Medical-Grade vs. Over-the-Counter Skin Care Products

There are a wide range of skin care products available. We often hear patients ask us if there is a significant difference between the medical-grade skin care products we offer and the over-the-counter alternatives they can find at the store. The truth is that there is a huge difference between these two classes of products.

If you want to achieve the best possible results from your skin care regimen, you need to use products made from the best ingredients, in their purest form, formulated in the correct strength and used in the proper combinations. This is what medical-grade products provide. Over-the-counter alternatives simply do not compare.

Why Should I Choose Medical-Grade Skin Care Products?

There are several reasons why you will achieve significantly better results when you use medical-grade skin care products:

• Higher quality ingredients – Medical-grade skin care products contain ingredients that are developed by scientists and licensed skin care professionals. These ingredients must be approximately 99% pure in order to be included in medical-grade products. Over-the-counter skin care products aren’t held to this standard and as a result, don’t contain ingredients that match this level of quality and purity.
• Higher concentrations of active ingredients – Medical-grade skin care products are allowed to contain higher percentages of their active ingredients than is possible with over-the-counter products. This means you’ll have a stronger dosage of the antioxidants, vitamin C, retinoids and other ingredients necessary to maintain healthy, youthful, beautiful skin. The concentrations of these ingredients found in over-the-counter products simply aren’t strong enough to achieve the exceptional results you deserve.
• Greater research and testing – Medical-grade skin care products must go through extensive clinical research and years of testing in order to generate data backing up the claims associated with their effectiveness. These products are also subject to strict FDA oversight. As a result, you can be confident these products will deliver the best quality results at the highest levels of safety. Over-the-counter products aren’t held to this rigorous standard, and as a result, they lack the comprehensive testing necessary to be confident about their effectiveness.
• Delivery to deeper layers of your skin – In order to achieve any significant changes in your skin, the products you’re using must penetrate to the deeper skin layers. This is where collagen production occurs. Medical-grade products utilize delivery methods that are able to penetrate to these deeper skin layers, which is one of the main reasons why they are able to achieve much more effective results. Over-the-counter products only work on the surface layer of your skin, which limits their effectiveness.

Medical-Grade Skin Care Products Aren’t More Expensive

Many people believe that over-the-counter skin care products offer a more cost-effective solution. This simply isn’t true. There are several reasons why medical-grade products typically aren’t more expensive than over-the-counter options:

• No built-in marketing costs – Over-the-counter products require an extensive marketing budget since this is the only way to make the general public aware of these options.
• They work more effectively – Many people waste a lot of money on over-the-counter products that don’t actually achieve their intended results. When you use a medical-grade skin care product, you’re getting much better value for the money you spend.
• You use less of the product – The higher concentrations of the active ingredients in medical-grade products allow you to use less of the product to achieve your desired results. Therefore, these products will last much longer than over-the-counter options.

Contact Our St. Cloud MedSpa

At Midsota MedSpa, our team has carefully researched and vetted all of the skin care products we offer to ensure they meet our high-quality standards. Our estheticians will recommend a customized skin care regimen that will address your unique skin type and condition.

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