New face care routine and challenge with MEG 21 products

Combating glycation and skin damage with my new skincare routine.

I have not been happy with my face care regimen of late. The dry weather, coupled with heavy anti-acne treatment and a bit of air-travel, has led to flaky, but still oily skin. Worst of all, lack of sleep and all the stress have ruined my under-eye area. The flakes look worse under foundation despite moisturiser, so it is time to change things around and go in for a new skincare routine.
Just as excess sugar is harmful for the body, it is also damaging to the skin. The sugar molecules bind to the elastin and collagen proteins in the skin, in a process called glycation. This leads to the formation of harmful free-radicals and proteins, oxidative stress and damaged skin. Supplamine, a molecule proven to counter the harmful effects of glycation, was actually developed during laboratory research on diabetes! And, I am now testing out a range of skincare products with Supplamine as the key ingredient.

Read more about the MEG 21 range of skincare products and my new face care routine below. 

Supplamine is made of two aminos - the first synthesises collagen and elastin, which keep skin elastic and youthful. The second inhibits the formation of the post-glycation proteins. The ingredient has undergone seven independent clinical trials so far, all of which have shown that Supplamine nullifies the toxic sugars (which cause signs of ageing) in the skin.
Developed by Dr Annette Tobia, a post-doctoral fellow from Rockerfeller University, NY, and her team, the MEG 21 range of skincare products is made by Dynamis Skin Science Inc. Dr Tobia's research focused on the impact of glycated sugar on the skin.
I have to finish a pile of journal articles and research reports about what this ingredient does, and what I have read so far has convinced me to change my face care regimen to incorporate Supplamine.

Here are the MEG 21 products in my new skincare routine:

1. Refine and Refresh Moisturising Toner
2. Cell Therapy Antioxidant Boost
3. Smooth Radiance Face Treatment
4. Bright and Firm Eye Treatment

From March 15, this is what my skincare routine is like:

• Cleansing with Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash and the Konjac Sponge in the mornings; a wipe, followed by Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream and the Foreo Luna in the evenings.
• Refine and Refresh Toner
• Antioxidant Boost
• Smooth Radiance Face Treatment
• Bright and Firm Eye Treatment
• For the mornings, I follow up with primer and the rest of my makeup; in the evenings, I apply benzoyl peroxide over my acne once the moisturiser sinks in. 

As a rule, I don't use toners. They dry out my skin badly and cause flaking and breakouts. The Refine and Refresh clearly says it is a moisturising toner, so I am giving it a go for the next six weeks. It smells sweet and herbal.
The eye cream is super-creamy and is drunk up almost immediately by my super-dry under-eye area.
The Antioxidant Boost is a lightweight serum that reminds me a lot of Lancome Advanced Genefique, which is my HG serum.
So far, I have had signs of one new breakout coming out on the right cheek and some existing acne, but Auntie Flo is almost here; maybe that is why.

According to the literature, it takes four weeks for the Supplamine to act on glycated skin and to reduce redness, fine lines and wrinkles and to show smoother skin, better tone and firmness. I am going to stick to this regimen for the next few weeks.
Now this is what my acne (and oily skin) looks like right now. Ole Spotty-Face. Enid Blyton's favourite name for her villains.

And this is how my under-eye area looks after a few months of terrible sleep. Dark circle - check. Dry as a... desert - check. Tiny zit - check. Lines - check.

I will do a follow-up with after- photographs and republish these before- photos alongside, once I give the MEG 21 products a decent trial.

So in 28 days, I will see results. Tell you what, let's give the whole regimen a month and a half - we are halfway through March and I doubt I'll blog on April 14th or 15th since I'm celebrating my birthday, plus my Gramps has promised to go along with me on a crocodile-inhabited river trail in April. It will also be interesting to see how the products work when the weather becomes more humid. I will post the results of the challenge and follow-up during the last couple of days of April or the first couple of days in May, depending on my schedule.

Stay tuned for my review-and-results post by the first week of May.

PR Samples