SEPHORA
An N.V. Perricone, M.D., starter kit featuring seven travel-size products sells for $160 at Sephora and comes in an old-fashioned doctor's bag, emphasizing its founder's medical credentials.
Dermatologist
uses cosmeceuticals to
turn back clock on agingWeekend seminars will share
the secrets of looking younger
Now here's some news everyone's been waiting to hear: Aging is optional, at least when it comes to your skin.
N.V. Perricone seminars
Where: Sephora, Ala Moana Center
When: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1:30 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday; Perricone specialist Jeanne Chomko will also be in the store from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday
Admission: Free
Call: Register at 944-9797
That's the word from dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, author of the New York Times bestseller "The Wrinkle Cure" (Rodale, 2000) and "The Perricone Prescription, A Physician's 28-Day Program for Total Body and Face Rejuvenation" (Harper Collins, 2002), and founder of the N.V. Perricone, M.D., line of cosmeceuticals and nutritional supplements.
An aging population striving to look younger is fueling the growth of cosmeceuticals, a segment of the cosmetics market that purports to use science and an array of vitamins and antioxidant agents -- all part of a dermatologist's arsenal -- to not only improve the skin's appearance, but rejuvenate cell function.
Such claims often seem to be more about marketing than medicine, but Perricone's credentials tend to make people listen. He served as an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine and as chief of dermatology at Connecticut's Veterans Hospital. He is a contributing editor to the peer-reviewed medical journal Skin and Aging, and an adjunct professor of medicine at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. His work has also been the basis for two PBS TV specials.
N.V. Perricone, M.D., toners, moisturizers and other face saviors are just short of requiring a dermatologist's prescription, and though some of the products come with a steep price tag, they just might stave off those trips to the skin doctor or, better yet, according to Jeannie Higa, store director for Sephora, "save you from a trip to the plastic surgeon."
Interest in the line has also been strong since it was featured by Katie Couric and on the new Style network program "Stripped," which goes behind the scenes of the cosmetics industry.
PERRICONE REGIONAL specialist Jeanne Chomko will be at Sephora Saturday and Sunday to host seminars about the line, but most of all, share the company's three-tiered philosophy, which is ultimately about getting people to take better care of themselves.
Chomko travels throughout the West for Perricone, and while it might be assumed that Hawaii provides a potentially lucrative market due to the high incidence of sun exposure, people everywhere have the same concerns.
"Baby boomers are now looking at themselves in mirrors and beginning to panic," Chomko said. "They can see the effects of too much sun and eating the wrong foods."
Perricone's strategy is to educate clients in eating right, taking vitamin supplements ranging from borage oil to Omega-3 and 6 to help repair internal damage, "and then the topicals are the icing on the cake," Chomko said.
The topicals are those products that promise what every boomer wants: the elimination of fine lines, wrinkles, spotting, discoloration and large pores.
The secret is a combination of alpha lipoic acid and Perricone's patented -- he has 28 patents in the United States -- NTP complex containing dimethylaminoethanol, or DMAE.
In "The Wrinkle Cure," Perricone describes DMAE as an antioxidant membrane stabilizer that protects cells from free radicals that break down the cell membrane.
Meanwhile, alpha lipoic acid has been proved to repair skin. In one experiment at the Houston Medical Center, the antioxidant was used on infants following cleft palate surgery, leading to reduction in scarring.
"Of course, infant skin rejuvenates quickly, but it has also worked on scars that were 20 years old," said Chomko, who sought out the products when she first heard about them and started her campaign to work for the doctor.
"He has a level of sincerity and integrity of wanting to help people that appealed to me," she said. "He wants to educate people to take power back, take better care of themselves."
IT DOESN'T SEEM to matter to Perricone if consumers buy his products or someone else's. In the back of "The Wrinkle Cure" is a list of products by other manufacturers that are deemed to be beneficial, ranging from Dove Beauty Bar and Neutrogena Non-Drying Cleansing Lotion to Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen products.
Perricone's products are water- and fat-soluble so they are able to penetrate the skin when used in conjunction with other favorite products. You might need those because Perricone's no-nonsense formulas don't have the luxury of added fragrance, leading to a light mediciney smell. The scent dissipates when you wear it, so no one will think you've come from a doctor's office, but the first whiff can be shocking to those weaned on herbal, floral and fruity essences.
And let's not forget, Perricone products don't come cheap. Outpatient Therapy Pore-Refining Cleanser sells for $30 for 6 fluid ounces. Vitamin C Ester Amine Complex Face Lift runs $85 for 2 fluid ounces that promise to hydrate the skin and reduce production of sebum -- the stuff that clogs pores. A bestseller at Sephora is a Concentrated Restorative Cream that costs $90 for 2 fluid ounces.
BUTLIKECHOMKO says, these are icing on the cake meant to be used in conjunction with the hard stuff: taking charge of your diet and lifestyle, exercising and getting out of the sun.
A good place to start, she said, is to reduce alcohol and coffee consumption, and cut the sugar from your diet -- no more midmorning doughnuts or 3 p.m. chocolate breaks.
The skin is supported by a matrix of collagen, and the consumption of carbs and sugars starts a chain reaction that includes a rise in blood sugar, a burst of inflammation and the breakdown of collagen, she said. "That takes away the integrity of the cell so it cannot retain nutrients or expel toxins."
Chomko said she receives letters all the time from grateful customers who have not only changed their appearance, but changed their lives.
She also remembers being in a mall in Costa Mesa, Calif., where two woman rushed up to her after talking to a walking buddy. Her walking buddies hadn't seen her for 10 days, and when they did, they thought she had gotten the face lift she had often talked about.
But no, she attributed her new complexion to Perricone products. "So they went to the ATM machine, got $500 in their sweaty hands and just said, 'Give us what our friend bought.'"
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The right stuff
Here are some ingredients to look for in cosmetic formulas:
inside and out>> Alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids: Antioxidants that also exfoliate, or remove dead skin cells.
>> Dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE: Antioxidant membrane stabilizer that protects cells from free radical damage.
>> Glycolic acid: One of the most popular alpha hydroxy acids, derived from sugar cane. Helps to relieve dry skin.
>> Lactic acid: An alpha hydroxy acid, derived from milk.
>> Salicylic acid: A beta hydroxy acid that is an anti-inflammatory beneficial in treatment of aging skin. It is also a peeling agent used in many astringents and cleansers, or to treat dry skin conditions and acne.
>> Vitamin A: In its prescribed form (Accutane or Retin-A), it's used to heal severe acne and other skin problems. Can stimulate wound healing.
>> Vitamin E: Inhibits free radicals
Diet
Good skin is often a result of a healthy diet.>> Good carbohydrates (low on glycemic index): Asparagus, beans, broccoli, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, honeydew melon, kiwi fruit, leafy greens, peaches, pears, plums, spinach and most non-starchy vegetables.
>> Bad carbohydrates (high on glycemic index): Bananas, breads, carrots, cereals processed with added sugar, corn, fruit juices, mangoes, pancakes, papaya, pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar, waffles.
>> Antioxidant best bets: Avocado (but high in fat and calories), bell peppers, berries, cantaloupe/honeydew melons, dark green leafy vegetables, orange-colored squash, pineapple (but high in sugar), salmon, tomatoes.
From "The Wrinkle Cure: Unlock the Power of Cosmeceuticals for Supple, Youthful Skin," by Nicholas Perricone.
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