"Mary Lee Amerian's new skin care line is fabulous. Recently, I finished three weeks of filming a show and found my skin to be tired and dull looking. After two days of using MLA Skincare products, I felt the glow return. The products made my skin feel clean and firm. Now, Dr. Amerian can reach out to others with her new skin care line, which I highly recommend!"
-Tracey Ullman

Dr. Mary Lee Amerian is proud to announce that her complete MLA Skincare line is now available. The MLA Skincare line consists of a rich assortment of products that are designed to work together to provide your skin with exceptional rejuvenation, protection, and prevention. Formulated for use on all skin types, the products are lightweight, rapidly absorbed, and layerable.

MLA Skincare has developed unique products designed to treat specific changes that occur in the skin, including fine lines, wrinkles, redness, brown spots, eyelid puffiness, and dark under-eye circles. This allows the formulations to be optimized for maximum benefit. In addition, products can be selected for use based on each person's individual needs.

Dr. Amerian says, "My goal was to create a skin care line that effectively improves the appearance of aging skin and keeps younger skin looking healthy and beautiful. In addition, I wanted the products to be gentle enough for use on all skin types, even the most sensitive." Dr. Amerian calls this synthesis "Powerful Yet Gentle™" and she incorporates it into the design of every MLA Skincare product.

MLA Skincare products are formulated with the most outstanding skin care ingredients available today. Every ingredient selected for use is carefully chosen based upon scientific evidence of unsurpassed effectiveness, safety, and purity. In addition, ingredients that have even a remote potential for toxicity or are unusually harsh, such as glycolic acid and hydroquinone, are specifically excluded from the formulations. In their place, multiple active ingredients are combined in order to enhance the effectiveness of each of the products! As a result, the MLA Skincare line is not only unmatched in its quality but is also gentle on the skin.

The Perfect 9 Complex

At the heart of every MLA Skincare product is the Perfect 9 Complex™, a proprietary formulation of 9 highly effective ingredients, including peptides, ceramides, and antioxidants, plus botanicals, vitamins, and conditioners. These ingredients were carefully chosen for their anti-aging and soothing effects.

The anti-aging ingredients in Perfect 9 Complex reduce the appearance of fine lines, even skin tone, support the skin barrier function, and help preserve the collagen and elastin in the skin. At the same time, the soothing ingredients moisturize the skin and provide antioxidants and anti-irritants to protect and calm the skin. Together, these 9 unique ingredients help the skin look more youthful, refreshed, and rejuvenated.

Every MLA product combines the anti-aging and soothing ingredients in the Perfect 9 Complex with a unique blend of additional ingredients carefully selected to target specific needs. Thus, an especially large number of active ingredients are used in each of the formulations! This results in MLA Skincare products being highly effective in improving the health and beauty of your skin.

Power Cream

Power Cream is the signature product of MLA Skincare. It is the most potent defense against the signs of aging skin. Lightweight and rapidly absorbed, it delivers the greatest concentration of active ingredients to hydrate, protect, and prevent further damage from sun and exposure. MLA Power Cream combines the Perfect 9 Complex with additional anti-aging and soothing ingredients including plant extracts, vitamins, antioxidants, peptides, and moisturizers.

Benefits

• Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Evens skin tone and color
• Moisturizes the skin
• Reveals radiant new skin cells without harshness or irritation
• Helps skin look and feel rejuvenated

Multivitamin Serum

MLA Multivitamin Serum provides for the care and nourishment of your skin. Rapidly absorbed, your skin receives exceptional antioxidant protection to guard against the damage from free radicals that contribute to the visible signs of aging. Formulated with highly effective concentrations of Vitamins A, B, C, E, and Coenzyme Q10, the serum also reduces the appearance of fine lines, redness, and brown spots while supporting the collagen matrix, and improving skin tone and color.

Benefits

• Provides exceptional antioxidant protection
• Reduces the appearance of fine lines, redness, and brown spots
• Contributes to the health of your complexion, creating a younger more radiant look

Brightening Serum

MLA Brightening Serum combines the newest generation of natural skin brightening and renewing ingredients with the Perfect 9 Complex. Plant extracts Bearberry, Mulberry, and Tyrostat™ are added to Lumiskin™, an antioxidant from Chilean tree bark, to reduce the formation of unwanted pigment and control melanin. Equally important, potentially irritating hydroquinone and AHAs are not used in this unique formula.

Benefits

• Evens skin tone, color, and texture
• Reduces sun spots, brown spots, and brown patches
• Lessens blotchiness
• Leaves your skin looking more radiant, youthful, and refreshed

Soothing Serum

MLA Soothing Serum is designed for the needs of sensitive and easily irritated skin. It has been specially formulated to prevent and reduce the appearance of redness and to immediately relieve mild skin irritation. Soothing Serum is a combination of naturally calming extracts from chamomile oil, ginger root, and sea algae, plus a selection of multiple other therapeutic and soothing ingredients, including Green Tea and Willowherb extracts, and an anti-irritant based upon the soothing properties of oats.

Benefits

• Redness and irritation will be lessened
• Skin tone will become more uniform
• Color will become more even

Eye Serum

MLA Eye Serum is gentle and lightweight, making it perfect for the especially sensitive areas around the eyes. The advanced formula combines Perfect 9 Complex with light diffusing microspheres and moisture-rich hyaluronic acid filling spheres to improve crow's feet lines and skin texture. In addition, Arnica Extract, Haloxyl™, and multiple soothing ingredients combine to reduce dark circles and puffiness under the eyes.

Benefits

• Reduces the appearance of fine lines in the eye area
• Reduces under-eye circles and puffiness
• Smoothes the skin
• Calms irritation

MLA Skincare Product Evaluation

MLA Skincare products were tested for anti-aging efficacy by an independent testing laboratory in a twelve-week single blind randomized controlled clinical study involving sixty-eight patients*. 87% of the users of the products reported improvement in skin texture, tone, dryness, and under-eye circles. There was also statistically significant improvement in fine lines, skin elasticity, skin color, redness, age spots, and under eye puffiness. The visible signs of aging skin were significantly improved after the use of MLA Skincare products.

In summary, the study demonstrated the following benefits of MLA Skincare products:

• Improvement in fine lines and wrinkles
• Reduced dryness and improved hydration
• Improved skin texture, color, and tone
• Reduced under-eye dark circles and under-eye puffiness
• Improved age spots and freckles
• Reduced redness

Results from the Clinical Study

*All data on file at MLA Skincare

"I hope that you will take my skin care products into your home and see for yourself what these products can do for you. As you use the products, please let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you."
-Mary Lee Amerian, MD

"Mary Lee Amerian's new skin care line is fabulous. Recently, I finished three weeks of filming a show and found my skin to be tired and dull looking. After two days of using MLA Skincare products, I felt the glow return. The products made my skin feel clean and firm. Now, Dr. Amerian can reach out to others with her new skin care line, which I highly recommend."

-Tracey Ullman

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These products are referred to as cosmeceuticals. Cosmeceuticals are skin care products that contain ingredients that influence the physiological functioning of the skin. When a cosmeceutical is applied to the skin, the biologically active ingredients within the cosmeceutical are absorbed into the skin, resulting in improved skin appearance. The most commonly used active ingredients in cosmeceuticals are vitamins, herbs, plant extracts (which are referred to as botanicals), and oils. Regardless of what other facial rejuvenation techniques are used, everyone should have a good cosmeceutical regimen to treat, nourish, protect, and moisturize his or her skin.

The cosmeceutical market has grown rapidly over the past few years as the baby boom generation has gotten older. This growth has led to the introduction of literally thousands of different skin care products. Many of our patients have become confused regarding how the different active ingredients in cosmeceuticals help the skin. In order to better educate our patients about cosmeceuticals, the paragraphs that follow will review the most common ingredients that are used in today's cosmeceuticals and how they help the skin look better and more refreshed.

Retinoids – Retinoids are derivatives of vitamin A and are the most common type of cosmeceutical used today. In the skin, retinoids act as antioxidants and they neutralize the free radicals that result from exposure to ultraviolet light. In addition, retinoids increase cellular turnover, stimulate a beneficial thickening of the epidermis, and promote the removal of excessive skin pigment. The use of retinoids leads to the deposition of new collagen in the skin. As a result of these actions, retinoids are known to reduce wrinkles, decrease skin laxity, improve skin color, and produce a smoother skin surface.

Tretinoin (retinoic acid, Retin A, Renova) and tazarotene (Tazorac, Avage) are two of the most commonly used retinoids. Skin care products that contain either of these two ingredients are available by prescription. Retinol is another frequently used retinoid. It is chemically identical to Vitamin A. Because it is a naturally occurring vitamin, skin care products that contain Retinol do not require a prescription and are available over-the-counter.

Hydroxy acids – Hydroxy acids are another very commonly used active ingredient in cosmeceuticals. They are classified as either alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) depending on their molecular structure. Commonly used alpha hydroxy acids are glycolic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid; the most commonly used BHA is salicylic acid.

The AHAs used in cosmeceuticals have been shown to produce younger looking skin. Cellular turnover is increased, and the skin appears smoother and more uniform in color.

Salicylic acid is used as a skin conditioner and is especially useful in patients with oily skin and acne. It is considered to be one of the most effective acne treatments. Salicylic acid would be of particular benefit to individuals who have both aging skin and acne.

Antioxidants – Although it may seem obvious, an antioxidant is a chemical that prevents living tissues from becoming "oxidized" and undergoing a chemical change. In the body, highly reactive substances called free radicals are constantly being produced. Free radicals can quickly damage the body's own cells. In living tissues, antioxidants remove free radicals before they can damage normal tissues.

From the dermatology perspective, exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and other sources will result in the production of free radicals. Several studies have suggested that antioxidants help protect the skin from the damaging effects of the free radicals that result from exposure to ultraviolet light. The most common antioxidants that are used in cosmeceuticals are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Panthenol, Lipoic Acid, Ubiquinone, and Niacinamide.

Depigmenting Agents – Depigmenting agents are skin-lightening ingredients. They remove excessive melanin pigment from the skin. A depigmenting agent works best on "epidermal melanin," which is melanin in the top layers of the skin. When the excessive melanin is located deeper in the skin in the dermal layer, a depigmenting agent may not be as effective.

Hydroquinone is the most commonly used depigmenting agent; it works by decreasing the production of melanin pigment. Some physicians also add tretinoin (retinoic acid) and a steroid to the hydroquinone. The tretinoin acts by increasing cellular turnover, resulting in a quicker response to treatment, and the steroid acts by reducing inflammation in the skin. Tri-Luma cream conveniently combines hydroquinone, tretinoin, and a steroid in one medication, and is available by prescription.

Other compounds that are used for skin lightening include azelaic acid, kojic acid, and peels containing alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid.

Botanicals – With the modern trend toward the use of more natural ingredients, botanicals have become a component of nearly every cosmeceutical product available and form the largest category of active ingredients used today. An appropriate botanical can be chosen to reduce inflammation, sooth the skin, or act as an antioxidant. Some of the most commonly used botanicals are prickly pear and aloe vera (for skin soothing), ginkgo biloba, willow herb, and green tea (anti-inflammatory), and goji berry and soy (antioxidants).

Peptides – A peptide can be thought of as a small part of a much larger protein molecule. Peptides were developed for use in skin care to either increase the production of collagen or to reduce the breakdown of collagen. This is important because loss of collagen in the skin is one of the causes of wrinkles.

One of the best known peptides used in cosmeceuticals today is referred to as a "pentapeptide." This peptide is actually a small fragment of the protein that makes up human collagen. This "pentapeptide" has been shown to increase collagen production.

Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors (MMPIs) – Matrix metalloproteinases are proteins found in the skin that break down collagen. They are activated by exposure to ultraviolet light as well as by exposure to air pollution, smoking, and the natural aging process.

There are two ways to block the activity of matrix metalloproteinases, and in so doing, help to preserve the skin's collagen. The first is with a good sunscreen that protects against ultraviolet light. The second is with substances that actually block the activity of the matrix metalloproteinases; these substances are referred to as matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors (MMPIs). Substances that act as MMPIs include derivatives of green tea, tretinoin (retinoic acid), beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and flavonoids. The use of MMPIs in cosmeceuticals is one of the newest and most exciting innovations in skin care, and MMPIs are expected to receive much more attention in the near future.

Cosmeceuticals are formulated and available for purchase from a large number of manufacturers, and their use has become a standard component of modern skin care. Because there are literally thousands of skin care products in the marketplace from which to choose, it can be quite confusing as to which products are best for a particular person. For this reason, it is ideal for each patient to have his or her skin care program designed by a skin care expert. These professionals are able to select from the large number of available products those products that are best for an individual person.