For stars trying to speed their skin's recovery after a chemical peel
or microdermabrasion, there's Dermacia MD's Lycogel, a triple silica
gel treatment that heals while acting as a concealer. It sells for $78
per half ounce and is available at plastic surgeons' and dermatologists'
offices. Product developer Barry Knapp says the key to Lycogel is its
ability to increase the skin's oxygen intake, unlike most makeup. "If
you have a chemical peel, you're basically electing to have a second-degree
burn," says Knapp, president of Dermacia MD. "You need something to
heal it; you need the cells to repopulate very quickly. Patients are
not interested in having two months out of their life taken." The product
also benefits skin that's healthy, according to Knapp, who says Lycogel
is used on the sets of Desperate Housewives and American Idol.