Blog
January 19th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Just as declustered water and deconstructed water, micellar water is a figment of the imagination of marketing departments in the skin care industry. Why do they do this? Because a fancy name adds to the price you can charge for a product? What the industry sells as “micellar waters” is a bottle containing water and oils. Water and oil are not miscible. You can see the two phases, the lighter, on top, is made of oily substances, the bottom phase is the water. When you shake the bottle, you can see little “bubbles” of oil swimming in the water. As soon as you stop shaking, the two phases re-form. Why…
January 17th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Plato said, regarding the invention of the written word by the god Theuth: And in this instance, you who are the father of letters, from a paternal love of your own children have been led to attribute to them a quality which they cannot have; for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of…
January 9th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Don’t confuse correlation with causation. Aging affects practically everything in the cell and the skin, but not every change is a cause. Progeria is a nasty genetic disease that makes the victims age rapidly and die early. It is awful. But nothing is too awful to be misused by advertising. It was found that the mutated gene results in the synthesis of a mutated, faulty protein called progerin. The corect protein, Lamin A, fulfills an important role; when it is replaced by a faulty version, the consequences are dire. Obviously, scientists are looking for a way to restore function, at least partly, to ameliorate the suffering of the people who…
January 9th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Medicine and health: we are better off One of the most powerful people in the history of the world, Alexander King of Macedonia, Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Pharaoh of Egypt, King of Persia, and Lord of Asia, a.k.a. Alexander the Great, died in June 323 BC at age 32 of an infection that today could have probably been cured by a week of antibiotics. Why am I telling you this? Because most of us, inhabitants of this prosperous part of the world, in the XXI century, could live to 90, or at least to 80, in a healthy body with great skin and wonderful hair. All you have to…
January 7th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We don’t think about the value of our eyebrows until something goes wrong with them. This may happen as early as the teens, when we discover tweezers and decide that they can improve upon Nature (they can’t). By the time we are in our 20s, we may realize our mistakes and start using whatever is around to try and get back the lovely eyebrows we used to have. Not long ago, the only options to choose from were brow pencil, permanent tattoos, glued-on fake eyebrows, etc. Not only do they look fake (because they are), but they also weaken the remaining eyebrows. What about eyelashes? If you wear thick mascara it…
December 7th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I made 100 grams of she butter “mousse” like this. I added 50 grams of refined shea butter into a plastic cup compatible with my electric beater with the whip attachment. Heated it in the microwave until almost melted. Don’t over do it! Out of the microwave I added 50 grams of rosehip oil and mixed well. Left it to cool down in the kitchen (room temperature). Took a long bath (this is important for the success of the recipe!). When I came out it was still liquid. When it started to thicken I used the whip attachment and whipped the mix. If nothing happens, let it cool a bit…
December 5th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Bacteria are so intricately enmeshed with the human body that, for some purposes, they could be considered part of it. This relationship starts as soon as a baby makes its way through the birth canal, collecting bacteria, virus and mold as he/she comes out. Because the microbiome is so important to our health, I want to discuss the bacteria associated with the skin. The skin microbiome is the complex community of bacteria, viruses, and fungus that live in and on our skin. Most of the microbiome, most of the time, is useful and necessary (no, I don’t like the after-gym odor either). This microbiome is best left alone unless its…
October 31st, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We’ve added a phytic acid to our reformulation of Vitamin C Serum 15%. Phytic acid is used in some alpha hydroxy acid serums because it is a weak acid like ascorbic, malic, etc. Phytic acid is the way we and plants and other organisms store phosphate. Why do we need to store phosphate? Because it is vital for everything that has to do with energy production and use and synthesis of everything that is important to life so it is very useful to have it handy while at the same time without interfering with what is going on at the time. Hence, storing it as phytic acid makes sense. Why…
October 15th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Why worry about acne? Besides of the social stigma carried by acne among adolescents, other skin problems may follow. People with darker skin are likely to see hyperpigmentation follow acne, and scarring will probably follow nodular acne. From my book, here is the short story about acne. Just because a skin condition is common, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t serious. What happens to one’s skin happens in front of the world, and acne is a good example. Acne affects a large proportion of the population, but again, just because something is common, that doesn’t mean it isn’t serious. Serious acne can ruin a teenager’s life. Though acne is a…
October 4th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Start with facts, if possible with facts that have been in the news recently. In this case: the bacterial flora in the skin is important (just think “acne”) and it varies with the environment (in this case, us). 2.Find an attractive organism and see where you can take it. In this case, we start with a pretty flower with a pretty name: “porcelain flower” (Latin name, Hoya carnosa) that makes you think of “fresh, new, glowing”. Not surprisingly, this pretty flower has yeast growing in its nectar, Metschnikowia reukaufii. Why not surprising? Because when you mix water with sugar, yeast will grow. 3. Get your marketing scientists to work. 4.…
October 4th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The objectives of this cream are soothing, stopping oxidant chain reactions started by the treatment, and healing, This very emollient and soothing cream contains melatonin, sea kelp bioferment, vitamin B12, ceramides, Boswellia serrata extract, rosehip oil, tamanu (foraha) oil, pomegranate oil, the best natural antioxidants (Alpha-D-Tocopherol, Lycopene, Tocotrienols, Astaxanthin, Lutein, beta carotene, Alpha Lipoic Acid) and bisabolol. It has been formulated to alleviate the effects of radiation treatment and speed up healing. Why antioxidants? Once cancer cells have been killed by the treatment, the emphasis should be put on recovery and skin healing. Stopping oxidation chain reactions started by radiation and the overall stress are part of the process. Melatonin…
October 4th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
It is bad when you are feeling unwell/ill/sick/low and on top of that people tell you to “take care of yourself”? At the time, it feels impossible because, where is the energy to take care of yourself? And yet, there is truth in that annoying admonition. Why? Because there is only so much that doctors and medicines can do for you, and there is a lot that you can do to get better sooner. For example, when arthritis hits you (and it will hit everyone who reaches a certain age) the tendency might be to walk “funny” to avoid putting pressure on that knee, or whatever it is. Next step…
October 2nd, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
This is how science works: it does not respond to big shouts of “war on cancer” but to the hard work in the laboratories of thousands of scientists looking at how the body works. And from there, from the understanding of the small intricate details of how things work, come solutions to big life and death problems. In this case, treatments for melanoma and lung cancer were developed after James Allison’s (USA) and Tasuku Honjo’s (Japan) laboratories elucidated the role of proteins that act as brakes on the immune system and prevent the body’s immune system, specifically the T-cells, from attacking cancer cells effectively. Understanding the mechanism allows for inhibition…
July 20th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
As you may know, it is possible to “engineer” DNA, i.e. to modify the genetic material that makes bacteria, plants and animals, what they are. DNA is modified all the time, right now in some of your cells as they divide and the complex enzymes that direct DNA duplication make a small mistake here and there. This is called a mutation. Most of them will go unnoticed. They happen in your skin and you may get a “sun spot” here and there because UV energy damaged DNA and the mutation was not corrected properly by the other enzymes in charge of fixing the mistake. These mutations are not directed by…
July 18th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We know that genetic information is carried by our genes in DNA, and by the RNA and proteins resulting from the DNA-carried information. But glycans also carry information in processes like cell growth and apoptosis, folding and routing of glycoproteins, cell-cell interactions and cell adhesion and migration.
July 12th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Eczema. Is there anything you can do? Your skin is rashy, red and itchy. And this is not the first time. What is going on? Anything you can do to fix it? Is it caused by an irritatnt (like alcohol or sodium lauryl sulfate) or by an allergen (balsam of Peru, idebenone)? You may not be able to “fix” eczema, because it has to do with the way your immune system responds to stuff. Inflammation is a symptom, and you are the detective in charge, if you are a good detective you will be able to control your eczema. Is it irritation? Maybe you are using a disinfectant with a…
July 1st, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Is it too early to think about how your skin will look when you reach 80? Maybe, but to me it feels just like yesterday when I was a teen at the beach trying to get as brown as possible (it was considered cool), and even better if I could get my nose and cheeks to peel off. In your teens, you worry about acne, and as soon as acne is under control (if you are lucky), you start noticing fine wrinkles (their arrival probably accelerated by the benzoyl peroxide in the anti-acne products you used). Your pores look definitely larger and you start worrying about how your skin is…
June 3rd, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Corals are among the most amazing and beautiful and complex living beings. What we see is an exoskeleton made of calcium carbonate that has been formed slowly by the whole colony, made of identical individual polyps. These polyps are marine invertebrates of the phylum Cnidaria; in this phylum, members of the class Anthozoa are the reef builders, but you may be more familiar with other members of the phylum that include the nasty, if beautiful, jellyfishes. Corals are even more complicated than “just” the colony of tiny polyps making a beautiful exoskeleton that used to end up as beautiful earrings and necklaces (this practice is not heavily regulated). How do…
May 19th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Why do women spend so much money and time taking care of their skin and men don’t? Is this because the skin of men and women are so different in anatomy and physiology and biochemistry? No. The difference is in the expectations we have: women rely on their appearance more, while men are judged by society by other parameters. There are a few differences: men’s skin tends to be thicker. Another: if they wear a beard, it will cover more skin blemishes. Because they don’t wear makeup, there will be less makeup caused damage to the skin (and eyebrows and eyelashes and hair). Not all differences are advantages: acne tends…
April 28th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is cancer? All the cells in our body, and in all multicellular organisms, are regulated in multiple ways to make it possible for the organism to function as a whole. Cell division is a very tightly regulated process, and many genes participate in its regulation. As we age, our cells divide again and again and, despite all the corrective mechanisms that ensure that there are no major “typing errors” when DNA duplicates, errors occur. These are called mutations. We can see that our skin cells have mutated in the sun spots that accumulate as we age. This means that the DNA mutations have affected, in one way or another,…