Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection & Info about Glycolic Acid

I have pretty much circled around night creams, neglected them and completely, utterly ignored them. No wonder if you know that my skin is pretty young. Honestly, I will never think that an 18-year old ever needs a night cream and I also am not a fan of those who “preach” how, when you reach a certain age, a night cream (or any cream for that matter) is a “must”. I actually detest when I feel forced to do anything and am so glad that I have never experienced such pressure personally but I do notice a trend among the media, though. I like to “sense” what my skin needs and how it feels. I do take care of it accordingly and I never follow any trends blindly. But sometimes it's the curiosity that gets the best of me. I simply adjust those that suit my needs the best to yours truly. I hated the greasy, slimy, sticky feeling every night cream left on my skin. It basically felt like slapping on slug slime all over my face. After every “session” with any random night cream, I was “welcomed” with clusters of blemishes and generally severe clogged skin in the morning. You could find stories everywhere about how a certain woman's skin looked visibly clearer, plump and rejuvenated after a good night cream. What was I doing wrong so that I was having these horrible reactions to night creams?

Vecinu vremena sam kruzila oko nocnih krema, skroz sam ih zapostavljala i potpuno ignorisala. To uopste ne bi trebalo ni cuditi posto mi je koza jos jako mlada. Iskreno, nikada necu biti misljenja da je jednoj mladoj individui od npr. 18 godina neophodna nocna krema (ili uopste bilo koja krema). Naglasak je na “morati” i “neophodno”. Potpuno odbacujem bilo kakav vid prisile i drago mi je sto je licno nisam iskusila ali primjecujem takav trend u medijima. Ono na sto se oslanjam jesu signali koje mi salje moja koza. Pratim i “osluskujem”njene potrebe. Njegujem je shodno njenim potrebama i stanju te zaista ne mogu reci da slijepo pratim trendove nego prilagodim onu njegu koja mi najvise odgovara i odaberem pristup koji mi djeluje kao najbolji. Ipak, znatizelja je ta koja me uvijek “uvali” u nevolju. Uvijek sam prezirala onaj grozni, masni, ljigavi, ljepljivi osjecaj koji bi mi nocne kreme ostavljale na licu. Nakon svake “runde” sa nocnom kremom bih osvanula docekana grupacijom aknica i uopsteno zacepljenim, necistim tenom. To se desavalo sa svakom nocnom kremom koju sam isprobala. Na vise sam mjesta mogla procitati kako mnoge zene tvrde da im je koza ujutro znatno cisca, nahranjenija i zagladjena nakon koristenja odgovarajuce nocne kreme. Onda, u cemu sam ja toliko grijesila pa mi je koza dosta jako reagovala na nocne kreme?

Honestly, I don't know. My guess is that I was stuffing my skin with ingredients which it didn't need. No matter how light a night cream was, my skin felt suffocated night after night. I finally gave up on them and moved on. Then I stumbled upon s few very good reviews of this cream. I didn't have a good experince with the Normaderm range several years ago – it was too agressive and dried my skin out, followed by severe flaking. But I was intrigued. Very intrigued by other people's experience. I decided to throw caution to the wind and give good old night cream a second chance. I have to admit that I haven't regretted my decision. Vichy Normaderm Anti-Ageing Anti-Imperfection, Anti-Wrinkle Resurfacing Care is the best and only night cream my skin accepted and I am using it vigorously every other night (I am alternating it with La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo). I guess that the fact it is intended for oily skin makes it convenient but there is just something special about this cream. 

Biti cu iskrena i reci vam da ne znam. Pretpostavljam da sam kozu opterecivala sastojcima koji joj u sustini nisu trebali. Nije bilo bitno koliko god da je nocna kremica bila lagane teksture, koza mi se doslovno gusila ispod nje. Na kraju sam i zvanicno digla ruke od njih i nastavila dalje. Onda sam slucajno naisla na par jako dobrih recenzija ove kreme. Prije par godina sam koristila Vichy Normaderm proizvode i nisam imala dobro iskustvo sa njima. Bili su mi preagresivni i isusivali mi kozu uz jos puno perutanja. Bez obzira, djelovala mi je interesantno. Iskustva korisnica/ka glede drugih nocnih krema su djelovala dosta bliska mojim. Odlucila sam da malo iskoracim iz okova opreznosti i pruzim dobroj staroj nocnoj kremici drugu sansu. I nisam zazalila. Vichy Normaderm Anti-Ageing Anti-Imperfection, Anti-Wrinkle Resurfacing Care je najbolja i jedina nocna krema koju je moja koza prihvatila te sam dosljedna u njenom koristenju. Nanosim je svake druge noci (jednu noc LRP Effaclar Duo, drugu noc nju). Sigurno je i cinjenica da je namijenjena masnoj kozi uveliko dobar orjentir ali tu je jos nesto sto mi je cini tako posebnom.

The first thing that caught my eye was the name of this nifty little cream. It is very long, isn't it? And you can see many things combined, therefore, many promises are made. It fights ageing, it fights imperfections of the skin and it fights wrinkle? What is this – Super Cream? The answer lies within the ingredient list. There are three main ingredients in here but let's start from the fact that it contains glycolic acid and LHA. Glycolic acid is perhaps the best-known of a group of chemicals called fruit acids or alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA). It is derived from sugar cane, so it can be considered a natural product. Not wanting to get into all the details, what you basically should know is the following. Glycolic acid works as an exfoliating agent because of its high acidity but easy solubility. When applied on the skin as part of an exfoliating cream or gel, it goes under the damaged upper layers of skin and destroys the “glue” which holds dead skin to the surface. As this dead skin is chemically burned off, the other ingredients carry the individual flakes away. The result is a much-smoother skin surface and a more youthful appearance. A secondary benefit is the product's ability to draw moisturizers into the newly-exfoliated skin surface. Cosmetic exfoliants and moisturizers containing glycolic acid may leave skin especially sensitive to the sun. Therefore, it is recommended using a sunscreen after exfoliating with such products. 

Prvo sto privlaci paznju je naziv ove male kremice. Prilicno dugacko ime, zar ne? I vidite kako je tu ukombinovano vise djelovanja, samim time, obecava vise stvari. Bori se protiv starenja, nepravilnosti koze, jos k tome i protiv bora. Sta je ovo – Super Krema? Odgovor na to pitanje lezi u listi sastojaka. Tu se izdvajaju tri osnovna sastojka ali pocnimo od glikolne i LHA kiseline. Glikolna kiselina je mozda i najpoznatija grupa hemikalija takodjer poznatih i kao vocne kiseline ili alfa-hidroksi kiseline (AHA). Dobija se iz secerne trske tako da se moze smatrati da je prirodnog porijekla. Da ne bih previse ulazila u detalje, ono sto bi trebali o njoj znati je slijedece. Glikolna kiselina djeluje kao eksfolirajuci agens zbog visokog stepena kiselosti i lake topivosti. Kada se nanosi na kozu u vidu eksfolirajuce kreme ili gela, ona se podvlaci pod ostecene vise slojeve koze i unistava “ljepilo” koje jos zadrzava mrtve celije na povrsini. Kako ce sva ta mrtva koza biti uklonjena przenjem, ostali sastojci kreme ili gela ce sa sobom odnijeti ostatke mrtve koze. Takvo djelovanje rezultira mnogo gladjom povrsinom koze te uopsteno mladjim izgledom tena. Druga korist glikolne kiseline je i mogucnost da u novu, mladu i svjeze eksfoliranu kozu duboko “pogura” dejstva hidratantnih proizvoda. Koristenje kozmetickih eksfolijansa i hidratantnih proizvoda sa glikolnom kiselinom moze izazvati prilicnu osjetljivost tretirane koze na suncevu svjetlost. Iz tog razloga je vise nego preporucljivo koristiti proizvode sa zastitnim faktorom.

Now, “burning off” dead skin doesn't sound harmless now, does it? Well, there is a debate about what concentration of glycolic acid is effective yet safe. The 10% mark is still a topic of many heated arguments but the fact how real chemical peels contain 50% or even 70% of it really scared me. I think that it's some serious acid to put on your face. No, no, I just want to try a little of it because I'm not running after the anti-ageing effects of this acid but those who fight imperfections. Blemishes & Co. Next up is the LHA and you probably guess that I'm going to “enlighten” you now. LHA or β-lipohydroxy acid works in a similar fashion to salicyclic acid. Specifically, LHA decreases the concentration of bacteria found within the pore (inside the follicles). LHA has a lipophilic (fat-loving) nature and relatively slow penetration in the skin, which together make it an effective exfoliant, even at low concentrations. Now this is more my style – low concentrations. Studies have also shown LHA appears to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anticomedogenic properties, combating acne and even dandruff. LHA is thought to work in two ways: break up particles that block the pores & impair the ability of bacteria to adhere to material inside the follicles.

Eh sada, “spaljivanje” ili “przenje” koze bas i ne zvuci bezopasno, zar ne? Postoji debata oko toga kolika bi koncentracija glikolne kiseline trebala biti smatrana efektivnom a istovremeno bezopasnom. Kolicina od 10% jos uvijek izaziva rasprave ali cinjenica da onaj pravi hemijski piling sadrzi 50% pa cak i 70% glikolne kiseline me malo “trznuo”. Meni se to cini kao dosta potentna kiselina da bi joj mjesto bilo na licu. Ne, ne, ja samo zelim da je isprobam u malim kolicinama i to ne zato sto sam zainteresovana za njeno djelovanje glede bora i sl. nego radi djelovanja na nepravilnosti koze (akne i sl.). Slijedeca na listi sastojaka je LHA i sigurno pretpostavljate da cu vas i vezano za nju sada “prosvijetliti”. LHA ili beta-lipohidroksi kiselina djeluje na slican nacin kao i salicilna kiselina. Konkretno, LHA smanjuje kolicinu bakterija koje se nalaze unutar pore (folikule). LHA ima lipofilicnu prirodu (voli masti) i relativno sporo ulazi u kozu. To je sve zajedno cini efektnim eksfolijansom pa cak i u malim kolicinama. To mi se vec dopada – efektno pri niskoj koncentraciji. Neka istrazivanja su takodjer pokazala da LHA posjeduje i protumikrobna, protuupalna, protugljivicna i nekomedogena svojstva sto je cini sposobnom da se izbori i sa aknama i peruti. Za LHA se smatra da dvojako djeluje: razgradjuje cestice koje blokiraju (zacepe) pore i oslabljuje sposobnost bakterija da prijanjaju na materijal unutar folikule.

I think this sums it up how both these ingredients work and I have found out that this particular Vichy cream is very safe and extremely effective. I use it every other night (when I'm not using Effaclar Duo) and I can tell you that there's no greasy feeling or film on the skin whatsoever. This grass green tube contains 50ml of a white cream with a light green-ish tint (probably there to combat any redness). It smells like the rest of the Normaderm range, a bit medicinal, pharmaceutical etc. It has a consistency of a gel or a thicker serum but the most curious and wonderful thing about it is its texture. I cannot express myself by saying it “sinks in” the skin. It rather “fades away” into a dry, matte finish. A strangely pleasant feeling which I can only compare to the word “powdery” comes into mind. No shine or sheen, just a natural matte finish. No film, no excess, no oil. Nothing. It's the only thing besides Effaclar Duo that I feel comfortable putting on at night. It can be used as both – night and day cream but I do use it primarily as a night cream. Mainly because I'd need a really high SPF if I wore it during day. When I use it at night, I can get away with wearing SPF20. And no, I don't have not even one dark/ pigmentation spot on my face or neck.

Mislim da je ovim objasnjeno ukratko kako djeluju oba sastojka i otkrila sam da je konkretno ova Vichy krema sigurna i izuzetno efektna. Koristim je svake druge noci (kada ne koristim Effaclar Duo) i odmah da vam kazem da sa njom nema ni traga masnom osjecaju niti filmu na kozi. Tuba trava zelene boje sadrzi 50ml bijele kreme blago zelencastog podtona (koji je tu vjerovatno kako bi malo neutralisala eventualno crvenilo). Mirise mi kao i ostatak Normaderm linije, nekako medicinski, farmaceutski i sl. Konzistencija je slicna gelu ili gustom serumu ali ono sto je posebno interesantno jeste tekstura. Uopste se ne mogu izraziti govoreci da se “upije” u kozu, prije da postepeno nestane i da pod prstima ima suh, mat finis. Neobicno prijatan osjecaj koji jedino mogu usporediti sa rijeci “puderast”. Nema nikakvog sjaja, odsjaja na kozi vec samo prirodan mat izgled. Nikakvog sloja, nikakvog viska, nicega nema. Ovo je jedina stvar pored Effaclar Dua koju sa uzitkom koristim na kozi tokom noci. Moze se doduse koristiti i kao dnevna i kao nocna krema ali je prvenstveno koristim kao nocnu kremu. To je ponajvise zato sto bi mi bio potreban prilicno visok SPF zastitni faktor preko nje ako bih je nanosila po danu. Ovako, kada je koristim po noci, mogu se izvuci i samo sa SPF20. I ne, nemam niti jednu pigmentacijsku mrljicu na licu niti vratu.

It also contains Glucosylated Vitamin C which offers a double-wrinkle action on luminous and even complexion. This cream promises pretty much stellar results withing a week of using it and indeed it has. My pores never were enlarged but it has tightened them significantly. That is most visible in the morning. Skin is also incredibly smooth but in a different kind of way “smooth”. Not greasy or sticky when you run your fingers over it. Very velvety and dry. Skin generally looks well-rested, fresh and awake. My complexion has improved overall and I need no significant coverage. Effaclar Duo in combination with this Vichy Normaderm Anti-Ageing/ Imperfection/ Wrinkle Resurfacing cream has transformed the texture of my skin. It looks more plump and beautiful. I am really satisfied with the results I've received. After such a positive experience with both acids (LHA and glycolic) I am more fond of chemical exfoliation of the skin than the manual one. I certainly get better results without irritating the skin. After reading about skin being burned off you'd think that this is a much more agressive way of exfoliating the skin but it's just the contrary. Chemical exfoliation is much more gentle on the skin (in normal concentration, of course) than scrubbing away dead skin manually with sharp granules. Those of irregular shape (walnut bark or apricot seed) are the worst since they have a terribly uneven surface. You are scrubbing your skin with sharp and pointy particles that make tiny lascerations on the surface of skin. Basically, they are damaging the upper layer of the skin. So, if you do enjoy a nice manual scrub like me – just make sure that its granules are spherical.

Takodjer sadrzi glikolizirani vitamin C koji pruza duplo djelovanje na bore i rezultira ujednacenim i osvijetljenim tenom. Ova krema obecava u biti fantasticne rezultate u samo prvih 7 dana koristenja i meni zaista jeste ispunila sve i jedno ocekivanje. Pore mi nikada nisu bile uvecane ali ih je vidljivo suzila, bas ih je “stegla”. Taj efekat je najvidljiviji ujutro. Koza je i nevjerovano meka ali pri tome mislim na jedan drugaciji vid mekoce. Koza nije zasicena hranljivim sastojcima, nije ljepljiva na dodir vec je kao barsun i suha je. Ten djeluje odmorno, svjeze – jako, jako dobro. Ten mi se drasticno popravio i nije mi potrebno nista jace od blagog pokrivanja. Effaclar Duo u kombnaciji sa ovom Vichy Normaderm Anti-Ageing/ Imperfection/ Wrinkle Resurfacing kremom je potpuno preobrazio teksturu moje koze. Izgleda vidljivo punije i ljepse. Ne mogu opisati koliko sam zadovoljna sa postignutim rezultatima. Nakon ovako pozitivnog iskustva sa obje kiseline (glikolnom i LHA) postala sam veliki ljubitelj hemijske eksfolijacije i preferiram je od manuelne. Definitivno dobijam drasticno bolje rezultate i bez ikakve iritacije. Nakon citanja o przenju koze vocnim kiselinama pomislila bih da je to mnogo agresivniji nacin eksfolijacije ali upravo je suprotno. Hemijska eksfolijacija je dosta njeznija spram koze (naravno, u normalnim kolicinama) nego da ribate kozu rucno neravnim granulama. One koje su nepravilnog oblika (poput pilinga koji sadrze samljevenu ljusku oraha ili kospicu kajsije) su najgori jer su uzasno neravnog oblika. Ako njih koristite, vi trljate kozu ostrim i siljastim cesticama (uostalom, razmislite, to je kora i kospica koje su izuzetno tvrde). One prave sicusne poderotine na povrsini koze. U biti, one ostecuju povrsinski sloj koze. Tako da, ako i dalje zelite uzivati u standardnim, manuelnim pilinzima – samo se pobrinite da sadrze sfericne granule.