Does Lift & Firm Cream Really Work?

I have mixed feelings about dermatologist brands. On the plus side, there is some reassurance that the brand really knows what it’s doing. On the other hand, I’ve also seen brands use it as an excuse for high prices and exaggerated claims.

Where exactly does Miami MD fall? After browsing their website and actually testing their products for 5+ weeks, I’m ready to share my honest thoughts.

Ingredients Miami MD

The brand claims to use “quality natural ingredients,” but what exactly does that mean? Taking a look at their actual ingredients list, you don’t actually see many botanical extracts or oils at all, but instead a surprising amount of more conventional ingredients, especially peptides:

• Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 aka Syn-Coll. Manufacturer studies found that it helped reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin firmness, and minimize the appearance of pores.
• Acetyl hexapeptide-8 also known as Argireline. The manufacturer claims it is Botox in a jar with Argireline 10% solution that reduces the depth of eye wrinkles by 17% in just 15 days. An independent study confirmed its wrinkle-reducing benefits plus its ability to increase moisture levels in the skin,¹ but to say it’s as effective as Botox would still be a stretch.
• Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2 also known as Progeline. Once again, we leave claims the manufacturer Here, this too claims to reverse cell age to that of a 20-year-old, with 2% Progeline that can lift skin by 10% in 56 days and improve skin firmness by 20% in 28 days.
• Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7also known as Matrixyl 3000. Manufacturer found that applying 3% of this duo for 2 months not only improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but also skin texture, elasticity and tone! But on their own,
  Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 can actually signal collagen production, while Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 can reduce inflammation and collagen breakdown.²

We also see the holy trinity of health barrier ingredients:

• Roof tileswhich make up 50% of the lipids in our skin, are vital to keeping our skin hydrated and our barrier healthy.³
• Cholesterolbad for our heart health but great for the skin, it’s another important component of our skin barrier.⁴
• Fatty acid rich oils such as Jojoba, Sweet Almond and Sunflower.
  • Jojoba oil is the most similar to the natural sebum that our skin produces.
  • Sweet almond oil contains antioxidants such as vitamin E and B.
  • Sunflower oil can help speed up the restoration of the skin barrier and is acne-friendly.⁵
  • All offer moisturizing and emollient benefits to the skin.⁶

Some other notable ingredients:

• Kojic Acid helps prevent pigmentation by suppressing melanin production and has antioxidant properties that can protect the skin from UV damage.⁷
• Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate it is a form of vitamin C, and because it is oil soluble, it actually absorbs 3 times better than ascorbic acid and deeper into the skin. It offers antioxidant protection, increased collagen production and brightening benefits.^8,9
• Tocopherol and Tocopheryl acetate they are both forms of vitamin E, an antioxidant that works synergistically with vitamin C and also provides some emollient benefits.

While many of the peptides used lack independent peer-reviewed studies, there is nothing overly frivolous about their ingredient selection, which is always a promising sign.

Miami MD Dark Spot Corrector Review

Key Ingredients:
Kojic Acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Shea Butter, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract

Texture & Finish:
It feels less like a serum and more like a medium weight cream. It can be difficult to blend if your skin is not completely dry. Leaves a velvety finish.

Price & Size:
$69 for 30ml of Miami MD

I have mixed thoughts about it, so let’s talk about what I didn’t like first, which is the texture. It is not elegant, nor is it pleasant to use. Thankfully it’s not pilly or uncomfortable, it just doesn’t blend well and feels thicker than it needs to be.

Now let’s talk about the positives, and these are the results. After 4 weeks of use, I noticed that my blackheads were slightly less visible. The fading was by no means significant, but there were minor improvements.

Then my blackheads became more noticeable after my trip to Greece (too much sun, oops), so I used it again religiously for a week and saw that the spots opened up again to their original state. To be fair, I probably would have gotten the same results with other brightening serums, it just took longer, but it’s great to see the Miami MD Dark Spot Corrector working so quickly.

Miami MD Age-Defying Lift & Firm Cream Review

Key Ingredients:
Progeline, Matrixyl 3000, Argireline, Syn-Coll, Ceramides, Cholesterol, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil

Texture & Finish:
It feels like a gel-cream but not as emollient. It blends easily into the skin and leaves a velvety finish. Layers well under makeup.

Price & Size:
$69 for 50ml of Miami MD

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. The texture is sleek and despite feeling so light, it moisturized my dry skin just fine throughout the night. I can see this working for all skin types except extremely dry skin.

Now this cream claims to “restore fine, loose skin”, which I’m not concerned with (yet), so I was mainly looking to see how well it worked against my fine lines. I removed all other antiaging products from my routine and relied solely on the Miami MD face cream, and once again, it performed beyond my expectations.

I had some more visible fine lines around my nasolabial fold and after using this product for 4+ weeks, I noticed that the lines were lighter. Not completely gone, but definitely less obvious. I also saw fewer lines around the eyes. I imagine the results would be even more intense if I could pair it with an anti-aging serum!

Going back to the product claims, specifically the name of “Lift & Firm Cream”, My two cents is that no topical treatment is going to lift and tighten your skin as well as in-office treatments or at-home devices. If they could, who would get botox anymore? But this is undoubtedly a great moisturizer that works well against minor signs of aging.

Final thoughts on Miami MD

As a consumer and someone who wants an efficient and delightful skin care routine, the brand has room for improvement. You can also only buy direct from them and there is no free shipping unless you buy in bulk. But they have a 60 day money back guarantee return policy, even for opened products, you will just be responsible for the return shipping.

As for the skin care products themselves, they are as sterile as you can get. No fluff, no fun, using these was almost like a chore for me. But I can’t deny that their formulas have delivered the results I expect to see from antiaging and brightening products with comparable claims. So for me, the efficiency is there.

While I won’t be buying these products to use myself, they did make a positive difference to my skin and would be suitable for anyone looking for lint-free results. Between the two I tried, I personally recommend the Miami MD Age Defying Lift and Firm Cream over the Dark Spot Corrector.