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| Photo: DigitalVision |
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Skincare Crusader
By Pamela Fulford
One man's mission to protect our skin from the environment
Dr. Des Fernandes is a man on a mission to help protect our skin from the environment. Fernandes, a top plastic surgeon from Cape Town, South Africa, is chiefly known for the range of Environ skincare products he developed that are becoming famous around the world for the potent boost they give to the skin.
Fernandes’ passion actually ignited when two of his young patients died of melanomas. "Such a horrifying experience leaves an indelible scar on one’s life as a doctor," says Fernandes. "Around the same time the hole in the ozone layer was discovered, we started to see an increase in skin cancer." His research led him to believe that Vitamin A—the skin vitamin, as he calls it—would be effective for protecting skin from photo-aging, as well as helping prevent skin cancer.
Not only did he notice an improvement in the skin quality of his patients who were being treated with Vitamin A for acne, he also saw an improvement in his own skin. "I’m a guinea pig for all my products," he laughs. He tried to encourage cosmetic companies to use the vitamin in their creams, but when they showed no interest, with characteristic industriousness, he set about formulating special creams for patients in his own kitchen! "The creams became so popular that people made appointments to see me just to obtain them."
What started as a cottage industry is now a world-wide concern, exporting over forty products to dozens of countries, The highly effective doses of vitamins in the creams have attracted fans like John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston, Stella McCartney, Sadie Frost, Christopher Lambert—and Japan’s national soccer team. "The dermatologist for Japan’s sports federation believes, like I do, that to excel at sports, every part of your body has to be working at its highest level, including the skin," says Fernandes. "So she put the team on Environ."
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