News
The Importance of Exfoliation February 06 2015
Ever wonder why exfoliation plays such an important role in the anti-aging of your skin? Most people love the effect of a chemical peel or a micro-dermabrasion treatment because of the instant brightening effect. Skin is brighter because the dull venire of dead cells are removed revealing the healthy living cells beneath. Obviously living dewy cells look better than dead cells. But there is so much more going on from an anti-aging standpoint.
When dead cells are removed, your skin’s natural rejuvenative processes are no longer clogged by a dead skin cell layer. When skin is clogged, healthy migration of new cells is shut down, and thus, skin ages faster. Medical science has overwhelmingly proven that once per week a 15% multi-hydroxy acid peel is the ideal way to gently dissolve dead skin cell buildup. That’s why our 15% multi-hydroxy Peel & Brighten pad appears once per week in your stack of Impress® Anti-aging Facial Pads box.
Every day, simply apply the top pad from your box for the most effortless comprehensive clinical anti-aging available. Every day a different pad formulation appears including your once-per-week Peel & Brighten pad. How’s that for genius!
How to Create Your Own At Home Spa Day January 26 2015
Day spas have become so expensive, it’s nearly impossible to afford them regularly if at all. Don’t fret, Impress® has made it possible for you to enjoy a spa day without the big expense.
Start in your bathroom with lighting your favorite scented candle. Soft spa music or complete quiet adds a meditative experience. Now you’re ready to draw a warm soothing bath to open your pores and relax tired muscles. We recommend an Epsom salt bath. Dr. Oz shares “Comprised of the minerals magnesium and sulfate, Epsom salt is a natural exfoliant and anti-inflammation remedy that can be used to treat dry skin, sore muscles, small wounds and even to fight illness. It can also be added to any bath or foot soak to create a luxurious at-home spa experience”.
More from Dr. Oz on Epsom salts: http://www.doctoroz.com/
While you bathe, apply Impress® Foaming Cleanser to your face allowing it to dry upon the skin. Rinse in five to ten minutes for a soap free, deep cleansing mask effect. Dry your face with a soft wash cloth.
Next apply your Impress® Peel & Brighten multi-hydroxy acid pad for a salon style peel, then moisturize with Impress Moisturizer. According to Dr. Oz, alpha-hydroxy acids are great primers to be applied prior to moisturizing, driving your moisturizer deeper for optimal hydration.
Step out of the tub at your leisure. Apply a quality body lotion.
Now you are your new favorite aesthetician!
The Skin Care Revolution January 06 2015
Ever wonder why every skin care company expects you to buy and apply a multitude of products? Lots of products means lots of application time in front of the mirror. Purchasing lots of products also means lots of cost for you and lots of profit for the skin care company. That’s why at Impress we are starting a movement away from traditional skin care.
Our revolution began with researching the research. In other words, we had to determine what is most proven by clinical science to improve your skin and thereby eliminate unnecessary products you don't need. It turns out you need to apply three things in order to accomplish what medical science has determined will anti-age your skin the most effectively.
They are:
(1) Retinoids (even coloration, lift & firm)
(2) Hydroxy Acids (brighten and rejuvenate)
(3) Anti-oxidants (soothe and protect).
The good news is you only have to apply one of the three (alternating) daily for fabulous results.
Our next step was to devise a way to get these three superstars affordably and easily into your skin.
Introducing Impress. The once a day anti-aging system that smooths, rejuvenates and firms sagging skin. Each of our three formulas goes into an individually sealed Impress Pad, arranged in the order you use them. Just remove the top pad from your box of Impress, peel away the foil and apply the pad to your skin. Great skin has never been this easy. Just apply the top pad from your box each day. It only takes seconds to do everything science says works the best to make your skin look and feel great! No more lengthy expensive routines!
Let the revolution begin!!
TSA Friendly Skincare for Traveling During the Holidays December 09 2014
It’s more common to travel lighter than ever given the high costs associated with checking bags and the restrictions on liquids carried through airport security. Many people choose not to carry expensive creams and skin care products for fear of confiscation or the necessity to check bags containing liquids. If there is ever a time when your skin is stressed and tired, it’s when you are traveling.
The answer: Impress Anti-aging Facial Pads. Impress combines the three most proven anti-aging ingredients and places them on three individually sealed pads. Traveling five days? Pack five disposable pads. Who would have ever thought you could carry a week’s supply of skin care products in your wallet?
Aside from the convenience of a once per day swipe of a disposable pad, especially while traveling, Impress will make your skin look radiant because Impress combines the ingredients most proven by medical science to reverse aging. Three powerful formulas, one pad per day…it’s genius!
What You Need to Know About Sunscreen October 20 2014
(hint: high SPF is not the whole story)
Some scientists fear that sunscreen may damage skin.
Almost all aging and damage of the skin is due to sun exposure. When we are exposed to the sun, the skin absorbs ultraviolet radiation (UVA & UVB rays) that cause instability in the molecules of the body tissue, releasing harmful compounds called free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with an unpaired electron that, in an attempt to locate its electron “mate”, can seriously disrupt the cells’ functions.
Sunscreen cuts down the amount of radiation that can penetrate the skin, but most sunscreens contain ingredients that have been shown to boost the number of free radicals over time once they absorb into the skin (usually 2-3 hours after application). The only way to protect against boosting these free radicals is to reapply more sunscreen often. Are you really going to remove your makeup every 2 to 3 hours to reapply your sunscreen? In a UC Riverside study, published in Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Kerry Hanson reports one hour after a ten minute session of UV exposure, the ingredient benzophenone-3 elevated free radicals by 64% compared to the control, while octyl methoxycinnamate and octocrylene boosted free radicals by 33% & 16%, respectively. These are the “three most commonly used ingredients in sunscreens worldwide, and their chemical structures are very similar to other molecules that we know generate free radicals”.
Sheldon Pinnell, a professor of dermatology at Duke University School of Medicine, also thinks the UC Riverside study has validity. “It’s known that some sunscreens behave in this manner. They get inside the skin and absorb energy, and that energy becomes free radicals, which can potentially cause harm, ” he says, naming avobenzone (which the UC Riverside study didn’t test) as one that “can form fairly active free radicals.”
The science has made one thing clear: Adding high-quality antioxidants to sunscreen can counteract any free radical activity, as long as there is enough of them in the formulation. Once absorbed, anti-oxidants can last about four days. Impress™ has added some of the most powerful anti-oxidants to our PrimeShade™, as well as melanin, a know cancer fighting agent. Our Soothe & Protect anti-oxidant pads are also an excellent supplement to most sunscreens.
Another step toward the ideal sunscreen formulation is to build it with photostable ingredients that do not absorb into the skin, but rather remain on the surface of the skin (such as the zinc oxide & titanium dioxide found in PrimeShade™). By dwelling on the surface, the danger of internal free radical damage is mitigated. With PrimeShade™, reapplication is not required (unless the sunscreen has been removed) because the product does not absorb into the skin.
Most sunscreens have an oil base that clogs pores causing acne breakouts, enlarged pores and a heavy uncomfortable feeling. We use a silicone base in our PrimeShade™ sunscreen that allows the pores to breath and the skin to feel fresh and natural as though nothing is on it. Our PrimeShade™ is also formulated to work as an ideal primer for your makeup!
Most sunscreens burn the eyes. Not PrimeShade™! The skin around the eyes is the thinnest skin on the body. It is incomprehensible to us why any sunscreen would be formulated that burns an area in need of more protection than any other area.
Amy B. Lewis, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine claims, “there are huge amounts of data that show that lack of sun protection causes DNA damage, melanoma, basil-cell and squamous-cell skin cancer, and horrible deformed moles and wrinkles, and there is great evidence for prolonged use of sunscreen to protect against all of those things”.
The data confirms that sunscreen is the best defense against sun damage and premature aging of the skin, especially when it contains zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and antioxidants to neutralize free radicals.