Many of my patients take one look at price tags of the medical-grade skincare in our office and have sticker shock. When I first started my career in dermatology, I asked myself the same question, “What makes these products so much better than the skincare I can get at local stores like Target, Sephora or CVS?” Lastly, “Is it worth it?”.

When it comes to medical-grade skincare, think SkinMedica, SkinCeuticals, SkinBetter Science, Neocutis, etc. touted for their high quality. Medical-grade skincare typically has a higher concentration of active ingredients than what we find in products over the counter, often (but not always) yielding better medical and cosmetic results.

Another major concern with products is their stability, think vitamin C. These medical-grade products are often packaged in dark bottles that minimize oxidation and formulated to degrade at a slower rate than over the counter products. The concern is that with over the counter products degrading at a faster rate, they may not be effective for the entire length of time they are being applied on the skin.

Many medical-grade products are developed to penetrate deeper into the skin instead of just sitting on the top layer (epidermis). This often translates into seeing better results in a shorter period of time.

Lastly, and in my opinion, most importantly, medical-grade products often have more clinical and science based research supporting their use and efficacy, which I can stand behind.

Over the counter skin care can have its benefits, such as lower costs and better accessibility. There are certainly over the counter products that have quality ingredients that are effective, but unfortunately it is not always clear which products those are unless you know what to look for.

In my opinion, a balance of both medical-grade and over the counter products can be the perfect compromise.

The medical-grade products that I consider worth investing in include products with important active ingredients such as vitamin C, retinoids, peptides, growth factors, etc. Whereas, it may be worth it to save money on basic skin care such as a face wash, body wash, moisturizer and sunscreen.

What do you think? Are medical-grade products worth the hype?

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