Soothener

Professional Review

I’ve said it before: If there’s a brand out there that does it all, with proven cutting edge ingredients in high concentrations, it’s MDSUN. And while many MDSUN products tend to be centered around the prevention or treatment of signs of aging, such as wrinkles, sunspots, sagging skin, and the like, there weren’t many I could think of off the top of my head that centered around treating signs of irritated or inflamed skin, such as rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, or the like.

Until now. MDSUN Soothener offers high concentrations of some of the very best ingredients used to treat multiple causes of inflammation. For instance, purified feverfew extract may help to repair DNA in damaged skin cells, whereas oatmeal extract has been shown in studies to take down inflammatory enzyme levels, and hyaluronic acid may be topically soothing and reparative underneath.

With regular use of MDSUN Soothener, the skin becomes less red and inflamed, and more calm and even-toned. This product is particularly great for anyone who is using a high-concentration anti-aging or acne line of products and is noticing some degree of irritation. For more, read on!

Purified Feverfew Extract

Feverfew possesses strong free radical scavenging activity, which can combat aging, and it’s been used to treat inflammatory ailments inside and outside the body. It’s been used to treat arthritis and bronchitis as well as prevent migraines.

Most exciting, though, is research from the Journal of Dermatological Science that shows that purified feverfew extract can induce DNA repair in damaged skin cells. This can potentially help skin fend off all manner of environmental aggressors.

This product contains feverfew extract, which I would never recommend if the good folks at MDSUN didn’t use the purified version, which takes out the potentially-irritating parthenolide within it.  However, without the parthenolide, feverfew is an amazing anti-inflammatory ingredient

Avena Sativa (Oatmeal)

As far as calming and soothing ingredients go, oatmeal is amongst the best, improving barrier function, moisturizing, cleansing, and even containing soothing antioxidant vitamin E (Cosmetic Dermatology supplement, 2008).  Colloidal oatmeal also relieves pain and itching by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis in a mechanism similar to that of the drug indomethacin (Cosmetic Dermatology supplement, 2008).

Gingko Biloba Extract

In skin care, Ginkgo Biloba acts primarily by taking down inflammation in the skin. Cyclooxygenases are enzymes that are associated with inflammatory pathways. A study in Planta Medica found that Ginkgo Biloba substantially takes down activity of those inflammatory cyclooxygenases, and helps reduce inflammation in vivo (in human skin) as well.

It has also been suggested Ginkgo may increase the proliferation of skin’s fibroblasts, presumably resulting in faster and more dense collagen production. In one study, six of the flavonoids found in Ginkgo Biloba –quercetin, kaempfe-rol, sciadopitysin, ginkgetin, isoginkgetin — were all found to significantly impact fibroblast activity (Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 1997).

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is a natural moisturizing factor (NMF). It is naturally found in the skin. But hyaluronic acid is naturally produced and found in the uppermost layer of the skin, so when you topically apply hyaluronic acid, it has similar effects to when it’s naturally produced. This is different from, say, collagen, which is produced and found predominantly in the deeper layers of the skin, so when you topically apply collagen, it has very little effect other than hydration and temporary skin plumping.

When you apply hyaluronic acid to the skin, it draws water into the skin, reducing trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). It helps to temporarily stabilize and maintain the complex intercellular-skin matrix, which is the “glue” that holds the skin together. Hyaluronic acid also creates a slight swelling of the skin that temporarily reduces the appearance of wrinkles.

When it comes to the top skincare ingredients, hyaluronic acid rarely makes it, because it creates mainly hydration and temporary cosmetic effects. However, according to Dr. Howard Murad, hydration of the skin with hyaluronic acid allows the skin to operate at optimum capacity, and provides a better defense against environmental assaults.

Panthenol

Several studies done on mice show that panthenol increases the production of cell fibroblasts. It’s effective in aiding wound healing and for this reason has been shown to work well in anti-aging products (Drug & Cosmetic Industry). In a study on 30-60 year old women, a combination of panthenol and niacinamideimproved signs of aging, such as hyperpigmentation and redness (Indian Journal of Dermatology).

In hair care products, panthenol helps to both coat the hair and also penetrate it. In breakage studies — using virgin and bleached hair — found that using panthenol reduced breakage. The effects depended on dose and treatment. It also has been found to bioconvert into vitamin B in hair (Drug & Cosmetics Industry).

Bottom Line

I highly recommend MDSUN Soothener for anyone with irritated or reddened skin, or skin that is suffering from inflammation. Definitely a top-notch product!

Purified Feverfew PFE, Avena Sativa Extract, K2, Gingko Biloba Extract, Hyaluronic acid sodium salt, Panthenol B5