Hello! My name is Dr. Ryan and since today is Friday, it’s time for another Mailbag Friday! Every week I answer two important questions from customers who turn to me for advice on their skincare routines, and this week I am so excited about the questions we have! My first question comes from Martha in Syracuse, NY.
Q: Hi Dr. Ryan! I’ve been seeing a lot of different skincare products that seem to be really expensive. If they’re more expensive does that mean they’re more effective?
A: Hi Martha, thanks for writing to me! This is a question that I am so excited to answer because people often think that the more expensive products are of better quality and have better results, but that’s simply not true. Let me explain why that is…
When looking for a new skincare product, you’ll probably come across a lot of similar products with very different price tags.
While effective products don’t usually come cheap, you can’t always determine how good something is by the cost of it.
Instead, my professional recommendation is to look out for products that have scientifically proven results.
My South Beach Skin Lab line, for example, is based on scientifically backed ingredients that have been proven to help improve things like wrinkles, dark spots and sagging skin.
Fancy brands and shiny labels might be tempting, but it’s always important to follow the facts if you want to get the most out of the money you’re spending.
Try not to get distracted by luxury brands. Instead, find out what ingredients are being used in the products you’re interested in and do some research on them.
If you like what you see, then you can take the plunge and try the product!
Another thing I recommend is to try and find a company that stands behind its products and has a fair return policy.
I offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on every single order that’s placed with South Beach Skin Lab because I want my customers to be able to give the product a fair try before they commit to it!
So no, expensive products aren’t always more effective, so make sure you do your research before you buy them!
My next question comes from Sandra in Columbus, OH.
Q: Hi Dr. Ryan, I bought some skin cream a few years ago but I forgot about it and I think it’s expired now. Is it still safe to use it?
A: Hi Sandra, this is a great question that I don’t get often enough! The short answer is no, I wouldn’t recommend using expired skincare, but the reason for that might not be what you expect…
Skincare products usually have a shelf life of two years if they remain unopened, and 6-24 months if the seal has been broken.
Every product is different, so you’ll have to check the bottle for the shelf life. You can find this out by looking for an image of an open jar with a number followed by the letter “m”.
For example, if the jar has “6m” inside, it means the product can be used for up to 6 months after opening.
The reason I wouldn’t recommend using your products after this time has passed is because you can’t rely on the quality of the ingredients anymore.
Not only are your products exposed to bacteria and mould after opening, but the effectiveness of the ingredients slowly gets worse and worse over time, so fresh products are best.
Skincare companies put their products through a lot of testing to find out how long they are effective and safe after they’ve been opened, so my professional recommendation is to follow these guidelines as closely as possible.
Even if you haven’t opened the product, it will still go bad after about 2 years or so, depending on the brand.
If you truly want to see some results, you need to make sure your products are as new and fresh as possible or else you really can’t rely on them.
It’s never ideal to have to waste a product if it hasn’t been used in time, but the whole point of skincare is to protect your skin and keep it healthy, and you need good quality ingredients to do that.
My advice would be to throw out that cream if it’s been more than two years and try something new - I think you’d love my Repair and Release cream!
Regardless of what you choose to replace the expired cream, it will do a much better job than something that’s lost its effectiveness.
Thanks for asking this question, Sandra. I hope you manage to find a cream that you like!
