Missing You All & More Posts Underway!

I've missed you all so much! I'm sorry it's been so long! I've been spending long hours in the hospital and, unfortunately, my blogging has suffered. Sometimes I do get downtime, but, alas, our computer systems block out blogging sites so I haven't been able to blog from work.

I have figured out a work-around though, and I'll be able to use my downtime to be more productive! Anyway, I will be working on some new posts during the amazing labor day weekend!

Enjoy your weekends everyone and stay safe!
xo
dr david

Product Commentary: CLUBMAN Shave Gel

CLUBMAN Shave
Shave Gel
Sensitive Skin

I wrote about CLUBMAN Shave Cream, which is an exceptional product.

However, this shave gel I did not think was nearly as good as the creme version. The biggest problem was that it did not do a good job cutting down on the friction of shaving. It was painful to shave. If this is not too much of an issue for some shavers, than the fact that this product is clear and doesn't really lather up, can make for a nice visible shave. This is one product where you can really see where you are shaving.

So, if you want a visible shave, this could be the product for you. Could be good for trimmed/shaped beards, etc. But if you need a more comfortable shave, this product probable is not for you.

One thing that I (of course) don't like is the artificial and natural fragrances (not the best for sensitive skincare, as this product is claiming to be). I must say though, it does smell great. Masculine and clean, an excellent scent for a men's shaving product.

Product Review: Clarity by Superdrug

Clarity Skin Rescue
2 in 1 Deep Cleasing Wash/Mask
150 mL
~$5.00 USD

Here's another thing I've picked up while on my little European Adventure. This little wonder comes from Superdrug, the English drugstore. If you go to their website, there isn't even a good tagline for this product, in fact, not even a product description!

This is too bad, because I have to say that this is definitely one of the best products I have ever come across. Did I also mention it was pretty darn cheap, with the affordable price of less than 2 Pounds a bottle (that's around $4-5 in USD).

First let's start off with the ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Kaolin, Bentonite, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Trideceth-9, Parfum*, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzophenone-4, Postassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamaldehyde**, 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)propionaldehyde, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Cl 42051, Cl 60730.
*you know I don't like artificial fragrances! **this ingredient is a naturally derived aroma agent from chamomile, with possible allergenic properties in high doses. Overall though, a pretty safe ingredient as far as "aroma" agents go.

So as far as the ingredients go, of course there are a few I could do without. You know my usual rant about artificial fragrances! Overall, however, the ingredients selected in this product is why I LOVED this product. Let's talk about it!

This product combines Kaolin Clay, Bentonite Clay, and Salicyclic Acid. Making this a super product for improving complexion (not to mention an excellent adjuvant to acne care and oily skin). I can go on and on about the wonders of natural Kaolin Clay (click here for a post about Kaolin) as well as Bentonite. And Salicyclic Acid is a well proven anti-acne ingredient as well (and has anti-inflammatory properties as well). I have to give kudos for someone who actually decided to put these products together to create a face wash. It is pretty rare to see these clays in a wash, but they make all the difference, in fact, I do believe there will be notible differences in the skin's appearance with the use of this product.

Now before you think this product is all peaches & cream, not so fast. It says it's a face wash, and it certainly does clean the face, but you won't get that "sudsy" effect from this product at all. However, with all the clay ingredients, it's pretty hard to create a "sudsy" product, by you really don't have to. This is only an aesthetic issue. It certainly works great as a mask and dries up just like a mask would.

In my opinion, it is very nice to see a product like this, and hopefully other companies will follow suit. I believe this should be a must-have product in everyone's shower line up.

I'd suggest leaving the mask on for a few minutes if possible before washing it off.

NY Times Article on skincare targeted to cancer patient

A while back I was interviewed by the NY Times about skincare products targeted to cancer patients. I'm glad to see the article presents these products lines for what they are . . . of little substance. There, of course, is no proof in the pudding as they say. I wrote a piece on the rubbish that is the Lindi Skincare line and their shameful targeting towards a most vulnerable population.

This piece from the NY Times discusses the sad state and contradiction that is our health care system. Our cancer hospital gift shops may sells these product lines and many patrons might think that they work (why else would a hospital sell them) but in fact, neither are these products endorsed by the hospital, nor are they particularly effective at treating cancer patients' skincare needs.

Even though the oncologist physicians quoted in the interviews agree that these products aren't necessarily superior to any other skincare line, it would have been nice to get some quotes in by Dermatologists who could have much more easily dismissed the like of Lindi Skin and others.

The article also does a nice job at illustrating the rip-off prices of these products as well. Nice Job.

PARABENS PART 6: DON'T MIX!!!

SO it comes to an end. This is my last piece in the Parabens Series before I do a 'wrap-up' of them all. This is certainly an important piece, mostly because it will list specific ingredients to watch out for the next time you go shopping.

So I've said all along that there is no need for alarm about parabens used in skincare products as opposed to other preservatives. It has a good safety history (which is more than I can say for "paraben alternatives" used mainly for marketing purposes) and has been around much longer than almost all the other preservatives.

One of the scare tactics associated with parabens is that they release formaldehyde. This is actually not true of the parabens by themselves. However, if certain preservatives are mixed together (this applies to non-paraben and parabens alike) their combination can indeed release trace amounts of formaldehyde. By the way, formaldehyde is that nasty stuff used to embalm dead bodies or to fix tissues for laboratory work. Actually, it has a ton of uses, but all mainly in the realm of preserving things (that are not alive of course!). This is because it is very toxic and carcinogenic. So the last think we want is to be adding this to our bodies.

This being said, out bodies do produce (extremely small) amounts of formaldehyde as by products of certain processes. In fact, if people drink wood alcohol (methanol) they go blind. This is because the body breaks down that methanol into formaldehyde. It's the formaldehyde that causes this blindness, and, yes, it's permanent.

So here we go . . .
Parabens by themselves and combinations of parabens are NOT formadehyde releasers.

On the other hand, these non-paraben preservatives are in fact paraben releasers and will release formaldehyde in the products that contain them. In short, I would try and stay away from these ingredients if possible, especially if a product contains more than one of the following ingredients (this is because they can additively release even more formaldehyde into the product). So here is the list

Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives:

• 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol
  
• DMDM Hydantoin
• Diazolidinyl Urea
  
• Hydroxymethylglycinate (click for more on this)
  
• Imidazolidinyl Urea
• Quarternium-15
  
• Trishydroxymethylnitromethane
  
• 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol
• The Urea's, in general

Some of these mixed in with parabens will help to release formaldehyde from the paraben components as well. So my suggestion is to stay away from the listed ingredients above. No need to add more formaldehyde to our skincare diet!

New Blog Posts on the way!

Well it feels like it's been forever! It's been a pretty hectic several weeks. I got sick somewhere along the way to my brother's wedding (which was fantastic I am happy to report) and coming back to Hawaii, and since I've been working like crazy lately, I've had like zero energy! But I am so glad to be blogging for you all again! Here's what to look for in the weeks ahead . . .

I'll be posting another blog about Parabens, then summarizing all the posts on parabens that I've already written about. More ingredient posts, reviews, Q&A's, and more! Check back Monday!