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July 26, 2011
Beautiful skin from a pill
Imedeen Time Perfection
Product Category:
Beauty pill
Price:
Php3,950 for a box of 60 tablets
Available at:
Rustan's Essences
Tester:
Jay, avid gardener
The concept of "neutraceuticals" used to be an alien concept to me. To my knowledge, achieving a good complexion had something to do with applying lotions and creams to the skin. As far as nutrition was concerned, it was just sleep and plenty of water.
I first tried Imedeen about five years ago. Even then, it was frightfully expensive. I got mine at a discount, and my decision to buy had something to do with the raves about this particular product.
Imedeen has been around 20 years this year. Five years ago, local and foreign beauty magazines listed the product as one of the best around, having for endorsers some famous beauties who refused invasive procedures. They have variants for young people (Radiant Complexion), menopausal women (Prime Renewal) and for women in my age range (Time Perfection).
Time Perfection, the variant I tried, was launched in 2000 and it is meant for women in their 30s and 40s. It has Biomarine complex and Lycophence GS, a "highly potent and US-patented antioxidant complex" with a combination of grape seed extract (neutralizes the fee radicals with a speed that exceeds Vit. C and Vit. E) and Lycopene (a natural pigment found in some fruits and veggies), which it claims to be a more effective free-radical scavenger than Vit. E. The grape seed extract enhances the effectiveness of Vit. C, which, thanks to the fact that the grape seed extract is now being the free-radical scavenger, can now work on collagen synthesis. "The Biomarine Complex," explains the literature on Imedeen, "is a combination of natural proteins and marine polysaccharides similar to those found naturally in the skin."
In all, the claims include reducing fine lines and wrinkles, improving the basic quality and structure of the skin, mending mature and sun-damaged skin from within, and diminishing the visibility of dilated capillaries, pigmentation size and pore size.
The claim is that with two tablets daily within just 12 weeks, there is a healthier, more supple and radiant skin and a visible reduction in fine lines and wrinkles and an improved moisture balance by 30 per cent all over the face and body. It also claims that, in ultrasound scanning of the skin on women who've tried Imedeen, there was denser skin structure both in the lower and upper layer of the dermis.
My expectations of Imedeen's effects were confined to the facial skin, but as I realized later, the reason this product is expensive is that the effect extends to the skin on the rest of the body as well. I started noticing the effects of Imedeen about two weeks into taking the twice-a-day dosage. The pores of my skin were visibly smaller and there was a general "glow" that I suppose just came from healthier-looking skin.
Best of all, the effect was not just on the skin on my face—it extended to the rest of my body as well. My hands, for example, which are downright ugly because they're wrinkly and dry, looked younger and the skin around them seemed more taut. There was a noticeable tightening of the skin everywhere, especially around the decolletage. I would even dare say my breasts felt firmer when I started on Imedeen. I suppose that made some sense since if the skin around the breasts were to suddenly become tighter, then it would follow that there would be some appearance of firmer breasts.
These might seem all subjective, of course, considering how much I paid for the pills, but what really convinced me was the fact that some of my stubborn skin irritations just... disappeared. I had an allergic reaction to a metal on my ring finger (probably when I tried on a curious cocktail ring at an antiques store) and had, for weeks, a really difficult time trying to get rid of the irritation. The rash disappeared only after a few days of Imedeen, and that without applying any allergy cream on the rash.
Perhaps the most unpleasant experience I have had with Imedeen is the smell. The tablets smell fishy, making it an effort to swallow without holding your breath. In fact, I noticed that when I took the recommended two-tablet dose a day, my pores seem to be exuding a rather fishy smell. Not good.
So I tried an experiment. While the recommended dosage is two tablets a day, I reduced the intake to one a day. The reduction in dosage did little to affect the efficacy of the product, and with it came the avoidance of the unpleasant "fish" smell. Today, I am a happy camper; not only do I get to enjoy the benefits of sexy skin all over, I also got rid of the unpleasant smell, plus I practically doubled the life of the box of 60 tablets which, in my opinion, is still too expensive.
This year, Imedeen celebrates its 20th anniversary. Women can join in the celebration by contributing their stories of what they think it means to be beautiful—with their personal tips, pictures or quotes. They just have to visit www.imedeen20.com and share their thoughts online. All women who share their experiences online will get a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Copenhagen and an exclusive invitation to Imedeen's birthday party at Noma, known to be the best restaurant in the world.
Do you have an opinion on the product we just tested? Want us to try out a new product? Email feedback@herword.com.
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