Christine Esposito, Associate Editor01.05.12
As the founder of Main Line Center for Laser Surgery in Ardmore, PA, and a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Eric Bernstein has been in the business long enough to know what works when it comes to fighting the signs of aging skin—from both the ingredient side and the device side.
Bernstein continued, “When repairing sun-damaged skin, we’re trying to stimulate healing without making a wound. That’s why at LaseResults we formulate our products with a symphony of ingredients, all working together in just the right way to get the results you will see.”
“For the past 20 plus years, I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to research skin aging and strategies to halt or reverse changes associated with sun damage.In addition to my work with lasers, which started in the late 1980s, I’ve also extensively studied the ingredients that combat this type of skin damage,” he told Happi.
That perspective, according to this Yale-trained doctor, has allowed him to identify the “five cardinal signs” of skin and sun aging which include fine lines and wrinkles, enlarged pores, sagging skin, redness and brown spots.
And while lasers are surely an option, Bernstein realizes results can come from a well-crafted formulation too.
“While I first looked at lasers to solve many of these issues, I realized that many of the effects I look for from lasers are achievable with topicals if used every day.But it’s not just any topical, it’s a symphony of the right ingredients that I felt has been lacking on the market,” he said.
And as such, he set out to create a regimen designed to halt or reverse signs of aging and improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin.
The result is LaseResults, a skin care range that includes Exfoliating & Hydrating Cleanser, AM Repair & Protect SPF 30, PM Focused Repair Lotion, PM Intensive Focused Repair Lotion, Calm & Restore Serum and Eye Focused Treatment, all of which protect skin against harsh environmental elements and achieve “laser-quality, skin rejuvenating results.”
Bernstein acknowledges that it takes time on the bench to achieve those results.
LaseResults includes a PM Focused Repair Lotion.
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“When formulating ingredients to protect and rejuvenate skin, it really does take a lot of experience with a number of ingredients to arrive at the perfect formula,” Bernstein said. “In the laboratory, I have patented, along with some others, a model of skin photoaging using human cells that contain a gene which is turned on by sun-damage; this model has been used by me, and by some of the biggest skin care companies in the world, to investigate what ingredients prevent skin aging, and what combinations of ingredients work best together. But that’s only the first part, next these ingredients need to be formulated in such a way as to find the best combination or ingredients formulated just right so they penetrate down to the deeper layers of the skin to perform their magic.”
According to Bernstein, in a blinded clinical study of LaseResults PM Focused Repair Lotion, after two weeks of use, 100% of subjects showed improvement in skin firmness and 71% showed improvement in skin tone. After four weeks, 100% of subjects showed a reduction in pore size, 87% showed improvement in skin clarity and 86% showed improvement of fine lines and wrinkles.
At the center of the range is CRV-8 complex, which is designed to repair and protect skin.
“The CRV-8 Complex is made up of a symphony of rich antioxidants and ingredients including citric acid, glutathione, the antioxidant polyhydroxy acid (PHA) gluconolactone, resveratrol, hydroxyproline and other key peptides that are clinically proven to work together,” he said.
For Bernstein, the sum is greater than the parts when it comes to formulating results-oriented skin care.
“Everybody asks if there’s a single ingredient that does the job, but there isn’t. In my opinion, that’s where many folks that study western medicine and science fall short,” he said.“We want to know what ‘ingredient’ does the job, but in most cases the body doesn’t work by responding to one ingredient. When our bodies get injured, a myriad of growth factors activate a cascade of cells to repair the body, all timed in just the right way, coming in and then leaving right on cue.“
Bernstein continued, “When repairing sun-damaged skin, we’re trying to stimulate healing without making a wound. That’s why at LaseResults we formulate our products with a symphony of ingredients, all working together in just the right way to get the results you will see.”