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Description
Medik8 Red Alert
Professional Strength
Anti-Redness Formula
Helps to fade and clear thread veins, skin redness and bruises, by promoting anti-oxidation, vein-wall strengthening and enhanced coagulation (blood clotting at site of capillary damage). There is no stronger topical formula for cosmetically managing skin redness.
Developed for direct body application. For use on all skin types.
General
Medik8 Red Alert visibly reduces the appearance of thread veins and has a brightening effect on the skin. It also slows down the process of skin ageing, by protecting the skin from free-radical damage and effectively alleviates the negative environmental impact on the skin. This strong anti-thread vein product contains specially selected pharmaceutically graded ingredients, such as vitamin K, Liquorice and Bearberry, which have a strengthening and sealing effect on open vessels and thread veins. It enhances the blood circulation, reduces swelling and redness, reduces fragility of blood vessels and dramatically limits the creation of further damages.
The addition of Teprenone helps with vein-wall strengthening, as well as promoting a reduction in skin erythema (redness). Teprenone has demonstrated a reduction of erythema by 30%, after just 30 days of topical application. The combination of vitamin K and Teprenone make Red Alert a very powerful anti-redness treatment.
Red Alert has been further enhanced by the addition of beta-Glucan, a polysaccharide derived from oats. This soothing ingredient aids skin with wound-healing and helps to combat UV-induced stress, leading to calmer skin.
Additionally, Red Alert promotes powerful anti-oxidation and enhanced blood coagulation, ensuring blood clotting at the site of capillary damage.
Red Alert has been specifically designed to treat areas of redness on the body. However, the formula can be enhanced with addition of Red Alert Serum to treat more difficult areas of erythema, on either the face or body, for more dramatic results.
Directions
Apply sparingly twice daily to clean, dry skin on the legs, arms and neck. Allow to dry before applying other Medik8 Body Products and/or sunscreen. Application of White Balance (if used) should precede Red Alert.
Results vary depending upon individual, although expect to see improvement within 8-12 weeks. To maintain results and as a preventative measure continue to use Red Alert once daily. Add Red Alert Serum as desired. Red Alert may be used as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with IPL, laser treatments and other vascular treatments.
Red Alert has been specifically designed to treat areas of redness on the body. However, the formula can be enhanced with addition of Red Alert Serum to treat more difficult areas of erythema, on either the face or body, for more dramatic results.
Precautions:
Contains Vitamin K. Do not use Red Alert if you are taking Warfarin or other blood-thinning medications.
Follow the application with an SPF hydrator.
Ingredients
Aqua, Stearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Menaquinone (Vitamin K2), Teprenone, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Extract, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf Extract, Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Leaf Extract, Tilia Cordata (Linden) Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Rhizome/Root (Liquorice), beta-Glucan, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Seed Oil, Polyacrylamide/C13-14 Isoparaffin/Laureth-7, Citrus Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil Expressed, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Limonene, Cinnamal, Linalool, Geraniol
Medik8 Red Alert Key active highlights
- Vitamin K2- Pharmaceutical Grade Menaquinone that enhances blood clotting at the site of capillary damage to speed up healing processes
- Teprenone – a patented anti-redness active ingredient excelling at prevention and reduction of skin hypersensitivity
- Kiwi Oil – a botanical extract naturally abundant in vitamin K1 and alpha-linolenic acid (moisture enhancing active)
- Licochalcone A - Skin brightener shown to inhibit the Tyrosinase cycle while remaining non-toxic to the melanin forming cells
- Horse Chestnut Extract - A potent anti-inflammatory compound that has a beneficial effect on venous insufficiency and capillary fragility
- Cypress Extract - An essential oil known to tighten up blood vessels
- Linden Extract - Highly potent active with refreshing, soothing and skin conditioning properties
- Bearberry Extract - An effective astringent which causes the skin tissue to tighten
Medik8 Red Alert Benefits
Visibly reduces the appearance of bruising, trauma and redness on legs, arms and neck and has a brightening effect on the skin
- Also suitable for facial treatment due to the delicate, lightweight formula
- Slows down the process of skin ageing by protecting the skin from free-radical damage and effectively alleviating the negative environmental impact on the skin
- Contains Vitamin K2, Licochalcone A and numerous botanical extracts, which have a strengthening and protective effect on fragile tissue such as veins and broken capillaries
- Shows the ability to speed up the blood circulation and thus dramatically limit the creation of further damage
- Successfully reduces swelling and redness utilising natural botanical anti-inflammatory properties
- Teprenone reduces erythrosis by up to 30% after one month of directed use
- Vitamin K2 and Kiwi Oil (rich in vitamin K1) enhance blood coagulation (blood clotting at the site of capillary damage) and speeds up post-treatment healing
- Kiwi Oil also contains over 60% alpha linolenic acid which helps the skin retain moisture
- Intensely moisturises and rebuilds the cutaneous skin barrier for enhanced resistance to aggravating agents that attempt to penetrate the epidermis
Results and Science
For many years, vitamin K has been known for its topical application effects on the appearance of thread veins and bruises. It is integrally involved into the process of blood clotting and has a fundamental impact on the healthy condition of blood vessels and veins. Since humans are unable to synthesize vitamin K, it needs to be supplied externally, either from dietary sources or topical treatments like Red Alert. Medik8 use vitamin K2 that is derived from Natto. Natto has been a traditional Japanese breakfast food for centuries and is a dish made from fermented soybeans. It has been proven that a diet rich in natto can help to prevent heart disease due to its high content of menaquinone-7, whilst also helping to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures or related complaints.
Historically, Natto was produced by layering cooked soybeans onto a bed of rice leaves which was then placed into a warm environment that would encourage the bacteria present to begin to ferment the beans. The bi-product of this process is a slimy substance, much like a spider’s web in structure. Natto is now produced in sterile conditions, using clean bacteria cultures, to ensure the safety and purity of the Natto produced.
Teprenone, originally a molecule used in the treatment of gastric ulcers, produced incredible anti-redness results when used topically in investigative trials. It is not currently known its exact mechanism of action. It has now been approved as active for cosmetic use. Studies show that Teprenone extends the life of the cell's telomeres (part of the chromosome) which effectively means the cells can divide for longer without dying. The skin literally 'becomes' more youthful. This may be why the skin's vascular components (capillaries) become more resilient and less visible. However alternative theories suggest that skin is thickening and the redness is just less visible. Still others believe that skin cells merely become less sensitive to histamine release and consequentially do not 'flare-up'. Whatever the mechanism, what is not in dispute is the degree of real redness reduction.
Licochalcone A is a derivative from the Glycyrrhiza inflata plant, more commonly known as Liquorice. Liquorice is often used as flavouring for food and confectionary and this is probably how most people in the west are familiar with the ingredient. In Asia, liquorice has long been used as an ingredient in traditional medicines to treat a wide range of ailments. Scientists have attributed liquorice’s success at treating various illnesses due to its high contents of phenolic ingredients and terpene saponins found in various liquorice genus.
Licochalcone A has long been known and used for anti-inflammatory properties and has more recently also demonstrated anti-oxidative properties in a recent study (Kolbe, L. et al. 2006). Liquorice’s antioxidant activity protects skin against damage caused by free radical and ROS. Glabridin, one of the active ingredients in liquorice, helps to prevent UV-induced redness and inflammation when applied to the skin pre-sun exposure. It is believed that the mechanism of action of Licochalcone A is its ability of dual inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase, leading to the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and UVB-induced prostaglandin E2 release by keratinocytes (it is the release of prostaglandin E2 that leads to skin inflammation and redness).
Liquorice is also known to be useful in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, with its ability to significantly reduce the erythema, oedema and pruritus associated with it.
It is in this way that Licochalcone A is able to help alleviate skin erythema and inflammation, whilst reducing oxidative stress on the epidermis.
Reference: Anti-inflammatory efficacy of Licochalcone A: correlation of clinical potency and in vitro effects Ludger Kolbe, Jeannine Immeyer, Jan Batzer, Ursula Wensorra, Karen tom Dieck, Claudia Mundt, Rainer Wolber, Franz Stäb, Uwe Schönrock, Roger I. Ceilley and Horst Wenck
Vitamin K1
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin manufactured in the liver that is required by humans for proper blood coagulation (blood cells’ clotting at the site of capillary damage). In fact, the ‘K’ is derived from the German word ‘koagulation’.
Adults are rarely vitamin K deficient as it is easily supplied from dietary sources such as leafy green vegetables, especially broccoli and spinach, as well as vegetable oils and cereals. Vitamin K can also be found in pork and dairy foods, such as cheese.
Phylloquinone is the form of vitamin K found in plants, whilst menaquinone is present in animal derived foods. Vitamin K1 (as used by Medik8) is a derivative of Phylloquinone (plant derived vitamin K) and is scientifically known as Phytonadione.
Vitamin K1 is vital in the role of blood-clotting; or coagulation. Coagulation is the body’s mechanism to hinder bleeding after there has been damage to a capillary or blood vessel. Firstly, the injured blood vessel constricts to minimise the bleeding. Then, almost instantly, platelets begin to form a plug at the site of the damage to temporarily stem bleeding further. In the next stage, proteins move to the site of damage, where they work with the platelets to enhance their strength. Thrombin is the final protein to reach the damaged area, where it forms fibrin mesh (a mesh-like protective barrier for the platelet plug) which will ensure that the platelets and proteins remain stable whilst the blood is clotting.
Vitamin K is essential for the synthesis of many of the proteins used during coagulation, which has lead to it being known as the ‘blood-clotting vitamin’. Its relation to the circulatory system has been a major trigger in the discovery of its cosmetic properties to help improve the vascular skin disorders and imperfections, such broken capillaries (including spider veins, also known as telangiectasia), redness from rosacea and under-eye dark circles.
The active form of vitamin K1 is yellow in colour, which demonstrates that it is of natural origin and will have beneficial effects on coagulation and skin discolouration.
Causes of Thread Veins
Thread veins, or spider veins are most commonly found on the face and legs. They usually pose no health hazard but may produce a dull aching in the legs after prolonged standing. A number of factors contribute to the development of thread veins, including heredity, pregnancy and other events that cause hormonal shifts, weight gain, occupations or activities that require prolonged sitting or standing, and the use of certain medications.
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