LENA BLOG

The terms hypoallergenic , dermatologist-tested , and allergy-free are all unregulated terms. In some cases, these words just mean a team of dermatologists got together and determined for themselves what did and did not cause skin to break out or become sensitive to a particular product. There are no guidelines set by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) governing which products can say they are hypoallergenic, etc. Products with these descriptions are simply less likely to produce a reaction. You still may find yourself sensitive to a product, allergy-free or not. Ultimately, you’ll have to try the product before you’ll know if it will work for you. A product claiming to be non-comedogenic won’t (or shouldn’t) clog your pores. Sometimes these products have fillers in them that actually can and do cause congestion. As with any and all products, monitor your skin when trying a new product or product line . If problems appear, there may be a problem with the new items. F...

How do I know if I’m having an allergic reaction to a new product? And what should I do if I’m having a reaction? If your skin changes for the worse after starting a new product, you may be having an allergic reaction. Or you could just be intolerant to one or more ingredients in one or more of the new products. Contrary to what you might have heard, a product should not cause breakouts when you first start using it. One client said she was told to give a new product three weeks for her skin to adapt. Even though she was breaking out from using this product, that was acceptable as far as the salesperson was concerned. If your skin reacts adversely upon first using a new product, stop using it! If, however, you develop a skin condition such as eczema (a dermatitis or skin inflammation) or some other intolerance to a product you have successfully used in the past and just now are reacting to, try The 72- Hour Test . This test is helpful in narrowing down possib...

My intent with my writing is not to tear down other product lines, but in this case I can’t help myself! Clinique is thought to be a great product for problem (especially teenage) skin, and as you’ll read below I even used it as my first skin care product line as a teen. I have found professionally that these products usually cause problems with clients I have seen. Here is what one emailer sent me: I have used Clinique but am not very happy with it. I am a new mom, and I think it ’s time for a new me and a new skin care regimen. I am 39 years old. My skin is oily in the T-zone but dry everywhere else. Thirty minutes after I wash, it still looks like an oil slick, yet my skin feels taut and dehydrated. I have lines around my eyes from previous sun damage. My skin breaks out a lot, which I think is unusual for my age. These comments are very common, so I will breakdown this email and explain what she could do. Well, not happy actually I have used Clinique but...

Is it true that after using the same products on your face for about 6 months or so, your skin gets used to them, and they tend not to work? I’ve been using the same product for several years. I have read it is good to switch products now and then so your skin doesn’t get used to them. Is this true? My response to these kinds of questions is an emphatic no! There is no reason why you can’t use a product indefinitely. The idea that you have to change products due to your skin getting used to them, rendering them ineffective, is a myth. Perhaps this way of thinking is used to promote a new product, or it is simply a misnomer that has never been challenged. ...unless you want to Products you use should work period , not just for a period of time. Case in point: I have been using one product line for almost 30 years (Yonka-Paris, of course). They are the products I sell and use in my practice. I have never had the feeling I needed to switch brands, personally or pro...

Listening to my clients over the years, there seems to be a pattern a lot of people follow: you try a product line, having been seduced by the claim of perfect skin or anti-aging abilities; you invest a lot of money in these miracles in a jar; and you wait for the miraculous results that never come.  Initially, you see an improvement in your skin. It glows or clears up temporarily, and you think you’ve found the answer to your skin care woes. After a few months, the results start fading away, and you’re faced with the same skin you had before you started this miracle regimen. So you go back to the land of products, usually the department store, and search once again for another product line that claims to produce amazing results. And the cycle continues. The truth is, it’s hard to find products that work. Considering the number of skin care lines available, you would think a large percentage of them would be effective. Unfortunately for the unknowing consumer, there are...

Beware of a product that is a moisturizer and a sunscreen and foundation, or any other combination of actions. The more feats a product claims to carry out, the more ingredients it will require, and it will be more likely to cause sensitivities. The idiom, “Jack of all trades, master of none,” comes to mind. Burning and/or itching is always a cause for concern. Products that are right for your skin will feel good and not cause irritations. Department store products require a lot of money for advertising and marketing. Many times what you end up with is expensive, grocery store-quality products with pretty packaging and famous actors or models as spokespeople. Please keep in mind advertisers are not going to put a model or an actress on the pages of a magazine (or in a TV ad) who doesn't look like she has flawless skin. Makeup and lighting can do wonders in a photo shoot. We mere mortals have to go a different route to have clear-looking skin. For more in...

Ethanol is not a “good” alcohol Why is alcohol [in products] bad for my skin? Alcohol, the bad kind, basically dries everything on the surface of your skin. In theory, this may sound appropriate, especially if you have an oilier skin type. But in practice, stripping away all the oil from your skin can cause your oil glands to produce more oil to compensate for the loss. Add to that the moisture (water) evaporation alcohol causes, and you could be causing the very things you are trying to avoid. Namely, oily skin that feels dry and looks flaky, which is actually dehydration. Some of my skin care products contain alcohol, mostly cetyl and cetearyl alcohol. Does this mean I can’t use them? I hear from people who are worried that alcohol is an ingredient in a product they are using. There are many alcohols that are OK as ingredients, as well as many that are not good. I had a woman call me who had read my book and was worried because she saw that Cetaphil ® cleanser co...