Kreegel skin care event set

Find out how which beauty products are really worth the money at Kreegel Aesthetic Surgery’s upcoming skin care product event. The program is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at Kreegel Aesthetic Surgery, 16410 HealthPark Commons Drive, Fort Myers. To RSVP, call 343-9777 by Dec. 2.

“Despite the differences in price or socalled ‘secret ingredients,’ most products do the same thing,” says Stefanie Neff, a licensed esthetician at Kreegel Aesthetic Surgery. “You don’t really see a difference until you move from cosmeceuticals, like those sold over the counter in grocery and big box stores, to pharmaceuticals, which require a prescription from your doctor.”

The main difference between these products is the end result, according to Ms. Neff. The Food and Drug Administration requires that skin-care products that work deeper in your skin than the upper layers called the epidermis be classified as drugs because they change the structure of your skin. These are pharmaceuticals and sold only by prescription.

A cosmeceutical may make you appear younger by doing two things – moisturizing your skin and reflecting light using shimmery ingredients. Exfoliants may provide additional benefit by removing dead skin cells, and skin lighteners like licorice extract may fade browns spots. Touted antioxidants like green tea, pomegranate, blueberry and retinol may help prevent free radicals from damaging your skin cells and harming collagen and elastin – both vital for youthful looking skin. But in most cases, cosmeceuticals won’t actually improve the skin itself – just its appearance.

There are products that can truly help improve skin, though. To find out which products and ingredients can help with advanced skin issue, plan to attend Kreegel Aesthetic Surgery’s skin care product event. 