Ever since Dr. Nicholas Perricone published his best-selling books about his “face lift” diet (also known as the Perricone Diet), the public became aware of the skin care benefits of DMAE. But commercially produced skin care products featuring DMAE tend to be ridiculously expensive.
Luckily, DMAE is sold as a stand-alone supplement, and it is relatively inexpensive. Which means you can make your own DMAE cream for a fraction of its usual commercial price.
What Is DMAE?
The term is an acronym for dimethylaminoethanol, a naturally occurring substance that is best known as a "smart drug", as it has been shown to improve memory and other cognitive abilities (especially noticeably, but not exclusively, in the elderly) as well as act as a mood enhancer.
As a skin care ingredient it is less widely known, but it has been shown to improve skin elasticity (thereby reducing sagging or "flabby" skin); in some cases it was even shown to reduce "liver spots". (The exact reason for this effect is unknown, but DMAE seems to reduce the levels of lipofuscin, a substance in the body that increases with age and produces irregular accumulations of pigment.)
How to Make a DMAE Anti-Ageing Cream
DMAE is sold as a liquid or as powder, in capsules. If you are using the liquid form, your work is practically done: you just pour a few drops into the chosen base (the cream or oil you are going to "enhance" or use as a carrier) and mix thoroughly.
If you are using DMAE powder, open a capsule and put approximately half of it into a small container (such as a large bottle cap) and add a few drops of distilled water. The DMAE powder will promptly dissolve. Then mix it thoroughly with your chosen base.
The quantity of DMAE recommended by the cosmetic industry is usually 3% of the composition.
As a base you can use any skin care product you wish or normally use. Many people prefer very simple and inexpensive creams (such as Nivea Soft). But you can also use totally natural base carriers. What matters is that the base should be as deeply absorbed by the skin as possible, because the better the transdermal abilities of the carrier base – meaning that it penetrates deep into the layers of the epidermis – the better the DMAE is likely to work. Among the best natural transdermal agents are sesame oil, aloe vera (if you use aloe vera gel, you should know that the addition of DMAE will instantly make the gel runny), and castor oil, which has been shown greatly to facilitate the penetration of substances into deeper skin layers. (As castor oil is very thick and sticky, you could mix it with extra virgin coconut oil, which is a fabulous skin care ingredient in its own right. For more on this, see here.)
Use the product as you would normally use a facial cream. (You can also use it as a cleanser, wiping it off after 15 or 20 minutes.)
Does It Really Work?
Anecdotal evidence (and this includes the experience of this writer) shows it does, although – as should be expected – the results might not always be quite as “miraculous” as purported by some books and websites. You should be aware that results inevitably vary, but many people have experienced some tightening of the skin and/or attenuation of wrinkles.
Among the more puzzling effects of DMAE in topical application is the “plumping” of the lips. (Again, it is quite probable that not everyone experiences it, but many have.)
DMAE is said to have a cumulative efffect, meaning that its results increase with consistent use over time.
Is It Safe to Use?
In truth - nobody really knows, because the mechanism itself by which it works to tighten the skin is largely unknown. Some have expressed concerns that it its apparent efficacy may be the result of actual cell inflammation.
However, consider that DMAE has been widely used in commercial skin care products for a decade now, with no known reports about damage or lawsuits. Also worth considering is the fact that many ingredients of commercially produced skin products are known to be unsafe - and yet people continue to use them.
Ultimately, the decision is - as it should be - all yours.
Helle Hermyan - The world is my home. You name it, I've been there. You name it, I've done it. Now, I want to share it.
