News & Updates
June 3rd, 2026 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Growth factors have shown potential to enhance bone healing and implant stability. These agents promote osteoblast activity, angiogenesis and matrix formation, accelerating peri-implant bone regeneration. One example is rhPDGF-BB, which helps gum and bone cells move to the damaged area. It’s approved in the US, Canada, and Taiwan for regenerating tissue and treating gum recession. The growth factors used in dental care to help rebuild lost tissues from gum disease and to make gum and bone regeneration more predictable in dental treatments include recombinant human (rh) platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) and rh fibroblast growth factor-2 (rhFGF-2). References Chandwani N, Nigotia P, Jain SK, Joshi N, Joshi M, Laddha R. Growth…
May 14th, 2026 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
PDGF (Platelet-derived Growth Factor) INCI Name sh-Polypeptide-59 What to expect: Anti-aging, wrinkle improvement, wound healing What are platelets? Platelets are small cell fragments produced in the bone marrow, and they are the blood’s primary coagulation mechanism. You may be familiar with the story of the hemophilia of Prince Alexei of Russia and Rasputin. The effect of platelets on coagulation is mediated by the clotting factors present in their granules Figure. Diagram of the structure of a platelet showing the granules. By Dr Graham Beards – https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21906052 You may be less familiar with the growth factors present in platelets, which mediate the healing effects of platelet-enriched plasma (a.k.a. platelet concentrate) used…
May 12th, 2026 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Rejuvenating growth factor a.k.a. TGF-β1 (Transforming Growth Factor beta 1), GDF-11 INCI Name sh-Polypeptide-22, skin protectant Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF-11) is a protein that regulates stem cell function, promoting cellular repair in the epidermis and dermis, as well as in other organs. GDF-11 induces collagen I, collagen III, and elastin production in skin fibroblasts and appears to reduce skin inflammation. It’s a very promising growth factor, and one that we, at Skin Active Proteins, will soon be able to offer to the skin care industry. GDF-11 was identified during the investigation of how blood donated by a young mouse could help rejuvenate the function of the older mouse.…
April 14th, 2026 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
At Imperial College London, Claire Higgins, a professor of bioengineering , and her collaborators, performed a pilot clinical study in which they transplanted hair follicles into human skin scars. The transplanted hair follicles helped remodel the scarred skin to create functional tissue. Follicle transplantation may become a clinically approved treatment to reduce scar formation and remodel preexisting scar tissue. How about adding the healing power of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) into the mix? Reference Plotczyk, M., Jiménez, F., Limbu, S. et al. Anagen hair follicles transplanted into mature human scars remodel fibrotic tissue. npj Regen Med 8, 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-022-00270-3
September 20th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
In humans, female cells possess two X chromosomes, one inactive. The inactive chromosome looks different, and it’s called the Barr body. Male cells possess one active X chromosome and one active Y chromosome. Autoimmune conditions in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s cells are four times more common in females. For the past 40 or 50 years, researchers have searched for the trigger behind sex-biased autoimmunity. New research suggests that the silent X chromosomes could hold the answer. How is the extra X chromosome silenced? A piece of noncoding RNA, a complex made of the X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), in conjunction with about 80 proteins bound to it,…
September 17th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Chronic fatigue is a debilitating symptom that affects many individuals, but what is the mechanism? A new study shows that a stress–induced protein called WASF3 localizes to mitochondria where it disrupts the assembly of the respiratory supercomplex, leading to decreased oxygen consumption and low exercise endurance. Alleviating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress decreases WASF3 and restores mitochondrial function, indicating that WASF3 can impair skeletal muscle bioenergetics. The good news? This protein is now the target for treating fatigue symptoms. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) afflicts more than 2 million people in the USA. People with ME/CFS live with debilitating symptoms, including exhaustion, exercise intolerance, cognitive problems, and worsening symptoms after even…
September 2nd, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
You may be familiar with the superoxide radical; your body certainly is. And you may also know about antioxidants and pollution. Superoxide radicals are part of life, and it has been this way since oxygen appeared in the atmosphere thanks to photosynthesis. We, humans, and most living organisms on Earth, depend on oxygen to live. We use oxygen to oxidize food, extracting the energy we need to keep us going and thinking and writing from that food. This fundamental job of extracting energy from food by oxidizing it to carbon dioxide and water is done in good part by our mitochondria. Why do we need SODs? Why does life need…
September 26th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Magic foods are magical because of the chemicals they contain. What chemicals give honey and royal jelly, products of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) hard work, their power? Honey and royal jelly have been used for millennia to help with wound healing. Historically, honeybee products, such as honey and royal jelly, have been used to treat injuries. Before sulfonamides and other antibiotics, discovered in the XX century, that’s all there was: natural products with antibacterial or antifungal activity. Royal jelly is secreted by worker bees’ hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands, which is then used to nourish the larvae. Royal jelly has antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties and also has antioxidative and…
April 11th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Here it is: Essential 2020 Booster 4ml Ingredients Fragrance (Eucalyptus citriodora (Lemon Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil (and) Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil (and) Citrus limon (Lemon) Peel Oil (and) Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin) Flower Oil (and) Eugenia caryophyllata (Clove) Stem Oil (and) Backhousia citriodora (Lemon Myrtle) Leaf Oil (and) Origanum majorana (Marjoram) Leaf Oil (and) Origanum vulgare (Oregano) Leaf Oil (and) Cymbopogon martinii (Lemongrass) Leaf Oil (and) Salvia officinalis (Dalmation Sage) Leaf Oil), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Tocotrienols, Tocopherols, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, Thioctic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Minthostachys Verticillata (Peperina) Extract. You can also read about these essential oils here Skin Actives Essential 2020 Booster is a blend of 13 essential oils that…
March 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The name of our company is Skin Actives Scientific. From the beginning, 15 years ago, and starting with our name, we wanted to convey that we use science in everything we do: in formulating our products, in the ingredients we make ourselves and in the words we use to communicate with our customers. Sometimes our commitment to scientific practice and thinking has placed us in conflict with trends and fads (and with some people), but for 15 years, the scientific process has served us well. If the current corona virus crisis is to be surmounted, science will guide us – but it must be accompanied by community action to safeguard…
February 11th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Burdock, Latin name Arctium, is a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. We don’t rely on traditional medicine anymore, at least not as an effective tool, unless there is scientific evidence that it actually works for a specific problem. In many countries now facing yet another viral threat, a coronavirus “born” in 2019, doctors are testing some antiviral chemicals that helped with other viruses in the past. What are the mechanisms of action in antiviral chemicals? They vary a lot: inactivate proteases that the virus needs to assemble or nucleoside analogs that inhibit replication of the nucleic acid that forms the core of the virus, or ribozymes that cut the…
December 13th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
It seems that messages sent through the “contact Hannah Sivak” button are drowned in a sea of rubbish, ugly spam. This means that it is likely that I will miss your important message. If this happens, simply go to the forum or write to me at hannah skinactives etc etc. Sorry for the inconvenience but ugly people love to make life difficult for the rest of us.
December 13th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
It may sound like a long time, but it took me 10 years to publish my first skin care book. Actually, my starch biochemistry book also took about 10 years! I just started writing the book so it is a good time for you, potential readers (!) to make suggestions. The name: Four degrees of Do It Yourself (DIY) skin care. One. DIY starts in the kitchen. Two. Add actives to a ready made base. Three. Starting from scratch (just because you want to). Four. Learning about skin care and assembling your “routine” from Skin Actives ready made products. With a glossary of active ingredients. Let me know what you…
June 13th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Updated 10/8/2019: SAS line with apocynin is now available! Let me tell you all the reasons why I love apocynin. First of all, I like it because it is old. Apocynin is as old as the plants that make it, and they are many of them. Even its health promoting properties have been known for quite a while. Old means that we know more of its tricks, its benefits and that it is OK for humans to use it. Second, I like it because it has anti-inflammatory activity. Extracts containing apocynin have been used for centuries to help with asthma and heart problems. Purified by Schmiedeberg in 1883 from Canadian…
April 26th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
sHeroes: “Never choose ‘inferiors’ as employees” With Author Dr. Hannah Sivak By Alexandra Spirer As a part of my series about strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Hannah Sivak, PhD founder of Skin Actives Scientific. Sivak completed her doctorate research at the Institute for Biochemical Research in Buenos Aires (IIB), under the direction of Dr. L.F. Leloir (Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, 1970).Dr. Sivak’s second book, “The Scientific Revolution in Skin Care,” is available in both English and Spanish translated editions. She has published more than 60 papers internationally, including refereed journals and books on different aspects of biology, biochemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology. She was a…
February 14th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Stop! Before you apply make-up you must stop to think of the step that comes after the party. How will you remove it? Why is this important? I don’t know which make-up are you using, but I know that most makeup will interfere eventually with skin function if you leave it for long enough. It seems that Nefertiti, the beautiful Egyptian queen, used an eyeliner made of Kohl, ground galena (a mineral made mostly of lead sulfide). She could afford to use a highly toxic material on her eyes because she died when she was about 40 years old. We will probably live to 80 or 90, so we need…
February 19th, 2018 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The answer is “no” if you are talking about a serum with collagen. Only animals make collagen. The answer is “yes”, though, if you are talking about Skin Actives “let’s make collagen serum” (LMC serum), the original name of our collagen serum. LMC serum was too complicated, so its name was shortened. But the objective of our product was always the same: to promote collagen serum synthesis and to preserve the structure and function of existing skin collagen. And a vegan version of this serum is possible and we are making it. How? Collagen is an insoluble protein, so it can’t be used as such in a serum. What we…
January 20th, 2017 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
For Valentine’s Day this year, we want you to share the Skin Active’s LOVE with one of your friends! Click on the link below to submit their name, address and email and we will send them a deluxe sample! (Domestic US addresses only**). **For our international customers: When placing your next online order, please put “Share the Love” in your ‘Customer notes’ and we will add a deluxe sample to your order for you to gift your friend.**
September 28th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
From the FDA’s Consumer Updates page: “Because the manufacturers haven’t proven that the antibacterial ingredients are safe for daily use over a long period of time. Also, manufacturers haven’t shown that these ingredients are any more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illnesses and the spread of certain infections. Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products, ahead of the FDA’s final rule.” “Following simple handwashing practices is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness at home, at school and elsewhere,” says Theresa M. Michele, MD, of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products. “We…
June 30th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
You may have seen a pop-up ad for a free trial of a miracle product, or two miracle products that offer a “free trial” if you simply pay the $4.95 shipping charge. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of these scams using various unauthorized celebrity endorsements. The ads show badly photoshopped before and after photos of Sandra Bullock, Katie Couric and many others. Once you give them your credit card, they start charging it and charging it and charging it. Hundreds of dollars later, the victims can’t find a way to “turn it off”. These ads have targeted Dr. Oz & Ellen DeGeneres and recently Dr. Phil McGraw’s wife Robin. Some ads have even…