And now, botox in a bottle

For those who think that a plastic surgeon is a woman’s best friend but shrink from the mere thought of going under the scalpel or even the hypodermic needle, here’s beautiful news that comes in a bottle: Expression Line Control.

The rage in Europe, Expression Line Control, the breakthrough skincare line from Imedeen, is now in the Philippines. In town to tell us the inside story of Expression Line Control is Jana Vicanova, lovely and lively Czech whose knowledge of skincare is certainly more than skin-deep.

But first, Jana tells her story: "I got my masters in science in The Czech Republic and then went to Holland for my PhD in skin biology (from the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Leiden University, The Netherlands). There, I studied the effect of UV light on skin cells and how antioxidants help combat damage. In 1999, I joined Ferrosan in Denmark. There was a demand for innovation, new active ingredients, new products – cosmetics, cosmeceuticals/nutracosmetics or oral skincare products."

She hastens to add, "I believe the best active ingredients can be found in Imedeen."

Of course, Jana is talking about the Imedeen Time Perfection supplement that has been faithful to its promise of beauty from within. Today, Imedeen, a pioneer in internal skincare, takes beauty a step further with its anti aging external skincare line that boasts exclusive ingredients as only Imedeen skincare specialists can expertly whip up.

"The biomarine complex is the ingredient to look for in a skincare supplement," Jana answers a query. "In medical research, it is what’s used to heal wounds. Some clever people grabbed the idea and launched it in 1991 as an antiaging supplement because aging is a little bit of wounding of the skin – every day, you get little wounds. As you get more and more wounds, your skin structure is weakened, the skin loses its elasticity, it starts to sag, wrinkles appear."

Jana notes, "To combat this, vitamins E and C are very good antioxidants. Carotenoids are rich in lycopene – combined with grapeseed extract, which has a specific affinity for the skin, they work as potent antioxidants to fight UV damage and free radicals. Grapeseed is really good for broad protection of the skin."

To complement the in-depth action of Imedeen’s skin nutrient tablets, now comes Expression Line Control.

But why did it take all this time for Imedeen to come up with an external skincare range, so host Ces Drilon asks at Expression Line Control’s media launch at Mezze, Greenbelt 2.

Well, as they say, beauty takes time. Indeed, Imedeen adds teeth to its philosophy of "inner strength – outer beauty" with its Expression Line Control range.

"Expression Line Control has two main ingredients that make it exclusive and unique," says Jana. "These are Contra-X and Kinetin, an antiaging molecule, which is also called maintenance molecule as it helps clean the skin cells of degradation or debris that collects in the cells as we age. A lot of research has been done on it."

Contra-X is a hexa-peptide composed of six natural amino acids that work on the skin surface, reducing the inten-sity of muscle contractions and warding off fine lines and wrinkles caused by repeated facial movements.

Yes, Expression Line Control is botox in a bottle. "A milder form of botox," Jana qualifies. "Botox is not permanent, you have to get your botox injections every so often as the wrinkles reappear."

It all started with research on how botox works. Jana goes deeper into it. "Understanding how mimic expressions are done, how muscle cells contract. Muscle cells are told to contract by nerves. The nerves send some signals to the muscle cells and tell them to contract. But often, they send too many signals so the contractions stay longer than they have to. Then, scientists tried to find a molecule that would reduce the signals between the nerves and muscle cells. This molecule reduces the number of signals between the cells, thus reducing the excessive contraction of the muscles."

Make Expression Line Control a part of your daily skincare regimen. Jana asserts, "It’s for everyone, from 35 till old age, whether you’re male or female, Caucasian or Asian."

The range includes Serum, Day Care, Night Care, and Eye Care lines.

Expression Line Control Serum has a dual-action formulation that counteracts the signs of mimic aging, reducing the appe-arance of photo-aged skin and enhancing the long-term anti-aging benefits of the Imedeen Time Perfection tablets (yes, don’t forget to take your Imedeen tablet).

Expression Line Control Day Care, an antiaging cream with a rich but ultra-light texture, is instantly absorbed by the skin to make it instantly soft to the touch. Aside from Contra-X, it’s got apricot kernel oil to ensure skin is hydrated all day long. It also has antioxidants saxifrage and vitamin E to protect against UVA and UVB rays, as well as red algae to nourish and hydrate skin.

Expression Line Control Night Care is enhanced with orange fruit extract, a good source of vitmain C, amino acids, and oligo elements to stimulate collagen production and restore skin’s vitality. It also has marine seaweed complex to boost skin’s defense mechanisms.

Expression Line Control Eye Care has a three-in-one action formula to combat dryness and signs of stress around the eyes. It’s fortified with caffeine – yes, caffeine – to detoxify the delicate tissues around the eye and reduce dark circles. This unique product also has horse chestnut extra that decreases puffiness caused by water retention (bye-bye puffy eyes) and red algae to hydrate skin around the eye area.

Now, you know why it took all this time for Imedeen to find a perfect mate for its Time Perfection tablets.

Fact is, Jana’s beauty formula is really quite simple: Eat well (a variety of nutrients as the skin is not an isolated organ and reflects our internal health), drink a lot of water, sleep well, don’t stress yourself, relax.

Now, that’s one really beautiful advice.

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Imedeen Expression Line Control is now available at Rustan’s Essenses Makati, Alabang, Shangri-La, and Gateway Mall.