CellCeuticals Four Week Review

It’s been four weeks since I started using CellCeuticals products for aging. As I’ve written in my two week review, I still love it and will not give it up!

My favorite is still the NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment due to how it makes me skin feel clean and it’s not too abrasive.

I have noticed a visible change in the lines on my forehead and some diminished areas around the crows feet. I feel my face is more vibrant and supple and I wake up with a glow.

I definitely like all the products in the regiment and would recommend them to anyone.

If you haven’t already signed up, there is a link in another blog entry to win a free Gentle Cleanser compliments of CellCeuticals but hurry as the drawing will be August 15th!

Here is a YouTube video on what others state about CellCeuticals as well as a demonstration on how to use the program:

Still not convinced? Check out their Facebook page that has over 180 followers with their comments!

 

Prevage Versus Cellceuticals

A couple of year’s ago, I spent a lot of money and tried a relatively new product called Prevage.  It was probably one of the first “cosmeceuticals.”  The website for this product states:

Prevage® Anti-Aging Treatment does it all, addressing major antiaging concerns to deliver proven results. It contains 0.5 % Idebenone, a highly effective antioxidant shown to inhibit the chain reaction that can cause visible signs of aging. Prevage® also helps to re-energize skin, resulting in a firmer, less lined look. Tests show that Prevage helps to even skintone, increase firmness, reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and brighten the skin.”

On Sephora, there are 47 comments which ended up overall as 4.2 out of 5.0.

This reviewer had the same problem as I did, “I originally thought this was a great product. I have used it for about 2 weeks without and side effects. After applying it today, I flared up in hives around my eyes and it burns. I also have some bumpy red spots forming on my cheeks. Be careful when using this product. I had to get the cortisone cream out to take the redness down. Will not be using any longer. Bummer…”  Another user stated he/she had an allergic reaction to it.  Three more out of the 47 users suffered the same reactions and one noted that the company says 25% of users will have this reaction.

A 1.7 oz bottle costs $155 which is costly if you are one of the 25% like I was.

There is another product called Prevage MD that is part of the line.  Prevage MD is different and based on their website, it helps to correct and protect from free radican damage due to environmental stress.  More specifically, it states:

– Helps correct the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
– Helps protect skin from environmental stressors known to cause skin aging
– Improves the overall appearance of skin
– Contains idebenone, the most powerful topical antioxidant available with an EPF® rating of 95 out of 100
– Is only available from your doctor

They do have some impressive before and after shots.

Realself.com provides reader reviews that aren’t very flattering.

I’m sticking with CellCeuticals (see other blog entries for more about CellCeuticals)!

 

Proactive Skin Care: My Review

I have tried so many different acne products throughout the years as I’m one of those unlucky people who suffer from acne past puberty or in my case, WAY past puberty.  The only product I have been able to fine that is tried and true is Proactive.  I will admit that I was reluctant to try it out and having Jessica Simpson as their spokesperson at one time did NOT make me want to use it.   I have used Proactive on and off for many years now and I have not found anything that compares. 

As I noted in my prior CellCeuticals review, I had to keep using Proactive as my breakouts started as soon as I stopped using the product.  I wished they had a program that didn’t include the toner as I suspect I’m suppose to follow the directions but when I already have a beauty regiment of cleanse and lotion, I don’t want to apply a toner and scrub and refining mask.  I am having difficulty with when to use each of my products as I have my CellCeuticals daily cleanser, my Proactive cleanser, my Cellceuticals lotion, my Proactive lotion and then there are other products to throw in that are not necessarily daily.  Nonetheless, I have made it worked and my skin is clear, vibrant and more youthful with the combination of these two products.

The Proactive program is like CellCeuticals where you join and get frequent shipments and are charged monthly.  The Proactive plan I’m on only costs $19.95 plus shipping a month which is worth it for a clear face.  I highly recommend Proactive (and was not paid to state that!).   I also got my acne proned daughter using it and her face looks remarkable for the first time in years.

 

A New Cosmetic Filler: Radiesse

Radiesse is a fairly new cosmetic filler made of calcium microspheres suspended in a water-based gel.   Radiesse is different from collagen and normal fillers with hyaluronic acid.   Because of its design, it’s expected to curtail, if not eliminate, allergic reactions.   Radiesse claims to not only reduce medium and deep lines and wrinkles but it als provides a fuller look where it’s used.  This new filler possibly eliminates some plastic surgery facelift procedures.

According to the Radiesse website, this filler also stimulates the body to produce new collagen.  They also state that it’s more effective than Restylane based on a 60 subject clinical trial.  Radiesse also provided greater subject satisfaction over Juvederm and Perlane based on a 205 subject trial.

 Realself  had some real testimony on the Radiesse which was not favorable but remember that not all procedures work for everyone.   It’s unfortunate nonetheless when anyone suffers from something like this.  Medicadepot also lists a story on over 930 media reported complaints bad procedures on fillers in general during a five year period.   To keep it in perspective, last year1.36 million women and 84,000 men were treated with dermal fillers.

More information on the Radiesse clinical trials:

1. Based on a clinical study of 205 patients who were treated with a regimen of RADIESSE, Juvéderm and Perlane fillers. Patients were provided with a questionnaire and asked to rate the level of satisfaction at 4, 8, and 12 months post second injection. Patients were provided a yes/no questionnaire to address recommendations of RADIESSE dermal filler or other products at 4, 8, and 12 months.  Moers-Carpi, M. M., Vogt, S., Santos, B. M., Planas, J., Vallve, S. R., and Howell, D. J. (2007). A multicenter, randomized trial comparing calcium hydroxylapatite to two hyaluronic acids for treatment of nasolabial folds. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, 33: S144–S151.

2. Based on a clinical study of 60 patients who were treated with a regimen of 2 injections 3 months apart with RADIESSE and Restylane fillers. Masked evaluaters measured effectiveness at 3, 6, and 9 months psot second injection. Moers-Carpi, M. M., and Tufet, J. O. (2007). Calcium hydroxylapatite versus nonanimal stabilized hyaluronic acid for the correction of nasolabial folds: A 12-month, multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled, split-face trial. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, 34, 1–6.

3. Data on file. Based on a split-faced nasolabial fold trial of 60 patients who were treated with a regimen of 2 injections 3 months apart with RADIESSE and Restylane

 

Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals Hand Lipid Replenishing Treatment Giveaway

The Gilt Group has Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals on sale ending midnight on August 3, 2009.  Not familiar with the Gilt Group?  They provide various types of samples from the manufacturer/designer at a fraction of the cost.  I’ve purchased GoSmile from them previously and was very happy with the product.  I spot checked the GoSmile from other internet stores and Gilt had it cheaper.

Click on the link below, create a sign in, review the products, come back to this post and list which product(s) you like or would like to try for a chance to win Perricone Hand Lipid Replenishing treatment.  Drawing will end August 31, 2009.

http://www.giltgroupe.com/invite/judy682000

HAND LIPID REPLENISHMENT (2.5 fl oz): A quick penetrating therapeutic cream that goes the distance. Dry hands are instantly recharged with moisture while never feeling slippery or sticky. Benefits continue wash after wash. Patented DMAE enhances muscle contour helping hands look more youthful.

 

CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser FREE Giveaway WINNER ANNOUNCED!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SHIRLEY FOR WINNING THE CELLCEUTICALS GENTLE SKIN CLEANSER GIVEAWAY!   I SENT SHIRLEY AN E-MAIL AND IF SHE DOESN’T CONTACT ME BACK IN 48 HOURS, I WILL USE RANDOM.ORG TO DRAW A NUMBER NUMBER.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUBMITTED COMMENTS AND TO CELLCEUTICALS FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY!

Interested in trying out a Cellceutical product but unsure if you will like it?  Now is your chance to WIN a free full size product.  CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatment Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser is up for grabs!

To enter, just place a comment on this post and one person will be chosen on August 15, 2009.

Good luck!

 

CellCeuticals® Two Week Review

It’s been two weeks since I first started using the CellCeuticals® Skin Care products. Although CellCeuticals® was very generous in providing the products for my use and review, I am not including their generosity to influence my overall review.

First off, as I previously wrote, I found the customer service I received from CellCeuticals® to be a step above from any company that I have had interactions with and I’m not easy to please at times (FTD can vouch for that in their failed attempt at providing customer service to a botched order).   Their products were delivered in rapid speed and the packaging was sophisticated and professional.  Keep in mind that I have bought several anti-aging products ranging on the low end to the very expensive.  Obviously, I have not found one I liked yet other than Botox but I have serious reservations about the long term use of Botox so I opt for other means.

The five products ranged from a daily cleanser (Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser) to a one-to-two times a week micro-abrasive product (NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment) to three types of moisturizers (Cer-Active Moisture+Barrier Repair Skin Treatment, Extreme Defense Anti-Cell Damage Skin Treatment, CellGenesis Regenerative Skin Treatment).

The products are easy to use and are similar to most every other beauty regiment out there which was nice that I didn’t have to remember which steps to take on which day and so forth.   I also found that you did not need a lot of product and therefore, if I sign up for the membership, I wouldn’t run out before the next shipment arrived.  I love the Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment and found that although I have sensitive skin that cannot tolerate some products, my face did very well with CellCeuticals® brand of products.  The moisturizers left my skin soft, not greasy and I saw a more radiant glow when I woke up in the mornings which I hadn’t seen since I was in my 20 and early 30’s.  I had already noticed a visible decrease in the area where crow’s feet like to appear and to verify, I asked my oldest daughter and she thought my skin looked better and thought the wrinkles were diminishing.  I did find that I still had to use my Proactive for acne as I had a flare up when I first started to use CellCeuticals® as I quit using Proactive to fairly test the products.

I chose CellCeuticals® due to one of the founders, Dr. Garth Fisher, being a high profile plastic surgeon and was the original phyisican for Extreme Makeover.  According to the CellCeuticals® website, he was also one of the top selected plastic surgeons in the US.

The non-membership charge is $120 (free shipping/handling) for the five products with a risk free money back guarantee.  If you opt for the membership program, it’s $39.95 (plus shipping/handling) each month with a new kit delivered every 60 days.

My decision is to continue using CellCeuticals® and provide another update in 30 days and will subscribe as a member if the benefits continue.

Be on the lookout for a contest on my blog for one free product!

*NOTE:  I was not paid or compensated for my review.

 

Lifestyle Lift: Good or Bad?

I saw an advertisement in this month’s Martha Stewart’s magazine and then searched for other recent reviews on WordPress for this procedure.  The claim to his is in “about one hour” a person “can look years younger.”   According to their website, they have over 80 doctors working on this procedure across the US and have served over 100,000 people to date.

They also claim, “in order to offer the very best outcome, Lifestyle Lift® is committed to working only with the very best board-certified doctors, including those from renowned institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Duke, Emory and Cornell.”

They do add this to add “credibility to their claims and procedure:”

The Lifestyle Lift Code of Internet Conduct and Assurance

Lifestyle Lift® pledges that all Internet communications accompanied by the trademarked Lifestyle Lift® logo are fair and accurately represent the latest in medical information about facial firming procedures. The comments and photographs are from actual patients and fairly represent the results and opinions of thousands of our patients. Lifestyle Lift® is proud to take a leadership role in establishing new standards of Internet conduct and communications. We promise that any Internet communication accompanied by our logo can be relied upon as true and accurate; and all communications originating from our practice will be clearly identified with the Lifestyle Lift® logo. If you have any questions or concerns about the authenticity of any internet content or postings, please contact Lifestyle Lift®.

I did find some reviews at http://www.realself.com/Lifestyle-lift/reviews.  The final tally from this site was:

• 33% said it was worth it
• 67% said it wasn’t worth it (pretty bad actual reviews actually)
• Average cost $5407

This positive review good but then when you keep reading near the bottom, it’s owned by Lifestyle Lift:   http://www.mylifestylelift.com/lifestylelift.html

To top it off, this person blogged about how Lifestyle Lift was fined in NY for providing false reviews on realself.com <— note this is the same website I noted above!.   http://www.localseoguide.com/fake-reviews-will-cost-you-real-just-ask-lifestyle-lift/

LifeStyle Lift – Fake Reviews Will Cost You Real $

July 15th, 2009

Just caught this article in the NYTimesabout how Attorney General Andrew Cuomo had fined Lifestyle Lift, a cosmetic surgery company, $300,000 for ordering its employees to write fake reviews of its face-lift procedure on sites like RealSelf.

Let’s put aside the ethics of faking reviews for a minute and reflect on how effective a strategy this was for Lifestyle Lift:

Pros:
They probably didn’t factor this in, but because they got caught, their site is now generating a lot of links.  Variations of “facelift” or “cosmetic surgery” are not hugely expensive to buy ($5-$10 CPC), but I guess if they could translate those links into some page one rankings it could easily be worth $300K.

Cons:
Page one of Google for “lifestyle lift”is already littered with results about this story.  My bet is unless they do some reputation management SEO these aren’t going away anytime soon.  So even if they do rank on page one for some great terms, sooner or later a prospective patient is going to Google them, see this story and likely bail.  Hmm, something like this could tank their whole business pretty quickly.  Maybe it wasn’t worth the page one rankings?

It’s too bad Lifestyle Lift went down this route, but it’s understandable.  There probably was a lot of negative word of mouth about them already in the cosmetic surgery communities.  Here’s the first thing I saw after I clicked on the third SERP result for “lifestyle lift” – “Lifestyle lift for jowls, turkey neck – unsure if it was worth it”

While it’s hard to overcome a bad product or service, perhaps if they had consulted with a knowledgable SEO/Reputation Management pro at least they could have come up with an alternate strategy that would not have cost so much, or if it had, at least it would have had a better ROI.  Some tips for Lifestyle Lift in the future:

1. SEO your site!  At least update your title tags with some good keywords.  Hell update your whole site.  It’s a bit of a tired, hard-to-read thing as is.  If you can’t control what people are saying about you online at least try to get some traffic for valuable keywords and bypass them.

2. Participate in social media without faking it.  If Ms. Turkey Neck is not saying nice things address her concerns.  Maybe you need to redo her turkey neck.  I guarantee if you turn her turkey neck into a swan neck, she will be your loudest supporter in these communities.  And what would that cost you?  My guess is the margins on turkey necks, among other things, are pretty fat.

3. Work with a reputation management pro who can help you move a lot of those pesky little negative links off of page one.

4. Better yet, give your customers reasons to say nice things about you online.

Even if you don’t have a problem with the ethics of fake reviews, they do often violate the terms of service of the reviews website.  And as Lifestyle Lift discovered, that little fact can cost you.  So next time you are thinking it might be a good idea to post some fake reviews of your business on the Web, remember you might be blowing all the cash you saved up to fix your damn turkey neck.

I think I’ll pass on this procedure ….

 

I’m Trying CellCeuticals® Skin Care Compliments of CellCeuticals® Skin Care

The kind PR person at CellCeuticals®Skin Care is given me the opportunity to try out the CellCeuticals® Skin Care system so I can provide a real time review of their products.  I was amazed at the speed and professionalism of their customer service when I approached them with the opportunity to try their product and provide my real assessment of the products.  Not only were they very friendly and professional but they were extremely quick in shipping the products to me. 

The five nicely packaged containers came with instructions in the box of two of the products along with two pages of paperwork explaining their “revolutionary” approach to anti-aging.   The paperwork focuses on the fact that not everyone is a candidate for plastic surgery and these products provide an alternative to going under the knife.  As I noted in the other blogs on CellCeuticals® Skin Care, two people created or developed this skin treatment regiment.   One of the co-developers, Dr. Garth Fisher, states he is able to “offer a clinically effective skin treatment system for those who are not ready for plastic surgery.”   Dr. Fisher is also Bruce Jenner’s plastic surgeon and his family claim to use the products as well.

CellCeuticals®Skin Care is claimed to be a new generation of bio-treatments that apply cellular science advancements.  The CellCeuticals®Growth Factor Peptide (GFP) Cellular Complex combines next generation lipopeptides, retinol and antioxidants in their proprietary nanemulsion delivery system that targets cellular skin aging.  This GFP Cellular Complex triggers cellular stimulation to encourage the regeneration of vital proteins responsible for firmer, thicker and youthful looking skin. 

A clinical trial was conducted by Stephens and Associates over an eight week period with the following results:

1. Diminish visible wrinkles by 36%
2. Decrease the appearance of the deepest wrinkle depth by 45%
3. Renew skin smoothness by 64%
4. Refine skin texture by 31%
5. Reveal skin radiance by 33%
6. Revitalize skin tone by 24%
7. Restore skin firmness by 20%
8. Replenish skin moisture by 48%
9. Reduce skin redness by 87%

Today, I used the Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser and it had a subtle lather and made my face feel clean with no residue.  I also used the NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment (use only 1-2 times a week) and I could definitely feel the micro-minerals at work resurfacing my skin.  I felt no burn or redness after using it for two minutes.  After that, I used the Extreme Defense Anti-Cell Damage Skin Treatment and my face feels very smooth, soft and no greasy residue.   Tonight, I will use the CellGenesis Regenerative Skin Treatment (use only at night).

According to their website, https://www.cellceuticalskincare.com/pages.php?pageid=8, in two weeks, I will start to see results and I can’t wait!

There is a limited time offer to try out the program for $39.95 plus Shipping/Handling.  If anyone else tries it, please comment so I can see how it worked for you.  I will provide updates each week.

 

I'm Trying CellCeuticals® Skin Care Compliments of CellCeuticals® Skin Care

The kind PR person at CellCeuticals®Skin Care is given me the opportunity to try out the CellCeuticals® Skin Care system so I can provide a real time review of their products.  I was amazed at the speed and professionalism of their customer service when I approached them with the opportunity to try their product and provide my real assessment of the products.  Not only were they very friendly and professional but they were extremely quick in shipping the products to me. 

The five nicely packaged containers came with instructions in the box of two of the products along with two pages of paperwork explaining their “revolutionary” approach to anti-aging.   The paperwork focuses on the fact that not everyone is a candidate for plastic surgery and these products provide an alternative to going under the knife.  As I noted in the other blogs on CellCeuticals® Skin Care, two people created or developed this skin treatment regiment.   One of the co-developers, Dr. Garth Fisher, states he is able to “offer a clinically effective skin treatment system for those who are not ready for plastic surgery.”   Dr. Fisher is also Bruce Jenner’s plastic surgeon and his family claim to use the products as well.

CellCeuticals®Skin Care is claimed to be a new generation of bio-treatments that apply cellular science advancements.  The CellCeuticals®Growth Factor Peptide (GFP) Cellular Complex combines next generation lipopeptides, retinol and antioxidants in their proprietary nanemulsion delivery system that targets cellular skin aging.  This GFP Cellular Complex triggers cellular stimulation to encourage the regeneration of vital proteins responsible for firmer, thicker and youthful looking skin. 

A clinical trial was conducted by Stephens and Associates over an eight week period with the following results:

1. Diminish visible wrinkles by 36%
2. Decrease the appearance of the deepest wrinkle depth by 45%
3. Renew skin smoothness by 64%
4. Refine skin texture by 31%
5. Reveal skin radiance by 33%
6. Revitalize skin tone by 24%
7. Restore skin firmness by 20%
8. Replenish skin moisture by 48%
9. Reduce skin redness by 87%

Today, I used the Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser and it had a subtle lather and made my face feel clean with no residue.  I also used the NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment (use only 1-2 times a week) and I could definitely feel the micro-minerals at work resurfacing my skin.  I felt no burn or redness after using it for two minutes.  After that, I used the Extreme Defense Anti-Cell Damage Skin Treatment and my face feels very smooth, soft and no greasy residue.   Tonight, I will use the CellGenesis Regenerative Skin Treatment (use only at night).

According to their website, https://www.cellceuticalskincare.com/pages.php?pageid=8, in two weeks, I will start to see results and I can’t wait!

There is a limited time offer to try out the program for $39.95 plus Shipping/Handling.  If anyone else tries it, please comment so I can see how it worked for you.  I will provide updates each week.