Department Store Or Medical Grade Skin Care Products?
What are medical-grade skincare products?
Also known as cosmeceutical skincare, medical-grade skincare is targeted to specific medical conditions and needs, such as acne or wrinkles. The concentration of active ingredients is generally greater than what you can find over the counter, and they have been tested to be effective on the skin, hence there are greater results with such skincare. This type of skincare is meant to offer both medicinal and cosmetic benefits.
Medical-grade vs. over-the-counter skincare products
There are a few key differences when it comes to medical-grade skincare versus over-the-counter. For one, accessibility. It used to be that you could only get medical-grade skincare in doctors’ offices, but now (with the help of the Internet), accessibility has increased. In addition, most medical-grade companies will use highly stabilized ingredients that last longer and take longer to degrade. Many of them also use more involved mechanisms of absorption to enhance delivery to deeper areas of skin. Some mainstream brands may tout their retinol serum or night cream as an incredible skin-transforming product, but sometimes there are trace amounts of actives surrounded by synthetic additives, a false claim medical-grade brands don’t stand behind.
Finally, unlike medical-grade skincare products, over-the-counter products are regulated to not make any medical claims, and they cannot state that they ‘treat’ a skin condition.
Does professional-strength skincare work better?
We get that asking a dermatologist if they supports medical-grade skincare is like asking a pharmacist if they trust prescription medication, but the strong clinical evidence, higher quality of ingredients, and more rigorous testing does indicate that medical grade skincare products are superior to over-the-counter products.
With all of the above said, there are still some over-the-counter products that are perfectly adequate and of good quality. Ultimately, we recommend scheduling a dermatology consultation to discuss your skin care goals and needs. During the consultation, Dr. Devorah Shagalov can make recommendations as to the best skin care regimen and products for you.
