Skin Problems
May 10th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We paint nails and stick fake nails on them to make them pretty and, in the process, we may even forget that they are attached to a very living body. You may forget it, but nails don’t. We all had, at some time or another, “nail problems”. Older people often have discolored nails, often the result of fungal infection. This is not necessarily a serious problem but it can be. Why not avoid problems by remembering that nails, though made out of “dead” protein, do grow and that the nail bed required nutrition to make them? And, just as our skin received less nutrition as we age, nails do too.…
May 8th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
You may think that drastic interventions like cosmetic surgery, collagen injections and laser are the way to improve your skin, but there are alternatives. With drastic intervention comes a high risk of messing up your skin. Before you take that path, make sure you try the route that involves coaching your skin into making the changes with the help of the actives that we at Skin Actives can provide you. One example? After a couple of months using our Vitamin A Cream and Collagen Serum, you may not need blepharoplasty (look it up in Wikipedia, but skip the horror movie photographs!). Not only is the cost extremely high ($5,000 or…
May 4th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
You’re back from vacation with a nice suntan and you look in the mirror to see the acne is worse. That is because ultraviolet (UV) light is another factor that affects acne. It will promote the formation of free radicals and inflammation. UV rays are not your friend. Now it’s almost time to go back to school. What to do? Even more important, what NOT to do? First, remember that acne is a very common condition. So, breathe deep. But 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…
April 25th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
1) Don’t use oxidants like benzoyl peroxide: they age your skin. 2) Acne is an inflammatory problem: use anti-inflammatory actives 3) Strengthen the immune system so it can fight the acne bacteria 4) Use actives that top-up the skin’s own anti-acne weapons! Example: granulysin 5) Keep pores open so the acne bacteria can’t prosper, but do it without removing the skin barrier 6) Don’t irritate your skin with unnecessary fragrances and allergenic ingredients like tea tree oil. 7) Don’t treat your skin as you would treat a wall. Your skin is ALIVE!
April 25th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Our skin ages, and there are two main types of factors that influence skin aging: intrinsic, which have to do with the way our body functions (decrease in hormones, shortening of teleomeres, accumulation of damage by free radicals formed during respiration, etc.), and extrinsic, that have to do with the way the environment affects the skin. Nowadays we have active ingredients that can help with both sides of the equation. From the extrinsic factors, ultraviolet light in the sun (and sun beds) are the most important. UV light generates reactive oxygen species (ROS*) when it reaches the skin and a number of biochemical changes result in the breakdown of proteins…
April 25th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
There are three important ways in which nutrition may affect your skin. 1) Your skin on a strict diet and/or bariatric surgery. 2) Aging and skin nutrition 3) Nutrition effect on acne You will not find in here “eat chocolate and you will get a pimple”. There is no scientific proof of this, so you know. There are some effects of nutrition (or rather, bad nutrition), that are quite obvious. Excess alcohol intake will dilate blood vessels temporarily but eventually this effects becomes permanent (and visible) damage, visible blood vessels and blotched skin. Excess alcohol intake is usually associated with a lack of attention to nutrition, another factor that affects…
April 23rd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
First, what is a line corrector? It is an emergency/makeup trick to “hide” wrinkles when you are getting ready for a party. It is not a long term anti-aging treatment. What can you do? You have options. “Fill” them. A thick serum that contains some reflecting powder may help. This is the strategy of some products now on the market. This may have a (slightly) artificial look and be visible depending on the type of lighting. Smooth them. Our anti-aging Hydramist contains the mineral strontium and will smooth your fine lines temporarily. Another useful property: it may prevent a rosacea flare when you enter a warm room. The best of…
April 22nd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The effects of solar elastosis One of the most recognizable and striking signs of skin aging is actinic elastosis. You know what it looks like: thickened, leather-like, deeply fissured skin seen on the back of the sun-exposed neck, but in some people it is also on their faces. These are the most striking wrinkles because they are deep and large. The little wrinkles we complain about are nothing when compared with these huge valleys and mountains in the skin of people who have exposed their faces and necks to UV damage for decades. Do you know what is going on in actinic elastosis? Probably not, but you don’t have to.…
February 23rd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
1) the skin barrier is broken 2) almost any product you apply will sting and/or hurt 3) they can be self-inflicted ailments. In the case of diaper rash, it can be inflicted by a mother on a baby if the mother does not know how to read an ingredient list and she is obsessed with “natural products”. A mother obsessed with “natural” “honest” “green” etc will choose a dangerous product for her baby. How, you will say, if the FDA does now allow dangerous ingredients in skin care products? The FDA does not legislate on allergy, it can’t, because allergies depend very strongly on the individual. This, however, depends on…
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…