The world of medical grade skincare products can be an intimidating place. There are so many brands that claim all kinds of results, with wildly different prices and promises about their efficacy. That’s before even knowing what’s right for your skin, as everyone is so different.
Unfortunately, this confusion can lead you to waste your hard-earned cash on products that do nothing for you or worse, actually have a negative impact on your skin. To cut through some of this confusion, I thought I’d clear up a few myths for you…
Let’s Look At Some Medical Grade Skincare Myths
I’m going to take you through four common skincare myths to make sure you don’t fall for them!
Myth 1 – ‘Medical grade’, ‘professional’ and ‘clinical’ are regulated terms
Nope! These words are up for grabs, which I think can be a really confusing thing for consumers. They carry the implication that these products are superior and scientifically proven to work, but that’s not necessarily true. Don’t let this kind of wording trick you into thinking you’ve found something that’s guaranteed to work.
Myth 2 – Medical grade skincare ingredients are a higher quality
It’s easy to believe that expensive products, using the aforementioned unregulated words and phrases, must be using fabulous ingredients. Another myth! There’s no guarantee that they contain any higher quality ingredients or more actives than high street brands.
Myth 3 – Medical grade brands are required to test their efficacy
You might think that medical grade skincare products need to be tested to show that they actually work but this isn’t true either. There’s no requirement for regulated ingredients such as salicylic acid to prove their efficacy. The only rule is that the manufacturer details the strength of the active, not whether or not it works!
Myth 4 – Medical grade brands are rigorously lab tested for safety
Ok, for me, this is where things get a bit scary. All of these skincare products do need to go through three rounds of checks; microbiological, stability and challenge testing. The issue is that the last two of these aren’t necessarily done in a lab. They can be done in-house by any suitably qualified employee. This means that the results may not be unbiased!
How I Choose Products
Sorry if I’ve scared you a bit with all of those myths, but I think that it’s important for you to be well informed. I also want everyone to be comfortable in their own skin, without spending too much or having to try hundreds of products until you find what’s right for you. So, here’s how I choose the products that I use and recommend.
Compare – A lot of medical grade skincare products are very similar to each other, despite what their marketing may have you believe. This means that it is incredibly important to judge each on its own merit, NOT by the brand.
Research – I don’t accept product claims as facts until I’ve got some evidence. I want to know the clinical trials they have been through and then I critically evaluate these before accepting anything.
Check the cost – I’m not going to choose products that I don’t believe are priced reasonably. This is because once you’ve got your routine sorted, you’re likely to keep it pretty much the same. I don’t see the point in finding the ideal fit for someone if it’ll only be affordable for a month.
Get a bit cheeky – Once I’ve gone through the above I like to get a bit cheeky and ask for some freebies. I want to be able to test the product myself before I endorse it!
Doing all the above takes a lot of time and effort, it’s easier if you have experience and are knowledgeable about skincare products in general but I know that isn’t the boat everyone’s in. I appreciate that most people will not be able to do this but don’t worry, that’s why I’m here!
I’ve curated a collection of products that I truly believe in and I have them all in one place for you to browse…
Shop Our Collection
To get your hands on high quality, reasonably priced and effective products just head over to my online store! After any of our treatments, we’ll always give you advice on what skincare products to choose to maintain your results. Of course, if you have any questions, you can always pop back into the clinic or give us a call on 07595221484.