Medical Grade vs Over-the-Counter Skincare
Why Medical Grade?
Determining where to invest your money when it comes to skincare can be confusing and overwhelming at times. You want results, but you don’t want to break the bank. Do you buy from a drugstore or should you invest in the products your med spa recommends? The question then becomes: What's the difference between medical grade skincare you get from Estheticians and over-the-counter drugstore products? Read below as I dive into the differences between the two!
Where you get them:
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine/products are drugs sold directly to the consumer without a prescription or help from a medical professional. They can be sold at any kind of drugstore such as CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Ulta and so on. This is quite the opposite with Medical Grade skincare. These products can only be sold under a medical director (places such as a medical spa, dermatologist, plastic surgeon, etc.). At these locations, the products are being sold by people that have extensive skin knowledge, and can properly educate you on the ingredients and the results the product will provide.Purchasing medical grade products will put you on a better track for getting the skincare that is right for your skin type and concerns, because you're getting professional recommendation and advice.
Concentrations of Ingredients:
One of the biggest differences between OTC and medical grade skincare is the concentrations of ingredients. For those of you who don’t know, ingredients are listed in order of their concentrations. The first five ingredients or so are typically the bulk of the formula. The concentration of each ingredient gets smaller the further down the list they are. With medical grade products, the concentrations of the important ingredients (such as Retinol or Glycolic) are much higher than those used in over-the-counter products. For example, a medical grade Vitamin C serum we carry is formulated with 15% and 30% strengths. Additionally, the ingredients that are actually important for efficacy, are at the top of the list. This means not only are you getting the product you paid for, but the results too!
Quality of Ingredients:
This brings us to the quality of ingredients. When it comes to skincare, the saying “you get what you pay for” is so true. A $10 moisturizer claiming to completely regenerate your skin overnight is more than likely - too good to be true. Why? Because using and finding good quality ingredients takes a lot of time, resources, and of course money. For example, Revision Skincare (a medical grade skincare company we carry here at ZONA), preaches about how their scientists, “ follow the highest standards of ingredient selection with innovative processes that retain the ingredients' purity and strength”. They actually go all around the world to harvest their ingredients! You simply just won’t get that with a drugstore skincare company. When purchasing a skincare product, always ask yourself: “Has this formula been clinically proven as effective by scientists and researchers?” “Are the ingredients in this product stable and tested to deliver the best results?” We guarantee all of our products here at ZONA because of the standards held by these medical grade companies. So now you have a better idea of why medical grade skincare is a much better option if you really want to see changes to the skin. We will always recommend Medical Grade Skincare products. They are the best way to know you are getting a safe and effective product that is worth your hard earned money.
For More Information:
For more information on medical grade or OTC skincare products, please contact us at ZONA Med Spa. Or book a complimentary consultation online by clicking here.
