Beauty Product Review: Dr. Brandt Crease Release

Has Dr. Brandt discovered an alternative to Botox with Crease Release with GABA? Does the beauty product relax the 11's and the parentheses on your face? Is spending $150 on this wrinkle cream a good return on your investment?

Is It Hype or Hope?

Dr. Brandt's Marketing Campaign:

"A celebrity favorite, this rapid wrinkle remover contains the unique, highly effective complex GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) a patented breakthrough that releases the skin's own muscle relaxers to calm and relax the skin by diminishing the appearance of tiny fine lines and wrinkles. This new formulation has more anti-aging ingredients including Dr. Brandt signature ingredients (white tea, green tea and grape seed extract) for a longer lasting effect. Apply small amount using fingers in a clockwise motion patting gently on expression lines. For best results, always apply as a first product after cleansing. Wait 2 minutes and follow up with lineless eye cream around eyes. Can be use am or pm benefits unique, patented GABA complex quickly removes wrinkles. Effects last 8 to 10 hours. Helps reduce expression lines. "

The Hype according to others:

"Dr Beilis, the pharmacist in charge of product development at Freeze 24/7, admitted to the New York Times that GABA really does little more than coagulate when it dries and then grip the skin in place. This is because GABA does not work alone to inhibit the nerves. It requires many other substances that are not present in the skin care products that use GABA as a key ingredient"

"I talked to a commercial chemist who's company makes products for Dr. Brandt, Perricone and many others, and he told me GABA has about 1/400th the muscle relaxing ability as Botox. But if you are young(ish), and don't have a lot of expression lines, I think GABA products are worth checking out. "

According to Paula Begoun, "Crease Release with GABA Complex is a basic emollient moisturizer that claims to rapidly reduce wrinkles with gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA cannot and does not work as Dr. Brandt claims, and this moisturizer irritates skin because it contains the allergenic fragrance component eugenol. Eugenol is a standard substance used to test for skin allergies, and has a deleterious effect on skin's immune cells"

There are claims that GABA stimulates the anterior pituitary, leading to higher levels of Human Growth Hormone. This is why GABA is taken as a supplement by body builders. Furthermore, it is hard to imagine how a cream is going to make its way from your crows' feet to the anterior pituitary, but if you remember my post on Brain Freeze, how Botox can leak into your brain, one could imagine GABA finding its way to the pituitary gland, but here's the rest of the story.

The Science Class: What is GABA? GABA- Gamma Amino Butyric Acid is a powerful amino acid that is produced naturally in the body. GABA is classified as a neurotransmitter, helping nerve impulses cross the brain synapses. As a neurotransmitter inhibitor, GABA appears to lower the excitatory level of the muscle cells by numbing and relaxing them, which contract to cause a decrease in the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Is Dr. Brandt and his marketing team trying to dupe the consumer? We women do not like to be duped! GABA needs other substances for it to prevent nerves from being triggered and causing muscles to relax. Believe me, with all the muscle twitching I do, if this caused my muscles to relax, I would slather my whole body in this product.

The Experiment: For two weeks, I applied Dr. Brandt Crease Release to my crow's feet (what a ghastly decription), my wrinkles, and my crinkles around my eyes. For one week, I applied it to The Hubster's crinkles. (He became very interested in the cream when I told him the tiny jar was worth $150 of Botox-alternative.)

The Results: After each application of Crease Release, there was a cooling and tightening sensation -- sensation, mind you -- around my eyes for about 40 minutes. The cream also left behind a white, chalky residue. My fine lines and winkles were not diminished one iota. I was ready to toss the jar in the trash. Then The Hubster shouted one morning -- he is deaf in one ear so he shouts a lot --"Beckie, I think the face cream really works." Well, that certainly piqued my interest.

The Conclusion: After analyzing his face, we came to the conclusion that the other ingredients contained in the product -- white tea, green tea, and grapeseed extract -- softened his fine lines but did not diminish them. The Husbster is not the metrosexual type and has never thought of applying a beauty product to his etched but lovely face, so when he did apply Dr. Brandt Crease Release with GABA to his crinkles, it successfully diffused and softened his skin.

Brains on Beauty: Sorry to tell you, girls, Botox is still the only way to relax your facial muscles. Of course, the jury is still out on the side effects of Botox, mainly the leakage to the brain (see the pros and the cons). At $150 a jar, the return on your investment is very poor. To soften the fine lines on your face, like it did The Hubster's face, you can find a cream containing white tea, green tea, and grapeseed extract at a better price point than Dr. Brandt Crease Release with GABA.

Keep smiling,

Beckie

(Sources: Don't Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me, 7th Edition, by Paula Begoun, Molecular Immunology, March 2007, ePublication; and Biological Chemistry, September 2006, pages 1201-1207).")
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