By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Skin Actives Scientific
Gilbert, Arizona, USA
Hair matters greatly to how we see ourselves and how others see us.
Hair is produced by live cells in our scalp, but by the time the hair sees the outside world, there are no live cells in it. Most of the actives provided by Skin Actives or anybody else can’t do much for it except for providing some extra protection. Still, “just” protecting your hair is worth the trouble because if you wear it long it may have to last for years from the time it is formed until you cut it or it falls naturally.
Hair growth begins inside the hair follicle, and the only “living” portion of the hair is found in the follicle. The base of the root is called the bulb, which contains the cells that produce the hair shaft. The hair follicle includes the oil producing sebaceous gland which lubricates the hair and the muscles responsible for causing hairs to stand-up in goose bumps.
Hair follows a specific growth cycle with three phases: anagen (active), catagen (transition), and telogen (resting) phases. Each phase has specific characteristics that determine the possible length of the hair. All three phases occur simultaneously; in our scalp, one strand of hair may be in the anagen (active) phase, while another is in the telogen phase. During anagen, the cells in the root of the hair are dividing rapidly, adding to the hair shaft. The anagen phase lasts between 2 and 7 years (for some individuals even longer), waist-length hair or longer is only possible to reach for people with long anagen.
The hair that is visible is the hair shaft, which shows no biochemical activity and for this reason is considered “dead”. The cells formed in the hair bulb are now mostly keratin. As hair keratin is synthetized, it assembles into rope-like intermediate filaments. The structure of these filaments provides strength to the hair shaft. As determined by their amino acid sequence, the protein molecules twist to form a very stable, left-handed superhelical (a coil that coils itself into another coil) motif that assembles with other such units forming filaments consisting of multiple copies of the keratin monomer. In addition to intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, keratins have large amounts of the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine, required for the disulfide bridges that confer additional strength and rigidity by linking into permanent, thermally-stable super-structures.
As you can see from this summary description, keratin structure (not completely elucidated to date) makes it so resilient that will resist harsh conditions like those encountered in daily life. Hair will grow for years without noticeable damage, although UV light will bleach the melanin in the hair shaft and lighten hair after a sunny summer.
But fashion, not just in our culture but as early as humans started grooming their hair, demands that we expose hair to heat (!), bleach and dyes (!!), strong chemicals (!!!) and traction (!!!!). That’s right: these are not natural stresses but the result of treatments dictated by fashion. Still, there is no reason why these harsh treatments should affect the capacity of your scalp to produce new, healthy hair, unless the chemicals, heat, etc. reach the scalp and damage the cells capable of producing hair. Just try and be sensible and think that your scalp and hair have to last for many, many decades.
Conditioners contain chemicals with positive electrical charges that will cling to the hair, the chemicals in the conditioner collect on the edges of the damaged scales of the cuticle, helping to smooth over and fill in the breaks and cracks. As a result the hair tends to become more manageable and shiny; proteins and dimethicone are useful in this process. Colored or “permed” hair needs extra care, and conditioners and other products can help by “patching up” the damaged hair cuticle.
Panthenol is absorbed into the hair and helps retain moisture and antioxidants will protect the hair from oxidants in the environment (although no antioxidant is a match for the strong oxidants used to modify hair color and shape). It is possible to change the shape of the hair (in a perm or hair relaxer) by denaturing keratin, using chemicals to break down the disulfide bridges that give keratin its strength, and letting the disulfide bridges re-form after the hair is given a new shape. Since perms were invented, milder and less noxious chemicals have been created to break down keratin structure and reform it in the desired shape. Strong chemicals are also used to color hair, increasing the permeability of the hair so that it can absorb the dyes; the process involves the use of strong oxidizing agents (peroxides) and alkali.
Whatever you do, try to avoid unnecessary damage to the capacity of your scalp to keep forming new hair, preventing the strong chemicals used in perms and coloring to come into contact with the scalp. Don’t try to “save” money on a perm or hair color, it can cost you dearly.
Shampoo is needed to clean your hair, but first, do no harm: shampoos shouldn’t contain strong detergents like sodium dodecyl sulfate that can damage the scalp by extracting structural lipids
SAS products useful in hair care (see above for information on our shampoo and conditioner).
Sea kelp ultramarine, in a serum, conditioner or by itself will help with itchy scalp.
Your scalp is where everything begins: healthy hair follicles will make healthy hair. If your hair follicles are already damaged, take advantage of SAS actives and pre-mixed products.
Our hair serum contains keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) in a medium that contains everything your hair follicles need: vitamins, amino acids and much more. KGF is also known as FGF-7 and heparin-binding growth factor-7 (HBGF-7) and a member of the fibroblast growth factor family, completes the serum. KGF has been found to stimulate hair growth. Chrysin and grape seed proanthocyanidins help with poor scalp micro-circulation, follicle atrophy caused by dihydrotestosterone, and follicle aging . Nutrients are included in the serum to compensate for the decline in blood irrigation to the scalp as we age. Most cancer fighting therapies interfere with fast cell division and they will affect hair, so if a friend or family member that will undergo this type of treatment, ask her/him to discuss with the doctor using this serum, the KGF in the serum will help retain hair during and after radiation treatment.
Our serum for gray hair contains antioxidant enzymes in a medium formulated to decrease the oxidative stress to your hair follicles and the cells that make the hair. SAS no-gray serum contains, among other actives, catalase, methionine sulfoxide reductase, phloretin and L-methionine. The objective of our no-gray serum is to prevent the loss of hair color. There is no evidence that anything can restore the original color to gray hair, but there is room for hope. If the color loss is relatively recent, the non-oxidant environment provided by our serum may prevent the death of melanocytes and allow tyrosinase in those melanocytes to do its job again.
References:
Braun, Susanne, Krampert, Monika, Bodo, Enikoe, Kuemin, Angelika, Born-Berclaz, Christiane, Paus, Ralf, Werner, Sabine. (2006) Keratinocyte growth factor protects epidermis and hair follicles from cell death induced by UV irradiation, chemotherapeutic or cytotoxic agents J Cell Science, 119: 4841-4849
Danilenko, Dimitry M.; Ring, Brian D.; Yanagihara, Donna; Benson, William; Wiemann, Bernadette; Starnes, Charles O.; Pierce, Glenn F. (1995) Keratinocyte growth factor is an important endogenous mediator of hair follicle growth , development, and differentiation. Normalization of the nu/nu follicular differentiation defect and amelioration of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. American Journal of Pathology 147: 145-54.
By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Biochemist
Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Gilbert, AZ
I wish my Biochemistry students at MSU cared as much about chirality as many consumers of skin care products do!
The impact of marketing is clear in the questions I get via email.
Some molecules exist in mirror forms (D and L). These molecules have at least one asymmetric carbon atom, i.e. a carbon atom that has each of its four bonds occupied by four different atoms or groups of atoms. Ascorbic acid is one such molecule. L-ascorbic acid means that the compound’s stereochemistry is related to that of the levorotatory enantiomer of glyceraldehyde.
Please see – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality_(chemistry)
Regarding chirality of ascorbic acid and skin care, there are two questions
1) Does it matter whether a chemical is D or L? Yes, it does, because the spacial distribution of atoms is part of the structure of the chemical and will determine some of its properties.
2) Does it matter whether you are using the L- stereoisomer or a racemic mix of ascorbic acid on your skin? No. When no enzymes are involved either isomer will do. You need a minute amount of L-ascorbic acid, a cofactor for enzymes involved in the hydroxylation of pro-collagen amino acid residues. A racemic mix of ascorbic acid will have will have more than enough L-isomer to do the job and it is much less expensive. We have chosen our ascorbic acid to be very fresh (reduced) and in very fine crystals so that it can do a better job.
Natural ingredients are the “right” chirality. If I “worry” about a particular chemical’s chirality, I get the “correct” chirality. If I am not worried about it, I don’t bother getting it. It matters, for example, for vitamin E. A low percentage of people can become allergic to the “wrong” stereoisomer of vitamin E.
Because I am a biochemist, I am very familiar with chirality, stereoisomers, etc.
Chirality is first taught with amino acids (all the amino acids in proteins are L-) and soon after with sugars (most sugars in humans are D-). So sodium hyaluronate, if anything, would be a D-, but the nomenclature is not really used for polysaccharides. Same for superoxide dismutase, biochemists don’t use L- or D- for proteins (although proteins are made of L-amino acids).
I find it easy to tell whether a text has been written by marketing people or by scientists, the language is so different! Marketing people use “absolute” terms. A real scientist knows enough to know that he/she (in this case) does not know enough to promise you “purity”.
Why do we tell you that an ingredient is L- or D-? Because for those ingredients it is part of the chemical name.
When a chemical is made in the laboratory by organic synthesis, it will be a mix of the two steroisomers. If a chemical is made in the laboratory by fermentation, the chiral composition will depend on the microbe and the main synthetic pathway. Incidentally, some chemical may have several stereoisomers, if the have more than one “asymmetric” carbon.
About chiral technology: the term should be reserved for very specific work done by organic chemists trying to direct organic synthesis towards a particular stereoisomer. As far as I know, that technology is not used for skin care ingredients, because it would be too expensive. It makes a lot more sense, at least for the time being, to purify the ingredient from natural materials, usually crops like wheat or rice.
“He does not have a granny”
By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Biochemist
Skin Actives Scientific, LLC
Gilbert, AZ
The expression in Spanish is “no tiene abuelita” and it refers to the person who talks too much about his/her achievements, beauty or whatever. This because if she/she had a granny, then the granny would be telling everybody how great the person is.
It is not nice to tell you how great I am (or our company is). But there are exceptions.
It seems to me that because I am not telling you how great some of our products are you may be missing on a really great thing.
My point is that we have some extraordinary products, not because we make them but because they contain some extraordinary actives at the right concentrations, and I would like to see more people benefiting from them.
Examples:
1) Mitochondria cream, THE product to prevent wrinkles and skin aging.
2) Antioxidant cream with coffee extract: we stress the coffee extract because more people may know about it but this cream contains some antioxidant enzymes that you cannot find anywhere else. If any of your friends/family members has a skin problem related to immunity (like vitiligo) this is the one to go for.
3) Be kind rewind cream, the one to use if you have sun damage or damage by other stressors.
4) Emulator oil: don’t complain about your nails, just make them healthier
5) Anti-inflammatory cream, to alleviate eczema, psoriasis, etc.
And now, on another subject: did I ever tell you how gorgeous my grandchildren actually are?
By Hannah Sivak, phD
Biochemist
Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Sirtuins are proteins with a very sophisticated role in the cell: they control the enzyme that converts acetate, a source of calories, into acetyl CoA, a key point of entry to cellular respiration. Why should we be talking about sirtuins in a skin care guide? See what wikipedia has to say about these proteins.
Sirtuins may be able to control age-related disorders in various organisms and in humans. These disorders include the aging process, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s disease. Development of new agents that would specifically block the nicotinamide-binding site could provide an avenue to develop newer agents to treat degenerative diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and gout.
For the time being, I am not planning on testing the most effective anti-sirtuin strategy so far: calorie restriction. Apparently, near starvation extends life.
The potential role of sirtuins in aging made them an instant hit with the skin care industry. Even when research on sirtuin-related pharmaceuticals is still in its infancy, there is a “pro-sirtuin technology” included in a famous brand. Obviously, there is no real pro-sirtuin technology in there, as none exists, but the product contains a couple of interesting actives, i.e. Andrographis extract and resveratrol. Ignore the usual marketing gimmicks and go for Andrographis and resveratrol because they are good. Andrographis is an excellent active, which I appreciate very much for its anti-allergic activity. For those of you lucky enough not to suffer from allergies, you can try Andrographis for its anti-sirtuin activity.
There are two main actives to consider in relation to sirtuins: niacinamide and resveratrol. Again, from Wikipedia:
Normally, sirtuin activity is inhibited by nicotinamide, a component of vitamin B3 (also known as niacin), by binding to a specific receptor site. Drugs that interfere with this binding should increase sirtuin activity. It is known that resveratrol found in red wine, can inhibit this interaction and is a putative agent for slowing down the aging process. However, the amount of resveratrol found naturally in red wine is too low to activate sirtuin, so potential therapeutic use would mandate purification and development of a therapeutic agent.
Two comments on this paragraph:
1) There is more to niacinamide than its effect on sirtuins, and niacinamide is too good to eliminate from our skin’s diet, so you must look for other ways to stimulate sirtuins without eliminating niacinamide.
2) Skin Actives Scientific already sells purified resveratrol, making the NYT article obsolete! Aren’t we great?
REFERENCES ON RESVERATROL:
ADHAMI, V.M. ; AFAQ, F.; AHMAD, N. (2003) Suppression of ultraviolet B exposure-mediated activation of NF-?B in normal human keratinocytes by resveratrol. Neoplasia, 5:74-8
WOLTER, F.; STEIN, J. (2002) Biological activities of resveratrol and its analogs. Drugs of the Future, 27: 949-959.
BERNARD, P.; BERTHON, J.-Y.(2000) Resveratrol: An original mechanism on tyrosinase inhibition International Journal of Cosmetic Science 22: 219-224.
By Hannah Sivak, phD
Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Arizona
Following the discovery that gray hair is produced by hair follicles lacking in two crucial antioxidant enzymes, we will be offering these two enzymes in a hair serum that should help protect your scalp and prevent the loss of hair color.
To respond to clients’ questions: we will not be making any effort to patent this extraordinary serum, because the Patent Office will reject applications that are derived by using common sense on published scientific discoveries, and our serum is a clear example of common sense. However, you should not expect this type of product to be forthcoming from other skin care or hair care companies because, besides common sense, the two key actives in this serum are a major achievement not easy (or cheap) to replicate outside of SAS.
Gray hair happens because there is little or no melanin incorporated in the hair as it is being
formed in the follicle. It has been known for some time that oxidants were implicated in
the damage and death of the melanocytes in the follicle, and new evidence shows that hydrogen
peroxide (H2O2) accumulates in the hair shafts of gray-white hair. Two enzymes are involved in the prevention and repair of oxidative damage: catalase and methionine sulfoxide reductase. In gray hairs they are almost completely gone.
Catalase breaks down hydrogen peroxide, preventing damage to the cell’s DNA and membrane lipids. Conversely, methionine sulfoxide reductase (MSR) repairs protein damage. For example, MSR can fix a damaged amino acid in tyrosinase the key enzyme of melanogenesis. Another way of preventing damage of tyrosinase by hydrogen peroxide is to have L-methionine in the environment.
Our SAS no-gray serum will contain, among other actives, catalase, methionine sulfoxide reductase, phloretin and L-methionine. The objective of our no-gray serum is to prevent the loss of hair color.
There is no evidence that anything can restore the original color to gray hair, but there is room for hope. If the color loss is relatively recent, the non-oxidant environment provided by our serum may prevent the death of melanocytes and allow tyrosinase in those melanocytes to do its job again.
Wood, J. M., Decker, H., Hartmann, H., Chavan, B., Rokos, H., Spencer, J. D., Hasse, S.,Thornton, M. J., Shalbaf, M., Paus, R., Schallreuter, K. U. (2009) Senile hair graying: H2O2-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color by blunting methioninesulfoxide repair. FASEB Journal online.
By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Biochemist, Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Most of us know what cellulite looks like, but let me assure you that it is NOT a disease. Still, I managed to find a review on cellulite published in a relatively obscure medical journal (European journal of dermatology and venereology, 2000, 14: 251-262). Despite the lack of recognition of cellulite in the medical field, this “condition” managed to gather a few medical-sounding names, like gynoid lipodystrophy, nodular liposclerosis, oedemato-fibrosclerotic panniculopathy and panniculosis. It has also been called “mattress skin” and orange peel to describe the superficial undulations of the skin.
Cellulite will happen to most women, so it is not an abnormal condition. As we age, our skin is no longer able to stretch smoothly
over subcutaneous fat deposits, and that is NOT a disease. But just as we don’t like wrinkles, we don’t like cellulite. Is there
anything that can be done? Cosmetic surgery can alleviate the problem by either injecting fat (yes!) in the “valleys” or doing liposuction in the “hills”. Surgery may help, or not, but any effect is likely to be temporary.
There is something else that can be done without the risk and expense of cosmetic surgery. You can try to get that dormant, subcutaneous fat back into your body metabolism. You can also increase the elasticity of your skin so that it will be able to cope with the increased fat volume. SAS cellulite control cream targets both structural problems.
What is so special about SAS cellulite control cream 2.0? The actives!
Dermal respiratory factor (yeast lysate extract): wake up those sleepy fat cells!
Forskolin: activates a lipase, a hormone that breaks down fats (hormone sensitive lipase, activated via cyclic AMP).
Sea kelp bioferment: full of minerals and nutrients to help rekindle skin elasticity
Caffeine: get rid of some water and wake up sleepy cells, acts directly on fat cells by interacting with receptors and breaking down fats for local respiration or to be exported for use by the muscles.
Retinyl acetate: accelerate skin renewal.
Acetyl carnitine: mobilize the fat by increasing its use by mitochondria.
Hyaluronic acid: keep your skin young and elastic.
The saikosaponin and other saponins present in Bupleurum falcatum seem to benefit cell metabolism and increase synthesis of matrix proteins. The extract also has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Coenzyme Q10: enhances respiration
Liquorice extract: anti-inflammatory and lots more
The glycosides of saponins in horse chestnut extract have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. They also act on connective tissue, so important in cellulite, and they strengthen fragile capillary blood vessels (helping to prevent edema).
Penetration of cellulite control cream:
Because the target of the actives is subcutaneous fat, it is a good idea to increase penetration of the actives. I suggest that you apply the cream after a shower or bath, because hydrated skin will be more permeable to water-soluble actives. Also, wrap the treated area with some kitchen plastic film, and you can even use a hand massager. Using an exfoliator such as our pumpkin enzyme peel or our Alpha/Beta exfoliator will also help.
NOTE: This cream is not suitable for people diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.
Talk to your doctor if you have any doubts, your health is your most precious asset.
By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Biochemist
Skin Actives Scientific
When your friend becomes your enemy (II): antimicrobial peptides
Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptides provide an important mechanism for prevention of infection against a wide variety of microbial pathogens. The activity of cathelicidin is controlled by the processing of a longer precursor into a mature peptide by a specific protease, i.e. a protein that breaks down proteins. In the skin, these peptides are formed when stratum corneum tryptic enzymes (SCTE) cut down cathelicidin at specific points.
In rosacea, cathelicidin and SCTE are much more abundant. The consequence is a massive increase in antimicrobial peptides that can be different in structure from those found in normal skin. The abnormal peptides are capable of producing rosacea-like symptoms: redness, an increase in visible blood vessels, bumps or pimples. Knowing that these peptides may be at the root of rosacea, it may seem easy to find a remedy and suppress the “celtic curse”: decrease the formation of the peptides. Unfortunately, the two processes involved, incrased expression of cathelicidin and increased expression of the SCTEs, cannot be easily modified.
What NOT to do if you have rosacea: vitamin D and retinoic acid seem to promote expression of cathelicidin, so people with rosacea should avoid these actives. Also, two growth factors are known to increase cathelicidin expression: insulin-like growth factor I and TGF-alpha, so run away if you see a skin care product (NOT made by SAS, obviously) that includes either factor in its ingredient list.
What else can you do? It may be possible to decrease the activity of the protease involved in the process, which belongs to a class known as serine protease because the amino acid serine is involved in the mechanism of action. Several actives sold by SAS inhibit serine proteases, including lupeol (present in saw palmetto), pumpkin fruit trypsin inhibitors, quercetin, and (maybe) betulinic acid. Also, protect your skin from infection and weakening of the skin barrier, to prevent further increase in the expression of cathelicidin.
Other skin problems seem to involve cathelicidin in different ways. For example, in atopic eczema the skin shows decreased cathelicidin expression, leading to increased susceptibility to secondary infections in those patients. In psoriasis, cathelicidin peptides may bind to self DNA, triggering an autoimmune response.
The skin is a complicated system, and proteases are needed for skin renewal, so although washing with a mild surfactant may help alleviate rosacea by decreasing activity of serine proteases, too much washing may be a problem.
Yamasaki, Kenshi; Di Nardo, Anna; Bardan, Antonella; Murakami, Masamoto; Ohtake, Takaaki; Coda, Alvin; Dorschner, Robert A.; Bonnart, Chrystelle; Descargues, Pascal; Hovnanian, Alain; Morhenn, Vera B.; Gallo, Richard L. (2007) Increased serine protease activity and cathelicidin promotes skin inflammation in rosacea Nature Medicine 13(8), 975-980.
by Hannah Sivak, PhD
Biochemist
Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Gilbert, AZ
Recent comments on my guides convinced me that a clarification was needed. I am a biochemist, not a beauty expert or estethician, so the way I evaluate ingredients is not about their “feel” or their make-up capacity but only on their possible benefits that may derive from their chemical composition.
When I say that I cannot comment on possible benefits by alguronic acid, it is because alguronic acid does not exist. What does this mean?
1) alguronic acid does not appear in any scientific publication or Merck index
2) “detective work” led me to an INCI (international nomenclature for cosmetic ingredients) name does not lead to a defined chemical.
3) if there is no definition of the term that leads to a clear composition, it is not possible to comment on it meaningfully
4) commercial laboratories giving “independent” evaluations are not trustworthy. There is no peer review or methodology that allows scientists to try to duplicate the experiments.
Alguronic acid is a new addition to the “walk of shame” ingredients that include Elizabeth Grant’s “torricellum”, amatokin’ polypeptide #153, idebenol and many others, ingredients that only exist in the imagination of publicists.
By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Gilbert, AZ
Skin problems and how Skin Actives can help
Over the year our skin takes a battering. The Sun, air pollution, fashion, and other factors can damage our skin beyond the normal aging process. Fortunately the damage is not irreversible and can be fixed.
Two products are recommended for all stress related damage: twilight (vitamin A) and be kind rewind cream. Other products and actives will help with specific problems, like skin brightening cream for hyperpigmentation and let’s make collagen serum for acne scars.
Chemical peels may cause hyperpigmentation, especially if the peeling skin was picked away instead of letting it peel away naturally. Use Twilight awakening cream and be kind rewind to help. The same combination will help with hyperpigmentation caused by hot wax removal of facial hair. Another avoidable cause of hyperpigmentation is the wearing of fragrance or fragrance containing products in the sun (I discussed the problem of phototoxicity and photodermatitis in our blog and forum).
Many clients complain of loss of eye brows and thinning of eye lashes. Some of these clients can trace this loss to intensive plucking of eye brows, which used to be fashionable decades ago. Now the fashion is over but the eyebrows are gone. Even more common is the thinning of eyelashes, and here we can speculate that part of it has to do with age and decrease of nutrients reaching the skin cells in charge of making those eyelashes. But a good part of this loss may be related to the crazy things women do to “extend” those same eyelashes. Have you heard of eyelash extensions? What do you think glue will do to the delicate skin of the eyelids?
Mascara is the type of makeup that has been with us for centuries, but don’t expect mascara to help grow or thicken those eyelashes.
Look at this ingredient list: Water, Parafin, Stearic Acid, Beeswax, Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene, Trisiloxane, C30 45 Alkyl Dimethicone, Cera Carnauba Triethanolamine, Bis Vinyl Dimethicone Copolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Stearyl Esters, Isosteareth 200 Linoleate, Acacia Gum, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Nylon 6, Methoxy Amodimethicone/Silsequioxane Copolymer, Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Simethicone, Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2 Hexanediol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77897), Black 2 (CI 77266), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Ultramarines (CI 77007). Remedies? The same one for eyebrows and eyelashes loss: Our Brow and Lash serum with KGF.
Life is dangerous and we acquire scars as we go along, starting early on when toddlers test the universe and learn about Physics. I take my scars as a proof that I lived but I am a lot less appreciative of scars I got as a result of my stupidity, especially those I got when I was old enough to know better. But the damage has already been done, so what can we do about these scars? Think long-term: Twilight awakening cream and let’s make collagen serum will go a long way towards helping with old scars. It is already too late for the benefits of Restoration cream, designed to help with “fresh” wounds.
Fashion dictates that hair on women’s legs in not acceptable, and shaving and waxing are two of the most common methods to deal with this “problem”. One of the most common results of shaving and waxing is ingrown hairs, and these can lead to further trouble. Try our alpha/beta exfoliator or pumpkin bioferment and if these are not enough, Twilight awakening cream should also help.
Smoking is probably the worst self-inflicted damage you can do to your skin. Try to stop smoking; your MD can help a lot.
Even if you stopped smoking long ago, there may still be damage to your skin and lips. Twilight awakening cream and be kind rewind will help with hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and discoloration, and make sure you use our lip trio as often as possible. “Disappearing lips” will not be helped by injected fillers, and I have seen awful results from these injections even when they went well and did not lead to scarring.
For those who are still smoking, you will also need all the help antioxidants can provide. Try our CHAS serum, antioxidant cream with coffee fruit extract and antioxidant enzymes but you will also need Twilight awakening and be kind rewind creams and our lip trio.
By Hannah Sivak, PhD
Skin Actives Scientific LLC
Gilbert
AZ
The skin care industry is just like any other industry: it is populated by humans who can be thoughtful, caring or arrogant and greedy. Fortunately, the government has regulations that ensure that the products you buy in the USA are safe. What the government has not time for is to enforce regulations about advertising. So you end up with marketing that is ridiculous and stupid. If you have a good scientific background, you can tell when the advertisement is ridiculous. But if you don’t have that background, the big words may sound legit.
Jan Marini is guilty of arrogance, like when they sold glaucoma medication under the name “eyelash growth factor”. They were penalized for selling a medicine with severe side effects, although they probably made lots of money anyway.
They are back at work, this time advertising the Nobel prize in Medicine 2009 as if it were theirs (it is not). The prize was given to three scientists for their work elucidating the role of telomeres in cell life. You can read about telomeres and the enzyme involved in extending them, telomerase, in Wikipedia. For skin care, all that it matters is to know that telomerase in involved in deregulation of cell division and cancer. Nothing that you can apply to your skin is known to extend telomeres directly, although some chemicals like hydroquinone and benzoyl peroxide are known to promote cancer.
Fortunately in this case, Jan Marini can’t use medications that will affect your health. But in my opinion their marketing is promoting confusion and ignorance.
Jan Marini is not the first skin care company to use scientific sounding jargon to confuse the public. Creme de la Mer talks about “structured water”, which does not exist and playing music to the bacteria fermenting algae.
The only defense against “voodoo science” is knowledge. And you can always write to me for some straight answers.
