Archive for January 2024
January 31st, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What do you need to get your skin to glow? You could get some fireflies to do the work using luciferin and luciferase. Fireflies make light; it’s called bioluminescence. Humans don’t make light. Figure. This gorgeous photo of Greta Garbo makes it look like she is glowing. Actually, her face is only reflecting light perfectly positioned by the photographer. If trying to catch fireflies is too much work, you may be content with skin that doesn’t glow but reflects a bit more light. And how do you get that? Removing the upper layers of cells from the epidermis should do the trick; smoother skin (or makeup) will reflect more light.…
January 28th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
En Internet, encontrarás a la venta muchas fragancias diferentes anunciadas como “plantas de la Biblia”. ¿Alguna merece ser examinada? Siempre, porque siempre hay algo interesante que aprender. Cualquier cosa que me devuelva a los tiempos felices de la escuela hebrea y me haga practicar mi hebreo siempre viene bien. ¿Cuáles eran los perfumes utilizados en tiempos bíblicos? Podemos distinguir entre los que se reservaban para los ritos religiosos y los perfumes que se permitía usar a las personas. Las plantas eran la fuente principal de alivio de enfermedades en la Antigua Mesopotamia y el Antiguo Egipto. Podemos suponer con seguridad que las plantas (o los productos obtenidos de ellas, como…
January 27th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
On the internet, you will find many different fragrances for sale advertised as “plants of the Bible.” Is anything worth looking at? Always, because there is always something interesting to learn. Whatever takes me back to the happy times of Hebrew school and practice my Hebrew is always good. What were the perfumes used in Biblical times? We can distinguish between those reserved for religious rites and the perfumes a person was permitted to use. Plants were the primary source of alleviating diseases in Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. We can safely assume that plants (or products obtained from them, such as spices and incense), which had medicinal uses in…
January 27th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Pleiotropic: producing more than one effect. Does it matter that an ingredient you use on your skin displays pleiotropism? Yes, of course. It means that you can expect more than one desired (advertised!) effect; you have to be observant and make sure that the ingredient doesn’t have a side effect that you don’t want. The mechanisms of pleiotropism vary. Pleiotropy describes the genetic effect of a single gene on multiple phenotypic traits. The underlying mechanism is genes that code for a product that is either used by various cells or has a cascade-like signaling function that affects various targets. Retinoic acid exerts its pleiotropic effects primarily by controlling the expression…
January 25th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Las proteínas son como largas palabras formadas por sólo 20 letras que pueden repetirse muchas veces en distintos órdenes. Al igual que las palabras, algunas secuencias de aminoácidos pueden formar palabras con sentido o, en el caso de las proteínas, moléculas que trabajan. Los aminoácidos son las letras y los polipéptidos o proteínas son las palabras. Si le damos a un mono una máquina de escribir (u, hoy en día, una computadora), es poco probable que el mono produzca una historia con sentido o un bonito poema. Las proteínas de nuestro cuerpo son tan significativas, han evolucionado con tanto cuidado, que cada una de ellas hace un gran trabajo en…
January 24th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
¿Qué es lo que yo, Hannah, considero seguro en los productos para el cuidado de la piel? Mis criterios difieren de los de la FDA, una gran agencia, pero carente de presupuesto. ¿Qué considera seguro la FDA? Mientras las afirmaciones sobre el producto estén cuidadosamente redactadas y el ingrediente NO se utilice como medicamento (con o sin receta), la FDA no intervendrá a menos que empiecen a aparecer informes sobre efectos secundarios indeseables. Esta es la laguna jurídica que la industria del cuidado de la piel utiliza como protección cuando vende ingredientes nuevos y no probados. La industria se ampara en que los ingredientes no penetrarán en la piel y…
January 24th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Modern chemistry and technology allow anyone with money to design and produce a peptide. The result will be a sequence of amino acids linked by a peptide bond that may have a physiological effect on the body, or not. It depends on the sequence of the peptide, just like a sequence of letters can make up a word or just spell nonsense. Proteins are like long words made of just 20 letters that can be repeated many times in different orders. Just like words, some amino acid sequences can form meaningful words or, in the case of proteins, working molecules. The amino acids are the letters, and the polypeptides or…
January 23rd, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What do I , Hannah, consider safe for use in skincare products? My criteria differ from those of the FDA, a great agency but underfunded. What does the FDA consider to be safe? As long as the claims on the product are carefully worded and the ingredient is NOT used as medication (by prescription or over the counter), the FDA will not get involved unless reports of undesirable side effects start to appear. This is the loophole that the skin care industry uses as protection when selling new and untested ingredients. The industry counts on the ingredients not penetrating the skin and the low concentrations used (parts per million, not…
January 23rd, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
He aprendido mucho. Aquí van. 1) La industria del cuidado de la piel es leeeeeeenta para aprender. 2) El doble golpe: las oportunidades desperdiciadas (para hacer el bien) y el primum non nocere (primero no hacer daño) no se escuchan. 3) El contribuyente paga la investigación científica básica, pero no disfruta de sus frutos. 4) El cuidado de la piel no es una prioridad para científicos y médicos, a menos que se trate de cáncer. 5) No todos los avances en conocimientos básicos se traducirán en avances en el cuidado de la piel. 6) ¿Qué podemos esperar del futuro? 7) Hay que practicar mucho con juegos estilo sopa de palabras…
January 20th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Maquillaje: hace que parezca que las pestañas tienen cada vez más volumen. Por cierto, aumentar el volumen es una técnica de peinado que consiste en dar cuerpo al cabello. Pensá en los años setenta. Es importante reconocer que a veces los cosmeticos sacrifican la salud a largo plazo en aras de un resultado inmediato. Esto estara bien para el vendedor, pero el comprador es el que esta sacrificando su salud futura! Ingredientes:Agua, copolímero de acrilatos/acrilato de etilhexilo, estearato de glicerilo SE, alcohol, glicerina, dimeticona, copolímero de VP/eicoseno, cera de carnauba, ácido esteárico, manteca de karité, aceite de semillas de ricino, biotina, pantenol, hialuronato de sodio, trometamina, hidroxiacetofenona, copolímero de acrilatos,…
January 19th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Makeup: gives the look of more and more volumized eyelashes. Incidentally, volumizing is a styling technique that refers to giving body to hair. Think 1970s. Ingredients: Water, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Alcohol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Carnauba Wax, Stearic Acid, Shea Butter, Castor) Seed Oil, Biotin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tromethamine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Acrylates Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Carboxyethyl Siliconate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Laureth-21, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides. Actives: support growth and health of hair and the live cells that make it. Ingredients: Water, Seakelp (Kelp/Lactobacillus Ferment Filtrate) Bioferment, Propanediol, Glycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caffeine, Serenoa Serrulata (Saw Palmetto) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape)…
January 18th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Agua, Glicerina, Propanediol, Niacinamida, Palmitato de Isopropilo, Poliacrilato-13, Palmitoyl Hexapéptido-12, Palmitoyl Tripéptido-1, Palmitoyl Tripéptido-5, Palmitoyl Dipepéptido-5 Diaminobutiroil Hidroxitreonina, Palmitoyl Dipéptido-5 Diaminohidroxibutirato, Acetil Hexapéptido-38, Fosfatidilserina, Palmitato de Ascorbilo, Extracto de Swertia Chirata, Proteína de Guisante Hidrolizada, Ornitina, Ceramida NP, Ergotioneína, Extracto de Dunaliella Salina, Fitoesteroles, Fosfolípidos, Glicolípidos, Extracto de Esporocarpo de Tremella Fuciformis, Aceite de Fruto de Oliva, Manteca de Karité, Betaína, Escualeno, Lecitina, Caprilil Meticona, EDTA Disódico, Polisorbato 20, Tocoferol, Butilenglicol, Caprilil Glicol, Ácido Caprilohidroxámico, Poliisobuteno, Etilhexilglicerina, Fenoxietanol. No hay nada de gran aporte aquí que sugiera un valor “cuasi médico”. Lo que puedo rescatar es la intención de la frase “contribuye a la salud del tejido adiposo”, al darle…
January 17th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I learned a lot. Here it goes. 1) The skincare industry is slooooooooow to learn. 2) The double whammy: Wasted opportunities (to do good) and primum non nocere (first do no harm) go unheard 3) The taxpayer pays for basic scientific research but doesn’t get to enjoy its fruits. 4) Skincare is not a priority for scientists and doctors unless it’s cancer. 5) Not all advances in basic knowledge will translate into advances in skincare 6) What can we expect from the future? 7) You need practice reading word salads to discover what’s inside a skincare product 1. The skincare industry is slow to learn. Why? In 2024, a premium…
January 17th, 2024 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyacrylate-13, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-38, Phosphatidylserine, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Swertia Chirata Extract, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Ornithine, Ceramide NP, Ergothioneine, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Phytosterols, Phospholipids, Glycolipids, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Olive Fruit Oil, Shea Butter, Betaine, Squalane, Lecithin, Caprylyl Methicone, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Polyisobutene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol There is nothing of great value here to suggest a “quasi-medical” value. What I can rescue is the intent: the phrase “supports healthy adipose tissue”, like in giving the subcutaneous fat its due. Unfortunately, in the advertising the phrase refers to…