Miniature muses…Skin Laboratory has a Salicylic Acid Peel (okay to put on your face). Dr. Scholl’s has a Liquid Corn and Callus Remover (not okay to put on your face). Obviously, both have a high amount of Salicylic Acid, but other than that, I was curious to know which ingredients make the first alright to put on your face, and the second a serious mistake. Any ideas?

The Right Brain responds:

Here are the ingredients for the two products in question:

Skin Laboratory Salicylic Acid Peel ingredients

Salicylic Acid (20%), Propylene Glycol, Denatured alcohol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth 7.

Dr. Scholl’s Liquid Corn and Callus Remover ingredients

Salicylic Acid (17% w/w), Castor (Ricinus Communis) Seed Oil, Ethyl Lactate, Flexible Collodion, Polybutene, Alcohol (18% v/v), Ether (53% v/v from flexible collodion)

You’re right in that both look similar in the salicylic acid concentration. But the big difference is in how the products are intended to be used. The Skin Laboratories product is designed to be spread all over your face; the Dr. Scholl’s is designed as a spot treatment for a callus or corn on your foot. That’s where the “Collodion” ingredient comes in.

Callus concern

Collodion is a polymer that forms a very tough, flexible film on your skin. That’s perfect when you want to seal an active ingredient into the skin in a very localized area, like on a callus. The film keeps the active ingredient concentrated on the very tough, dead skin of the callus.

That’s NOT a good idea when you want to treat breakouts all over your face. The film could cause the agburn the more delicate skin of the face. Plus, the film would sort of feel like wearing a bandage on your face. (Also all that alcohol and ether isn’t ideal for a facial product. I can imagine you passing out after applying to much ether so close to your nose. LOL.)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Even though it may not be apparent to the casual reader, there is a very good reason why the Scholl’s product should only be used as directed: on the feet!

Image credit: Electech.co.uk

Beaners is bothered…I’ve looked everywhere for an answer to this, but can’t seem to find one! Given that retinoids are so good at building collagen, thickening the dermis and making skin texture better, I’d like to use it on my legs (entire circumference of the thighs) to help improve the texture of thinning, slack, crepey skin. I’m worried, though, about absorption into the bloodstream as I’ve heard that retinoids used in large amounts can cause vit. A toxicity. I realize that Tazorac is a synthetic retinoid, but don’t know whether that means it bears no resemblence whatsoever to Vitamin A, or whether it’s simply a synthetic form of the vitamin? And even if it’s not, then could large-scale application of Tazorac still be dangerous? I’d appreciate a response that is backed up by some sort of research (not just laypeople’s opinions).

The Right Brain responds:

We’re cosmetic scientists, not toxicologists, but we did find two interesting references that might help answer your question.

Is Retin-A toxic?

According to the first reference, a study from PubMed (Journal Med Toxicol. 2009 Jun;5(2):73-5), a massive acute overdose of Retin-A (aka Tretinoin) doesn’t seem to present much a problem. In an suicide attempt, a 31 year old man ingested 1000 mg of Retin-A which is about 100 times the normal dose. The only apparent negative side effect he experienced was diarrhea. So it looks like the body can tolerate a high, one time dose of Retin-A and there’s no way you’d ever absorb that much through your skin! But what about a lower dose over a prolonged period of time?

The second reference (Medscape) is chockfull of info on retinoids and it states that very little (up to 6%) of the retinoids you apply to your skin end up in your blood stream. This was based on a study showing that “levels of retinoic acid in the blood are not increased by twice-daily application of 0.025% tretinoin to more than 40% of the body surface area over a 1-month period.” That comment is as close to a definitive answer as we could find.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Based on the studies we found, it seems unlikely that rubbing Retin-A all over your body will kill you. Regardless of what these studies say, however, you should still check with your doctor before using retinoids (or ANY drug) in a way that’s inconsistent with its directions. And remember, there is another danger besides toxicity: pregnant women are warned about using retinoids because of their potential teratogenic effect on fetuses.

Image credit: Things I Love

Hin asks…Are Frownies really a hollywood beauty secret,do they help to smooth forehead lines and creases between your eye brows (especially if some one has a habit of scrunching eyebrows)?

The Right Brain responds:

This question has come up from several of our readers. Lucia, for example, asked if “can using a patch to relax muscles while sleeping reduce wrinkles?” The answer comes from understanding the underlying role of muscles in facial wrinkles (pun intended). But first let’s look at how Frownies are supposed to work.

What are Frownies?

Frownies been around since the late 1800′s and they are allegedly used by Hollywood’s elite to secretly fight wrinkles. These adhesive strips are applied to your between the eyes, across the forehead, and at the corners of the eyes and mouth. According to their website, the strips “gently re-educate the underlying muscles to assume their correct, relaxed and natural appearance.”  They form a “splint” that holds the top layer of the skin in place so skin cells in the underlying layers can “reposition themselves,” thus removing the wrinkle.  (Click here to read more about the history of Frownies and how they work.)

Do Frownies really remove wrinkles?

As Hin asked, can you removewrinkles by “splinting” the skin? According to the opinions of the dermatologists that we’ve read the answer is “not so much” because muscle activity is not really the cause of wrinkles. In an interview St. John Providence.org, Dr Fedok, director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Pennsylvania State University, says “It’s more due to damage from the sun.” That’s because over time UV radiation breaks down elastin and collagen, the components of the skin that give it structural integrity. This loss of structure is the real cause of wrinkles and manipulating the underlying muscles (either relaxing them or exercising them) won’t restore the collagen and elastin.  In the same article another dermatologist, Dr. Basler of the American Academy of Dermatology, says “The only thing that’s going to push those wrinkles out is if you increase the volume of your face, like blowing air into a balloon.” The good doctor Fedok also points out that gravity causes wrinkles by pulling on the connective ligament-like tissues that hold facial fat pads in place. Again, Frownies won’t undo the effect of gravity on stretched ligaments.

OK, what about preventing wrinkles?

When it comes to Frownies, an ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure. At least theoretically.  Dr. Fedok points out that some wrinkles, like laugh lines, can be caused by exaggerated facial expressions that eventually create changes in skin structure. If that’s the case, it’s plausible that, if worn long enough, Frownies could help prevent those wrinkles by helping you relax the muscles associated with those “exaggerated facial expressions.”  Maybe that explains why people seem to love these things (at least if you can trust the overwhelming positive reviews on sites like drugstore.com.) Of course without controlled studies, we’ll never know if there is a real benefit to Frownies or if the positive impression is just a halo effect. (And believe me, we looked for definitive studies and could find none.)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Based on input from dermatologists it appears unlikely that Frownies are able to reverse wrinkles. However, they may be able to prevent some wrinkles that are formed by repetitive facial expressions. Just in case, I’m buying a box to see if they can wipe the scowl off of the Left Brain’s face.

References:
Does exercise deliver for skin care?

Literature Couture recently tried the Ole Henriksen micro/mini peel system and had some irritation issues with the lemon strip product (one of three products in the kit.) Let’s take a look at the label to see what might have caused her problems.

Lemon Strip Ingredients:

Water (Aqua)
Our favorite solvent. 

Algae Extract
Not really sure why this is the second ingredient. It won’t have any peeling function but it may help increase viscosity/give texture. 

Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid
Alphahydroxy acids that give the product it’s peel power. Too much of these can definitely make your face sting! 

Glycerin
A moisturizer in a leave on product; doesn’t really do much but adjust texture in a product like this. 

Xanthan Gum
Another viscosity/texture controlling agent.  

Methionine, Hydroxyproline, Aspartic Acid, Arginine Aspartate
Amino acids. I can’t imagine why they’re in the product except to make the label look good. 

Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Extract
There are those who say licorice extract is an anti-inflammatory and will help calm the skin. I don’t see how it would do much good in a chemical peel product.  But hey, it can’t hurt.

Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Sacharinum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1
Various extracts that don’t do anything but make the product like nice and natural. 

Potassium Hydroxide
pH adjustor.

Phenoxyethanol
Preservative, although the pH is probably so low you don’t really need one.  

Fragrance
Why would you need fragrance in an already irritating peel product? This may be another reason her face was stinging. If anything, I’d put enough lemon extract in to give the product a nice scent and skip the fragrance.

Shop for Ole Henriksen here.

Have you used this product?
Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Vivawoman writes…[Donkey skin] is reported to have great anti-aging effects, namely increasing elasticity of the skin, improving skin tone, preventing wrinkles and even eradicating pigmented spots.

The Left Brain responds:

Sarah Bellum found this story about eating donkey skin on Vivawoman’s blog. Can this possibly be true?

Donkey dermatology

The product that Vivawoman is referring to is “Donkey Skin Gelatin” and is described as consisting of donkey skin, black sesame, walnut, dried longans and rice wine. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the product really does contain gelatin (which is made of collagen that comes from the animal hides and hooves).  Does eating gelatin provide any benefits for your skin?

According to a fairly recent study (Tanaka M, Koyama Y, Nomura Y. Effects of collagen peptide ingestion on UV-B-induced skin damage. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009 Apr 23;73(4):930-2), eating gelatin may actually help prevent some of the signs of aging. In this study, researchers at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology fed gelatin to mice and measured the effect of ultraviolet light on their skin. One group of mice were fed what would be the human equivalent of one large tablespoon of gelatin everyday. They found that after 6 weeks the gelatin-ingesting mice showed a 17% increase in collagen content of their skin compared to the control group (who did not receive gelatin) who had a 53% decrease in collagen content.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

This is a single study on mice but if corroborated by further research and the appropriate clinical trials, it could indicate that eating gelatin can help your skin. Whether or not you choose to get your gelatin from slabs of Donkey Skin or a nice bowl of Strawberry Jell-O is up to you.

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