If you are like me and have always had a bottle of Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion on your counter since you were fifteen, check out this article in today's
Dallas/ Fort Worth Star Telegram (yee haw!):
"Late last year, cosmetics company Clinique and pharmaceuticals company Allergan announced a new line of skin-care products, Clinique Medical. The new Optimizing Regimen products are designed to be used before and after in-office nonsurgical cosmetic procedures such as laser treatments and chemical peels. The venture is part of a trend toward cosmetics companies and healthcare companies joining forces to offer "medical-grade" skin-care products.
Dr. Jennifer Walden, a New York City plastic surgeon who grew up in Texas and attended medical school in Galveston, says the term "medical-grade skin-care products" is not just an advertising gimmick.
These are products that are similar to those available in department stores, but the active ingredients are present at a greater strength than the Food and Drug Administration allows to be sold over the counter. Sometimes products are available in doctors’ offices and other times by prescription only.
Clinique’s Optimizing Regimen contains a probiotic cleanser; a skin-conditioning treatment intended to encourage cell turnover before a laser/peel treatment; a recovery-week complex with hydrocortisone that’s intended to reduce redness after treatment; an optimizing treatment cream with a complex of ingredients that’s awaiting a patent; and a sunscreen with an SPF 38.
"These products help even out skin tone and post-procedure redness/inflammation," Walden says. Check with dermatologists or cosmetic surgeons for products. "
— Cathy Frisinger
