While in-office skin treatments can work miracles for the health and appearance of your skin, using the right at-home products is vital to maintaining your results and making sure your skin is thriving. “Medical grade” professional skin care products are formulated with high-quality ingredients and offer clinically proven results. Because of their strength and efficacy, most of these products are available only through licensed physician’s offices (dermatology and plastic surgery) and some medical spas.

Is There A Difference in Skincare Product?

Over the Counter: This type of skincare product is limited on what they are allowed to actually put into their product. When it comes to pricing you are typically paying for pretty packaging, fragrances and fluff, rather than the product itself. Many drugstore skincare products contain a long list of filler ingredients. These substances typically do not provide much benefit, but can increase your risk of skin sensitivity, irritation or an allergic reaction. When you buy skincare products from a “big box” retailer you are paying for untested, unproven, unregulated and potentially ineffective ingredients. Why pay for that?

Medical Grade: Medical grade skincare products contain a higher concentration of active ingredients and the majority of brands are competitive with pricing. A higher concentration of active ingredients also means that you get a lot more with less product. Therefore, they tend to last longer and will be more economical in the long run. “Medical grade” professional skincare products are typically more expensive up front, but they usually last longer and produce a significantly higher return on investment for your skin health over time. Isn’t that what you want to pay for? Medical grade skincare products cannot be sold at your favorite big-box retailer (brick and mortar stores as well as online) because of the higher concentration of active ingredients. These products should be recommended by someone with education and experience with skin types, skin conditions, and ingredients in order to guide you in picking the correct formulated product for your skin.

What Is Beauty Diversion?

Beauty Diversion is becoming like an infectious disease spreading throughout the professional skincare and cosmetics industry like a crazed wildfire. As online shopping becomes increasingly popular, the problem of skincare diversion is increasing. Plus, who can resist the “FREE 2 day shipping” and the convenience of getting the product right to your door faster than you can blink?!

Beauty diversion happens when professional products, that are intended for sale only at authorized physician’s offices and some medical spas, end up being sold by other types of retailers.

How does this happen? Skincare (both “over the counter” and “medical grade” products) is a hot market right now (estimated $63 BILLION in US product sales every year) and there are very few laws to prevent diversion. Yet there are many, many ways “companies” are trying to cash in on this business. Imagine these scenarios: A wholesaler orders product and fails to sell it all. They then drop the product on a popular online site to sell to a third party without the manufacturer’s consent. Diverted product may have been stolen or “collected” from multiple sources before being sold to the third party, and ultimately the end-user. Beauty diversion can also happen when spas/salons go out of business and liquidate stock. There is no way to insure the quality of a professional product when purchased through a retailer other than an authorized seller. Diverted products often times have original tracking codes or batch numbers scraped off. Some containers are dumped out and refilled with other lotions and potentially deadly potions. There have been numerous cases of cosmetics sold online, unauthorized, that have been found to contain lead and other deadly ingredients.

Why should this matter to you? Diverted products can be counterfeit, diluted and/or altered formulas, old, or expired products that may not be safe to use. There could even be a completely different product inside the bottle than what is listed on the label. Using a diverted product could result in irritation, infection or worse. By purchasing a diverted product you are contributing to a major problem that affects both consumer and the entire skincare industry. But if that doesn’t convince you, still wanting to save a couple of dollars buying product from an unauthorized seller, please consider your health and safety. Your skin is your body’s largest organ. Skin is your body’s protection. Don’t endanger the health of your skin with diverted product. It’s not worth the risk to save a couple of dollars.

Today’s fake skincare products, just like a fake handbag, are so well counterfeited they can look just like the real product. While diverted products are often sold at a discounted price, they can be counterfeit, diluted formulas, or old, expired formulas that may not be safe to use. Diversion products run the risk of being expired. Some may have been opened already by customers. You run the risk of not knowing if a product is authentic or not.

Where is the Best Place to Buy Medical Grade Skincare Product?

When you buy from an authorized doctor’s office you are getting authentic product. Plus you are getting the proper advice on how to use the product and integrate it into your routine. Getting the correct guidance on how to use product correctly is very important.

Medical grade skincare products are a good value. So much in retail today is way over-priced. When you purchase medical grade skincare product from our office you get more for your money in a professional product.

Diversion hurts all of us. Consumers, Doctor’s offices, Spas, Distributors and Manufacturers. Please do not buy your professional/medical grade products from sources other than a doctor’s office. If you have a favorite brand or medical grade skincare product that you want to purchase, but you just don’t know where it is safe to purchase an authentic product, oftentimes the manufacturer will list on their website “authorized retailers”.

Don’t take chances. You should buy the freshest product you can buy. Not only will it perform better for your skin, but it’s safer as well. You can be assured that any product bought in Dr. Jensen’s office is authentic and we are authorized to sell. Plus, we will give you the correct advice on what skincare product will work best for your skin.