Much of the information out there is unreliable and spurious, and not only won’t help you take the best care of your skin, but can also make matters worse and consistently waste your money, two things we can’t abide.
We could wax poetic about the past and present senseless, impractical myths and bad skincare advice that has and still does run rampant in every corner of the cosmetics industry. Everything we reveal in this book will help you find your way through and come out of the maze of confusion. You will be empowered to start doing what is best for your skin! This book factually demonstrates exactly how you can do that, whether you use Paula’s Choice Skincare products or someone else’s. If we’ve succeeded, perhaps you’ll even have a little fun along the way! But first, a bit more background.…
Age, Skin Color, and Race Are Not Skin Types!
There are several aspects to understanding your skin type, but first you must understand that your age, skin color, and race are not as important as other factors. I know that may be hard to believe, especially considering how often you’ve read statements to the contrary, but it’s 100% true. It isn’t that older skin isn’t different from younger skin or that darker skin color isn’t different from lighter skin color, it’s just that when it comes to how you take care of your skin and what you should and shouldn’t do, these factors—age of your skin and color of your skin—don’t matter.
What does matter are the skin concerns you’re dealing with and your skin type. You can be 60 and have oily skin with breakouts and sun damage, but understand that someone can have the exact same issues at age 30.
The types of ingredients and products that treat dry skin, oily skin, rosacea, wrinkles, acne, blackheads, skin discolorations, uneven skin tone, red marks from breakouts, sensitive skin, sun damage (everyone has sun damage), eczema, combination skin, and on and on are essentially the SAME (with only minor exceptions)for everyone.
Think about it like your diet. What’s healthy or unhealthy to eat is generally the same for everyone. Adding more green, leafy vegetables and fruit to your diet is healthy, regardless of your age or race. Likewise, chocolate cake and hydrogenated fats can’t be considered health foods for anyone, regardless of their age or race.
Research has clearly established the types of skincare formulas that can work wonders and likewise those that are badly formulated and can make matters worse. This is true no matter who you are, how old you are, what race you are, or where you live. We discuss skin type further in Chapter 3, Skin Type vs. Skin Concern.
Setting Realistic Expectations and Goals
This section of our book may not be easy for some of you because we’re about to discuss the limitations of skincare. People do want to believe in miracle products and in miracle ingredients that will replace the need for cosmetic surgery or cosmetic corrective procedures. We wish we could tell you otherwise, but such products just don’t exist. It’s not that there aren’t brilliantly formulated, remarkable products to consider—it’s just that they all have limitations (and that includes my products).
It’s our devout promise that we will never mislead you or exaggerate the truth. Unfortunately—and we know from our own experience—it’s far easier to believe in the exaggerations and the hype hoping, just hoping, that there is some truth in it. So, while the information we present in this section may be somewhat disappointing for you, it is vitally important for you to stop the endless search for and temptation to buy yet another product claiming miraculous results.
It’s important to realize that skincare products have limitations, despite the claims made in the advertisements you’ve seen, articles you’ve read, or what you’ve been told by salespeople, dermatologists, aestheticians, or your friends. Skincare products cannot replace what cosmetic corrective procedures or face-lifts can do. They can make a phenomenal difference, especially when you consistently use great products and keep your skin protected from the sun (daylight) 365 days a year, but they cannot give you the kind of results you keep pinning your hopes on.
Skincare products can’t stop time and they can’t dramatically turn the clock back. You aren’t going to lift a sagging neck, jaw line, or under-eye area with skincare products. You also aren’t going to erase deep wrinkles or the effects of advanced sun damage. Again, skincare can provide impressive improvements, but it’s always within the parameters of physiological reality. Understanding the limitations and knowing what’s possible (and not possible) will not only save you from one disappointment after another, but also keep you from wasting a lot of money along the way. We discuss this in greater detail and provide key information about cosmetic corrective and surgical procedures in Chapter 13, Botox, Fillers, Lasers, and Surgery.
You’ve probably heard the saying that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes accepted as fact. Well, the beauty industry is no exception. Throughout this book you will learn only the facts about what research says is best for your skin, in ways that will surprise you and often give you dramatic results (almost overnight), especially once you stop using products that are useless (or actually bad) for your skin.
Surprises Await…
We present a lot of information in this book, but the following list gives you an overview of some of the more salient, universal points we want you to keep in mind as you peruse these pages. In The Best Skin of Your Life Starts Here, you’ll find discussions and explanations of the following facts:
Why you should avoid jar packaging
Why many natural ingredients are bad for skin (really, really bad)
Why spending more money on skincare isn’t necessarily better
How irritating ingredients damage skin
Why your skin doesn’t always let you know when it’s being irritated or damaged
Why and how some anti-acne products can actually cause more breakouts
Why some eye creams are a problem for the eye area
How fragrance (whether natural or synthetic) damages skin
Why some “essential” oils are unessential and, in fact, seriously problematic for skin
Why antiwrinkle creams can’t work like Botox, dermal fillers, lasers, or light treatments
Why sunscreen is the most important part of a daily skincare routine
Why terms like “hypoallergenic,” “non-comedogenic,” “patented ingredients,” “dermatologist-approved,” and “cosmeceutical” are meaningless, and, in fact, are seen on some of the worst products you’ll ever use
Why there are no miracle skincare ingredients (just lots of great ones)
Why your skin doesn’t “adapt to” the skincare products you are using
How you might be causing a skin type or concern you don’t want
Which cosmetic ingredients you must avoid and what to use instead (and not based on the typical synthetic-versus-natural argument)
Why the best approach to makeup is to learn techniques that really make sense and really work, not just buying more products
And much, much more
What Are the Best Ingredients?
My team and I are continually asked which ingredients in skincare products are the best. If there’s a new ingredient being touted, we’re asked if it’s now “the answer” to their specific skincare woes, especially when it comes to wrinkles.
Aside from