Archive for October 2018
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
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…