Expensive or Cheap: Is Your Skin Worth The Price?

It can be costly using department store skin products. Your wallet is screaming, EXPENSIVE and is it worth the price or could a cheaper drug store brand do the trick for eye cream, toner and moisturizer? It is a nagging question for women who don’t know if it’s smart to spend big for beauty care products or is it a royal ripoff? 

By Dawn Tongish
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com

Beauty Confusion: How Much To Spend? 

Women are bombarded with mixed messages about what beauty products to buy. It isn’t uncommon to spend $135 on a moisturizer only to find that it doesn’t do the job as well as the bottle of face lotion you picked up for $7.00 at the drug store around the corner. Sometimes trial and error is the only way to find out what really works. There are so many gimmicks and sales tricks designed to make consumers believe the real answer to beauty care comes with an expensive price tag, but experts say that isn’t always true.

 

What’s In That Bottle? 

There is no magic pill or quick fix beauty in a bottle, but some mixtures come close and they don’t always have to cost a bundle. Experts say pricey skin care lines often charge for the “extras”, additives that don’t really need to be included in the mixture to make it effective. It is all about the active ingredient and many times that is the same throughout all products — from the most expensive to the cheapest. A good example is retinol. It can be found in almost every product that promises to reverse aging, whether it is attached to an expensive package or not.

Experts say consumers shouldn’t be fooled just because some costs a lot. “There are a lot of different options out there and I certainly think some carrying agents are better than others, but not always” says Dr. Jim Namnoum, a board certified plastic surgeon from Atlanta, Georgia.  Dr. Namnoum says it can be easy to fall for the flashy sales pitch and buy the expensive products. He says to start with lower-end products and work your way up to more expensive, if it’s necessary.

“I am not sure in determining value, if there is a product that costs $400 and one that $40, that it is always wiser to buy the more expensive one. My feeling is that it is hype and not science and it is expensive hype.”

Get What You Pay For…

It’s a daily battle to try and achieve the look of glowing skin. Women struggle with issues like breakouts, rosacea, wrinkles and sagging. It only adds to the frustration when the staple of beauty products in the cabinet don’t seem to be working and it’s unclear where to turn. You may be comforted knowing that even top doctors find the world of beauty products, a real headache. “Oh yes, I can’t even figure all of it out. I understand why my patients are confused,” says Dr. Brad Calobrace a board-certified plastic surgeon who practices in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Calobrace advises his patients to trust their doctors when it comes to beauty product advice. “I tell them that they need to listen to their doctor about what to buy that will best suit their skin.” With so many options, Dr. Calobrace counsels patients to let a trained specialist analyze skin texture and tone and then make recommendations.

“If you let a specialist help pick your skin products you can target the choices to help reverse aging, photo damage and build collagen. These products are chosen by their science and not the price tag.” The best advice, experts say is to choose the right product for your skin — no matter what the price. There is no bigger waste of money than a product that doesn’t suit your skin type.