Skin Care Review: Pure Deming Idebenone 3%

Rating
Adverse Effects

Benefits
none

Drawbacks
hives, anaphylaxis

Details
The product was an experimental serum containing 3% idebenone (Prevage has 1%). I and about 100 other women got it to try it out in June, 2004. I was excited, because my skin was in really good shape. I have spent alot or years repairing the skin damage I incurred growing up in So. Calif.

Long story short: After a week I started getting red irritation; thought it was just the product "remodeling" or something. Another week went by, suddenly broke out with huge hives all over my face and trunk. I started to have a hard time breathing, and things quickly got really bad. I was able to call the ambulance -- was having an anaphylactic reaction -- got me hooked up on intravenous steroids, etc.... finally got breathing back, was released from the hospital and sent home with oral steroids.

This was in June. In July my skin started having these weird breakouts. I'm 43, and have never had acne, always had porcelain skin. By late August it was really bad and my doc put me on oral steroids. They helped a little, but then I stopped them -- and by September I had horrible diaper rash face -- that's the only way I can describe it. And had these weird cystic acne bumps. I saw a dermatologist, he decided that at the very least I had seborrheic dermatitis and rosacea, and something else he just couldn't figure out. Put me on topical steroids (which I didn't use, heard too many horror stories), Nizoral cream (anti-fungal), and oral tetracycline (antibiotic) -- basically just to blast whatever was going on.

Fastforward to April this year -- I am stopping the oral antibiotics -- have tried to stop them before, but each time I do I start getting diaper rash face. My skin is really beginning to look good -- except for those weird cystic-like little pea-size bumps that show up periodically -- never had them before. I have on near my chin that has been ther for 4 months -- and with all the "bathroom surgery" Ihave done on it, cannot get rid of it -- it's not a zit. I have an appointment with my derm next week to biopsy it.

Bottom line: at the emergency room we meticulously went through everything, and determined it had to be the idebenone serum. At my follow-up appointment my doc confirmed it. He also told me to never use a product with idebenone again -- I was sensitised to it now. I hear stories from women using Prevage and saying they are getting some irritation, and I cringe. I want to shout "BE CAREFUL! BE CAREFUL!"

The company now says it was a problem with the preservative; we will never know. I would give anything to have my old skin back. I had trouble with thinning skin in my 30s, used copper peptides and really got nice healthy thicker skin, had a series of 7 IPL treatments that really got my skin in beautiful shape -- and then I messed it all up by being a guinea pig for an untried product. I took my nice skin so for granted.

Out of the 100 users that tried the product, around 10 of us reported serious allergic reactions, including hives and emergency room visits. Who knows how many more just stopped using it when irritation started. Pure Deming immediately recalled all of the serum, and has since re-issued a 1% idebenone serum with better preservatives.

I know a few women who have begun to have red welts and rashes after using Prevage for awhile -- I am very concerned about the safety of idebeonone, which is a synthetic analog of Co Enzyme Q10. Why are they pushing the idebeonoe? Because they can patent it and make $$$. Better results (without allergic reactions) can be had by using CoEnzyme Q10 creams put out by hig-end companies like Juvena, or brands found at the healthfood store.

Conclusions
Topical idebenone should be used with caution.

Price (paid by reviewer)
$30

Where to find it
online