Value retinol: Green Cream review

If you are looking for high strength retinol skin care that doesn’t cost a fortune and delivers results then Green Cream is a great option.

Wherever you look online – Green Cream reviews show just what a loyal following it has.

It was developed by a leading New Orleans skin doctor – Nia Terezakis – who got great results using Vitamin A cream to treat her patients for a range of issues including the wrinkling and uneven skin tone that often goes with skin aging.

More than 17 years experience convinced Dr Terezakis that retinol was one of the few anti aging ingredients that worked provided it was used at a high level. The problem was the side effects – redness, swelling, peeling and rashes in the worst cases.

As she couldn’t find a suitable product on the market Terezakis developed her own using a unique delivery system – a polymer cooling gel. The result – she could use high strength retinol at levels that really worked without the irritation.

Nowadays Dr Terezakis is no longer involved in the company she set up to make Green Cream – Advanced Skin Technology. But the product has gone from strength to strength and has achieved something of a cult status in the skin care world.

The reason seems to be simple – according to reviews on skin care sites – it works. The fact that the cream is good value for money is an added bonus.

The product was developed primarily as an anti wrinkle cream aiming to refine and brighten skin tone, reduce fine lines, lighten discoloration and help pores look smaller. Because of the effectiveness of retinol products it is also good for treating light adult acne and eliminating breakouts.

The great thing is that if you buy Green Cream you get what is really a professional grade skin care product direct without the need to visit a dermatologist.

Nowadays the online world has opened up and Amazon stocks all versions of the product – it is the Green Cream Level 9 – the strongest which is the most popular and well reviewed.

Cream really is green

The name tells half the story – it is quite a strong green color but it is actually a gel rather than a cream. The gel is water based so that the retinol is kept fresh and released into the skin on application to work its magic.

Some users actively dislike the color of the gel and the fact that it is achieved by adding coloring agents. Whether this bothers you or not – rest assured the agents used are in themselves safe – if uneccessary – and approved for use in a topical cream.

As one long term user comments on SkinCareRX:“I love Dr. Terezakis and her green cream – it is great for wrinkles and acne”

Like all retinol formulations – Green Cream is best applied at night as vitamin A can be degraded by daylight. Like similar products it works by building and strengthening collagen in the skin.

The cream also stimulates exfoliation to get rid of dead skin cells without any messy scrubbing which helps smooth the skin. Skin tone is evened out by repairing tiny blood vessels near the skins surface which reduces sun damage and hyperpigmentation.

Although Green Cream was originally developed as an anti wrinkle cream – it has been taken up by many acne sufferers because it works for less serious cases. The makers, Advanced Skin Technology, are now actively working on a specific high strength acne cream which will be even more powerful.

Despite its unique delivery system and the cooling, calming ingredients like cucumber extract and aloe vera gel – Green Cream can still cause some reactions if you leap in at the deep end.

Take care with sensitivity

For this reason there are three levels – as with any good retinol skin care. Level 3 (0.3%) is the mildest for the more sensitive skin types or if you have never used any form of retinol before. Level 6 (0.6%) is where most users start – you get used to the cream and should see improvements in general skin health.

Level 9 (0.9%) contains what the makers claim is the strongest Retinol available without a prescription.  Time has moved on and what they should be saying in 2012 is that it is ONE of the strongest retinol over the counter products available – Dr Brandt’s Glow with a 2% formulation comes in at more than double.

As with any anti aging product – results build over time and you need to invest 2-4 months to see the best outcomes depending on your skin and the problems you want to address. Some people report results a lot quicker but be patient and don’t rush – in my experience if you get a reaction to a retinol product results will take a lot longer to achieve.

In terms of price level – Green Cream Level 9 is an affordable retinol product comparable to Afirm 3x both of which sit just a bit below the Skinceutical retinol line.

Judging by reviews and the success of the product in the last few years – this is an excellent anti wrinkle cream which users love.