Before we chat about Medical Grade skincare, how are we already at the end of October 2024? Where did this year go? Wow. This year just flew by. It’s almost holiday season and winter is nearing. As much as I love where we live, winters can be brutal – especially on our skin. It gets so dry, dehydrated and overall – a perfect playground for wrinkles and parched skin. This year I was fully targeted by those retinol memes online – “If you own this, it’s time to use Retinol”. If you’re not sure yet, here’s a bingo below that helps you decide if you should start with Retinol. 😉
Anyhoo, I figured I need to start on medical grade skincare. But for the longest time , I’ve been putting it off because just listening to these new terms made me spiral. How does it work? Will my skin have reactions to it? Is this prescribed medication? How many times do I apply? How do I layer these products with others etc. I’ve researched and learnt about it in the last few months and started incorporating medical grade skincare in my routine.
What is Medical Grade Skincare?
Medical Grade skincare is targeted to specific medical conditions and needs for your skin, for example, acne, hyperpigmentation and wrinkles. Skincare that is highly potent and in concentrated forms of active ingredients unlike other skincare that you get over the counter. Medical Grade skincare has also been tested to be really effective on your skin compared to less potent products that are sold outside.
Medical grade skincare is backed by science.
Where to Buy?
For a long time, medical grade skincare was not available for a consumer directly – it would only be through the doctors or medical spas. But now with online shopping, accessibility to medical grade skincare is within everyone’s reach. For Canadians, medical grade skincare is not easily accessible as in the US but one of the trusted beauty retailer online where I would recommend checking it out is BeautySense.ca that has a plethora of options for medical grade skincare – they carry my favourite brand Skinceuticals which isn’t so easy to find outside.
BeautySense.ca is an online provider of professional beauty & cosmetic products. They are 100% Canadian-owned and operated and are currently based out of beautiful Montreal in ‘La Belle Province’.
I ordered a few SkinCeuticals products from BeautySense.ca recently. I received them pretty quickly and also received generous samples with my order.
How do I build a medical grade skincare routine?
As a newbie to medical grade skincare, I can completely understand how overwhelming all of the information we receive on the internet can be. The terms Retinol, AHA, BHA has been used so loosely online that it’s hard to know what works best for our skin. The worst is when you use the wrong combination of products and have a reaction to it. Before trying anything, always do a patch test on your skin or talk to your dermatalogist about using medical grade skincare.
Once you know you’re ready to dive into medical grade skincare, here are some simple steps to take –
1. Find the area of skin concern
This is the most important step because it is extremely easy to be swayed by what the internet says. But you don’t need every product you see. If you are not sure about the area of skin concern, there is an online skin scan on BeautySense.ca that can guide you and provide a clear idea on what are the areas of skin concern. It also creates an advanced skincare guide that is backed by science.
2. Slow introduction to actives
Once you buy the products based on what is recommended, start introducing it to your skin in intervals. Twice a week to have your skin adjust to these highly concentrated formulas. Before trying any of these, always do a patch test to make sure you are not allergic / sensitive / reactive to any actives. There are also some actives that are used at night and some during the day.
3. Consistency
Being consistent with the skincare routine. Results are only seen when consistent with your routine so definitely invest in time when you’re already spending money on this skincare.
4. Use SPF every single day
Using actives on the face will definitely show results ore quickly compared to other over the counter skincare that we see everywhere. But using actives will also make your skin more sensitive to the sun so SPF every single time you head out – rain or shine.
My experience with Medical Grade Skincare
I have started introducing my skin to medical grade skincare. My skin type is combination, sensitive skin and my area of concern has always been hyperpigmentation and one brand that I love for this is SkinCeuticals.
I love heir Correct range that focuses on hyperpigmentation / skin discolouration and helps even skin tone. Here are a few that I was already using and some that I got to try –
- SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator: This revolutionary resurfacing and replenishing serum surpasses the results of a daily 20% glycolic acid treatment while simultaneously reinforcing the skin’s barrier for healthier, more radiant skin.
- SkinCeuticals H.A Intensifier Serum: Hyaluronic Acid (H.A.) Intensifier is a multi-beneficial corrective serum proven to amplify skin’s hyaluronic acid levels. This unique formulation contains a high concentration of pure hyaluronic acid, proxylane™, and botanical extracts of licorice root and purple rice to support skin’s hyaluronic acid levels and deliver surface hydration, helping improve the visible appearance of firmness, smoothness, and facial plumpness.
- SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum: I’ve heard this is one of their bestsellers and rightly so. Discoloration Defense is a layerable, daily-use dark spot corrector clinically proven to reduce the appearance of key types of skin discoloration, including hard-to-treat forms such as stubborn brown patches and post-acne marks. Formulated with 3% tranexamic acid, 1% kojic acid, 5% niacinamide, and 5% HEPES, this latest-generation formula improves the appearance of skin discoloration, brightens skin, and evens skin tone in as early as 2 weeks.
- SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 Cream: Our retinol products help stimulate cell regeneration and build collagen to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots from both photo- and intrinsic aging. Retinol 0.5 contains 0.5% pure retinol.
I have been using SkinCeuticals for awhile now and can see an improvement on my hyperpigmentation. Without doubt, medical grade skincare is an option to try if you are looking for long term and effective results. The only thing to keep in mind is how you should introduce the concentrated actives slowly to your skin instead of all at once.
It’s also very convenient when online beauty retailers make it really easy to figure out your skincare routine and recommend products based on that. What is your take on medical grade skincare? Is this something you would be willing to try?
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with BeautySense.ca. SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 and Discoloration Serum were sent for consideration; all opinions are my own.
