As a woman in my mid-20s, my skincare routine has two main components: prevention (from wrinkles, aging spots, sun damage, etc.) and maintenance (wrinkle reducing, blemish zapping, etc.) And because I keep edging closer and closer to that "late 20's" mark, wrinkle maintenance is becoming real, folks. Lines I never had before are starting to weasel their way on to my face, and I'm trying to zap 'em while I can. I think I make my point clear that I was more than willing to try the brand new Acute Care line by Rodan + Fields, eh?
This line of products is aimed at defending the skin against visible signs of aging for noticeably smoother and firmer skin. There are 4 steps to the routine and it's all rather simple to use, and very conveniently numbered so you never forget which order to use it all in.
There are two main ingredients that make this product what it is: Hyaluronic Acid (an anti-aging ingredient you most surely can't look left without seeing somewhere!) to plump and hydrate the skin, and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 (which I have never heard of) to reduce wrinkles and increase firmess and elasticity.
To begin, you use the Redefine Daily Cleansing Mask, which is unlike any cleanser I've used before. You apply it to the skin and let it dry for 2 minutes or so. It's a tad gritty, so when you go to wash it off, it gently exfoliates the skin. Because it doesn't suds up, I always felt like this wasn't cleaning my face well enough (but I never broke out from it). I would highly recommend wiping all traces of makeup away prior to using this cleanser, as I don't think it'd do a good job of makeup removal and it's not suitable for use on the eye area.
Next, go in with the toner. It is clear and feels refreshing on the skin. It is meant to lightly exfoliate and allow the creams to sink further in to the skin. After that, you use either the morning Triple Defense Treatment, or the evening Overnight Restorative Cream. Both of these feel the same on the skin, but one is more peach-colored and the other is white. I really like the feel of these, as they're very silky and soft. In the morning I'd still use another moisturizer after using the cream, but in the evening I used the cream as my only moisturizer. My skin felt really plump and hydrated upon waking.
Every third night, you use these Skincare for Expression Lines patches and they're the oddest and coolest little things. You can see they're sort of textured, and what you do is peel off the sealed part, and firmly press these down in to the expression line you'd like to treat and then sleep with them on and removing them in the morning. It actually feels like teeny spikes going in to your skin to administer the product. It's so odd and I kind of love them! I primarily focused these on my upper forehead lines, and the first time I used them I noticed a definite improvement for half a day or so. However, over the next couple days, the line came back full force. Over the next uses, I didn't seem to notice much of a difference.
I did try these patches on a couple lines above my eyebrows and the patches irritated my skin, causing a bumpy red patch that wasn't too noticeable but was certainly irritating. I didn't experience this irritation when I used these on my forehead, however.
I used these products for three weeks, and honestly, I can't say I noticed a difference. I do think that the Expression Line patches are a really cool thing and I'd buy those solely on their own because I think they would actually do something with extended use.
Overall, I think these products are good, and it can't hurt to use them especially for preventative care, however they just didn't do a whole lot for me in the maintenance category. I'll continue to use the morning and night cream and I'll probably use all of the products until they're gone. But because these products are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.... like over $400, there is no way I'll be able to afford them again. I just can't spend that kind of money on skincare when I know of other good products that are far more affordable.
What's your favorite anti-aging product? Let me know!
