Smart Face: A Dermatologist's Guide to Saving Your Money and Saving Your Skin

Goodman ( The Skin Doctor's Skin Doctoring Book ) and freelance writer Young offer a comprehensive consumer reference guide to cosmetics and facial skin care with medical sections that are refreshingly clear and jargon-free. The authors use skin biology to explain, for example, what moisturizers can and cannot do: they can help smooth the appearance of the tiny facial lines but can cause acne breakouts on oily skin. They do not penetrate deeply and cannot prevent or remove wrinkles. The chapter on advertising claims, ingredients, labeling and skin rejuvenation cautions women to beware of the come-ons of expensive, beautifully packaged cosmetics. The scientific-sounding words on makeup bottles, the authors maintain, may be misleading: ``Collagen in skin creams or liquids, whether just `collagen,' `hydrolyzed collagen,' or `procollagen,' does not penetrate into the dermis and therefore cannot rebuild the dermis.'' A section on sun damage is emphatic about the importance of skin protection and a helpful, informative chart lists consumer products by category, price (high, medium, low), key ingredients and skin-type suitability. Illustrations not seen by PW. (September)