From grocery stores, to department stores, to spas...it seems everywhere we look there are skin care lines claiming to solve all of our problems. How do we know the difference between what works and what is a waste of money?

Dr. Diana Howard, Vice President of the International Dermal Institute, explains a few factors to consider when looking for a skin care line.

Contamination-free packaging
This means no jars! Every time you dip your fingers into a jar, you are contaminating the product with bacteria. Not only will you spread that bacteria on your face with each application, but it's also decreasing the effectiveness and longevity of the product. Look for tubes or pumps that allow for little air to enter.

Ingredients to avoid
Many skin care lines use ingredients that can irritate your skin. Why? Usually because they are cheap to obtain and many consumers don't know any better! Dr. Howard warns of these in particular:

1. Fragrance- A known irritant, fragrance serves no benefit to your skin. Sometimes thousands of elements can go into making 1 ingredient, so it is likely that one of those elements may cause irritation. Why include it if it doesn't help your skin?


2. Lanolin- Although the production of Lanolin has been cleaned up over the years, it can sometimes trigger eczema.


3. Mineral Oil- A byproduct of the petroleum industry! Mineral Oil is often listed as comedogenic (meaning it can clog the pores), but is a cheap solvent to obtain, and therefore commonly used.


4. SD Alcohol- This ingredient is commonly found in products for oily skin because of its drying capabilities. The problem? It is overly drying, which means your skin will compensate by producing even more oil. It also compromises your barrier layer, which causes skin to become more sensitized and irritated.
   

Beware of products promising to "erase wrinkles" or "cure acne". There is no magic ingredient (otherwise everyone would be using it)! Honest companies want to help you maintain the skin you have, and will avoid over promising and under delivering.

(Examiner)