutates, which can lead to diseases. The aim is to keep regenerating the telomeres. Her answer? ‘ Topical telomerase, in the form of purslane, a very powerful antioxidant that can protect the telomeres and keep them young and healthy on a cellular level.’ Dr Sturm’s skincare range claims to be the only one worldwide to have a telomerase activator among its ingredients and its long-lasting results, she says, are impressive. ‘By using my Hyaluronic Ampoules (€145 for seven), your skin will remain moisturised even after six weeks.’ net- a-porter.com
The radiance revealer
TO FIGHT AGEING, DAVID A COLBERT MD, FOUNDER AND HEAD PHYSICIAN OF THE NEW YORK DERMATOLOGY GROUP, GOES TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER: THE EPIDERMIS. ‘In my clinic, most women patients in their 40s and 50s ask to look younger because they feel younger than they actually are; they are doing the same activities as they were 20 years ago,’ says Dr Colbert. Of course, the same goes for those of us not able to visit him, which is why he has created a three-step home-use range to mimic the results he achieves in his clinic:
exfoliated, nourished and glowing skin. It is a range based on the New York Dermatology Group signature Triad facial, a 45-minute, three-step treatment of microdermabrasion to remove dead skin cells, laser to kick-start collagen production while removing pigmentation, and a gentle chemical peel to reveal fresh bright skin. All topped off with his nourishing Illumino Face Oil. ‘ The home-use range is as similar as you can get to the clinic treatment,’ he advises. ‘By using Colbert MD Tone Control Facial Discs (€88.50 for 20), Stimulate The Serum (€159) and Illumino Face Oil (€130), I guarantee that 98 per cent of people will receive compliments,’ he says. ‘ These three products pack a wallop, and in just one day you will see a dewy glow.’
What sets the Colbert MD range apart? ‘So often skincare products just sit on the top of the skin,’ he says, ‘but the unique Triad delivery system acts like a Trojan horse, tricking the epidermis into allowing active ingredients such as goji berry and coffee-seed extract to penetrate the deepest levels of the dermis, optimising collagen production.’ In turn, ‘this replaces the fibres in the skin, the fabric of the dermis that degrades over time, leading to signs of ageing. To use an analogy, if you have skin fibres similar to a 200 thread- count of cotton, using Colbert MD can take your skin up to an Egyptian cotton thread- count of 2,000. By following my skincare regimen, people can all but replicate the in- clinic experience.’ spacenk.com
The glow getter
SWITZERLAND-BASED DR PHILLIP LEVY BELIEVES THAT STEM CELL RENEWAL WITHIN THE SKIN IS THE KEY TO LOOKING YOUTHFUL.
Despite the fact that he is the number one practitioner of Botox in Switzerland, Dr Phillip Levy believes that stem cells are crucial when it comes to rejuvenating the quality of the skin. ‘Whether I am using Botox, fillers, skin treatments or all of them, although they deliver magical results, treating the skin from within is important as well because it promotes qualities such as radiance, glow and plumpness, which reflect your vitality.’
So what are stem cells? ‘ They are the mother cells of each of our organs and tissues,’ Dr Levy explains. ‘We are born with them and they regenerate themselves continuously during our lifetime. However, as we age, stem cells become tired and worn out.’
Dr Levy points out that each organ in the body has its own specialised stem cells that work differently and react to different types of stimulation and ingredients. And our skin – the body’s largest organ – is no exception. Hence the huge flurry of excitement back in December 2000 when dermal stem cell reservoirs were discovered. These, says Dr Levy, ‘opened the way to finding the most powerful skin-tightening, anti-ageing stimulation because they are the mother cells of the fibroblasts, which produce collagen – the most important protein to have in a high quantity and quality for firm, young and healthy-looking skin.’
Purporting to be the first proven topical product range to stimulate dermal stem cells, the key active ingredient in Dr Levy Switzerland skincare is ArganCellActiv, an anti-ageing complex sourced from the extracts of stem cells of the roots of the argan tree. ‘ This ingredient is the Usain Bolt of dermal stem cell stimulators,’ says Dr Levy, ‘and has been shown to increase stem cell renewal by up to 80 per cent in laboratory studies. Stimulating stem cells provides a wake-up call to help them rediscover their youthful dynamism.’ He recommends starting with the Booster Serum (€330) and Eye Booster Concentrate (€195).
Isn’t this too good to be true? Not according to Dr Levy. ‘Stem cells are like a time machine,’ he says. ‘ They not only remember their youth, but they can actually go back in time.’ cultbeauty.co.uk