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| Your Health - Cosmetic RX |
| by Jill Burcum |
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Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul), August 15, 2000
Need help in vanquishing wrinkles? Or just want a new shade of high-end lipstick?
You may want to check with your physician's office before cruising the cosmetics counter.
In Minnesota and elsewhere in the nation, a growing number of dermatologists and plastic surgeons have begun offering skin-care products and makeup to patients in addition to the usual medical services. In fact, some -- such as Abbott Northwestern Hospital's Cosmetic Care Center -- have a dazzling array of lotions and potions rivaling anything offered at a department or drugstore.
The products, however, aren't the same as what you'd find at a typical retail outlet, according to physicians who sell them. Instead, they're known as "cosmeceuticals" -- a combination of the words cosmetic and pharmaceuticals.
Cosmeceuticals are supposedly more scientifically reliable and powerful than the usual commercial stuff. That effect is enhanced by the setting of a physician's office, about the only place you'll find these cosmeceutical lines. And the products' names also lend them an aura of medical credence: SkinCeuticals, Cellex-C, Mederma, Dermatopix, Neostrata and BioMedic, for example.
Products include moisturizers, complete lines of makeup and hundreds of peels, scrubs, masques, creams, serums and sprays intended to help the user look younger. With aging baby boomers suddenly noticing wrinkles, U.S. cosmeceutical sales are expected to top $2.3 billion annually by 2003, according to the Freedonia Group, a consulting firm that tracks the industry.
"This is something we've really seen develop in the past few years," said Dr. Edward Szachowicz, a Minneapolis facial plastic surgeon. "There are several things driving it. One is patient demand, but the second thing is that there are now product lines that really have elevated cosmetic [offerings].
"There is good science that shows that they work."
Help Me, Doctor
Szachowicz started carrying two cosmeceutical lines -- SkinCeuticals and Refinity skin-care products -- at his office in Edina several years ago. He made them available, he said, because patients were asking him and his staff for help in choosing cosmetics. Szachowicz said he noted a growing interest in patients wanting to fight aging skin but wanting to put off or avoid plastic surgery that was both expensive and required a long recovery period.
Cosmeceuticals filled this niche, Szachowicz said.
The products, he said, often contain higher concentrations of active ingredients than those sold over the counter because they are sold under a physician's supervision. And some -- including the SkinCeuticals line, according to Szachowicz -- boast clinical studies showing that the products live up to their claims. Some of the products also may be the result of a recent scientific advance.
"People always wonder if these products really do work better," he said, "and the answer is yes, they can."
Everybody's Tryin' to Get into the Act
Minneapolis Plastic Surgery opened its Carillon Clinic for the same reasons as Szachowicz's. The clinic doesn't carry an extensive line of skin-care products, but sells a line of makeup selected by the clinic's surgeons and its aestheticians -- people trained in cosmetic procedures such as facials and skin peels.
At first, the demand for the makeup services and products came from patients who had recently had surgery or other procedures, said aesthetician Heather Vasilopulos. They needed help covering up redness and other irritation.
After researching various cosmetic lines, clinic staff members selected the Jane Iredale line because of its ability to cover redness, Vasilopulos said, and because it has a mineral base that helps reduce skin inflammation. Iredale products are sold almost exclusively through physicians' offices, according to the company.
Patients have been impressed enough by the results, Vasilopulos said, that many of them now buy their cosmetics exclusively from the clinic. Word-of-mouth has also sent clients to the Carillon Clinic who don't have a medical cosmetic need, she added, but who simply want to use a medically approved line of cosmetics.
Nationally, some impressive names in dermatology and plastic surgery have jumped into the cosmeceutical business. Dr. Jeffrey McClanahan, a Stanford Medical School professor of dermatology, sells a variety of cosmeceutical products on his web site, http://www.cliniskin.com. Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a Yale Medical School professor, recently wrote a book called "The Wrinkle Cure" and launched the Perricone line of cosmeceuticals, which are marketed at high-end retailers.
Prices for cosmeceuticals range from $14 for a Jane Iredale lipstick, to $60 for a few ounces of SkinCeuticals vitamin C serum, to $100 or more for the Perricone products.
Caveat Emptor
Traditional cosmetic-counter brands, of course, object to cosmeceuticals' claims of better science and efficacy. An Estee Lauder spokeswoman said that the company's products are rigorously tested before they're marketed and added that it has an extensive research and development department. Elizabeth Arden spokeswoman Gaelle Ranchon said, "Our products are tested thoroughly and work just as well or better than what doctors are selling."
Longtime cosmetics-consumer advocate Paula Begoun advised consumers to view claims of both cosmeceuticals and regular cosmetic merchants with caution. Begoun wrote the bestselling book "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me."
Begoun noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate cosmeceutical products any differently than it does regular cosmetics, meaning that manufacturers aren't held to higher production standards, as some companies claim. She said the agency doesn't consider cosmeceuticals a more effective class of products. An FDA spokesman confirmed her statement.
In addition, Begoun said that some medical associations have raised concerns about cosmeceuticals at recent conferences.
Begoun, whose book skewers the claims of regular cosmetic products, said cosmeceutical claims also are suspect. The former beauty consultant and investigative reporter said that few cosmeceutical products contain higher concentrations of active ingredients. And those that do, she added, may not be more effective; some could even make skin conditions worse.
For example, Begoun said, Perricone products contain sodium lauryl sulfate, a well-known skin irritant. Ironically, Begoun said, Perricone's theory on skin aging is based on the premise that inflammation and irritation contribute to wrinkles and sags.
Perricone did not return phone calls last week.
Just because a product is sold at a doctor's office doesn't mean it's any more effective or safer than traditional commercial brands, Begoun said.
She added that price, as well, is not necessarily an indication of effectiveness or safety. Consumers often can find effective products in drug and discount stores, Begoun said. The key is to look at product labels and to research what you are buying. In many cases, Begoun said, you'll find that the scientific evidence offered by cosmeceuticals and pricey cosmetics is skimpy at best.
Instead of spending lots of money on cosmetics, Begoun said, consumers should invest in a good sunscreen that protects against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation (Begoun recommends sunscreens by Neutrogena and Basics). And then, they should make sure that they use the product liberally every day to prevent sun damage that strips skin of its moisture and causes premature signs of aging.
"A good sunscreen is still the best beauty aid you can buy -- bar none," she said.
Jill Burcum writes about consumer health topics. She can be reached at jburcum@startribune.com or at 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488.
Copyright 2000 Star Tribune. Republished here with the permission of the Star Tribune. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the express approval of the Star Tribune.
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