Skincare Spring Cleaning and a review of StriVectin Facial Anti-Oxidant

Spring is nearly here, so it's time to "Spring clean" your cosmetics shelf and decide what to keep and what to toss. Anything that has changed color, scent, or consistency goes in the trash. But how do you know what to replace it with?

When I review products for the Advice Sisters "What works" Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion review columns, I always caution readers that what works for me, an AdviceSisters reviewer, or on someone else's recommendation, may not work as well for you. Skincare has definitely evolved tremendously in the past decade, and there are tons of great products in every price point on the market to help maintain younger skin, and rejuvenate maturing skin and keep it as healthy and youthful as possible. No matter what your age or skincare issues, there is a lot of "TLC" you can do for your skin at home, especially before resorting to invasive procedures and harsh treatments. But the first step to getting good results is to understand your skin type (and it can span several types, such as oily and sensitive, or combination and maturing). Most likely you already know your skin's dominant traits, but if you're in doubt, visit a licensed dermatologist. Then it's time to figure out what will work best for your skin. Everyone knows that pricey products can put a dent in a beauty budget, but when you're considering what will help improve, maintain and protect your skin, it's best to ignore price (as much as you can afford to do so) and pick products that will address your skin's needs and challenges. And, most importantly, use the products regularly and as directed.

Some products promise the world and some are quite pricey. The difficult part of choosing one is deciding if it's the proverbial "hope in a jar", or something that is really new and will work, wonderfully. Stri-Vectin has a number of pricey skincare products and I was really curious about them. I tried the StriVectin Facial Antioxidant $109.00 3.5 fl. oz. by Klein-Becker. It is advertised as a "concentrated facial antioxidant" and I have even seen the claim: "better than Botox" (although I'm not sure that is the company's own slogan). The Stri-Vectin line has at last count, 6 products, including a much-ballyhooed Strivectin-SD to help improve any stretch marks on your body.

StriVectin has encountered some controversy, and as a result, it's just created even more curiousity and demand, much like Prevage by Allergan that uses another antioxidant called "idebenone". My quick search of the web didn't pick up a lot of reviews by actual users, but it did pick up plenty of controversial chatter. Klein-Becker's studies claim that StriVectin's anti-oxidant is 2.5 times more powerful then idebenone. As you age, your skin begins to lose the ability to renew itself as quickly, but the claim that a 67-year-old women using StriVectin could accomplish the same "Skin Renew Rate (SR2)" as a 29-year-old woman struck me as pretty amazing. Could this really be true?

As with all skincare, it is important to keep your expectations realistic. Your skin may retain or re-create some of the regenerative abilities of younger skin, but if it's already heavily lined and seriously sgging, using it doesn't mean you'll look like you are 16 again, or have had a facelift or other invasive treatment. StriVectin is a great cream--and it might even be the cream of your dreams, but it is not a facelift.

So what does StriVectin's Facial Anti-Oxidant cream do? The first thing to know is that anti oxidants are a good thing (although the term is bandied about as a cure-all). Antioxidants can help protect and improve skin. They help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. They also can improve skin elasticity/firmness and protect your skin skin from further damage (like wrinkles, dryness, and thinning skin) by shielding skin cells from the harm caused by free radicals (cell damaging molecules that are created when you exposure your skin to the sun's damaging UV rays, and other pollutants of daily life). If the cream can really help your skin to rejuvenate itself more like it did in your younger years, your skin should look better over time with regular use. In the interests of providing some personal information about the product on the Internet, here's my personal experience with it: For starters, I did use StriVectin for a short while, but I didn't have time to test and use up the entire tube. Instead, I tried a simple test. I used the StriVectin on one half of my face for a few days. Then I asked my husband (who is dubious about any skincare that isn't just soap and water, or costs over $10.00) who really knows what my skin is usually like, to see if he could tell what side I had treated with StriVection. I assumed it would take him a while to figure it out, or maybe he wouldn't notice any change, but he immediately picked the side treated with StriVectin, saying that the frown line on that side of my face was significantly smaller than the other. In fact, my frown line was significantly smaller on the StriVectin-treated side. And, my skin felt soft and smooth, and somehow, a bit plumper and prettier. While this is hardly a scientific study, it did convince me that (for me, at least) the cream did good things that enhanced my skin's look and feel. As a beauty reviewer, I can choose just about any skincare I wish to use. For now, I'm going to stick with this one.

Sadly, I cannot say that my skin looks and feels like I'm a teenager, or even 29, but it looks good, feels good, and hopefully continued use will help prevent further environmental damage. *Note: you must use a good sunscreen as well with this product...it's not a sun block! There is a lot of press about Klein-Becker's products, such as is this a breakthrough drug, or a cosmetic moisturizer? And is it worth the cost? Does the press pro or con make it worthy or unworthy of your consideration? Definitely not. For starters, scientific beauty treatments with cutting edge technology don’t come cheap. If you want to be among the few to try something new and potentially beneficial, you should be prepared to pay for it. And, plenty of women and 'boomer" men, plus younger people who want to make sure they don't turn out looking like mom or dad, will continue to make room in their budget for StriVectin. My suggestion is to read the ingredients on the box, check with your dermatologist, and above all, keep your expectations realistic. If you are over a certain age, you cannot really turn back the hands of time to your teenage years no matter what cream you use on your face. But, you can make your skin look better and you can also protect your skin at any age by wearing adequate sun protection. StriVectin, like others in it's category, appears to be a good cream for the right type of skin, used correctly and at the right time. I really liked it. If it is in your budget, WHY NOT?