Skin Problems
September 14th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Striae distensae or stretch marks are deep scars caused by the skin being stretched beyond its capacity to stretch, followed by ineffective repair of the damage. Latin does not make them any less noticeable. They may start as striae rubra, which are reddish streaks (indicating increased blood flow), and “mature” to as striae alba, which are hypopigmented atrophic bands. Location: abdomen, thighs, breasts, more or less anywhere when the skin was stretched too fast. What you see is skin that has less elasticity, more roughness, and lower dermal density than normal skin. At the molecular level What you see at the molecular level is that in normal skin, dermal collagen…
September 14th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We need to start with the basics: what is a pore, and why they are so important. There will be some repetition here but I hope our readers will not mind too much. As usual, feel free to skip whatever is too boring, but, hidden within the boring stuff you may find some useful facts you have not heard about in the past. Celebrities’ photos how no pores. This is not because celebrities have no pores but because magazines use Photoshop to a ridiculous extent. Is this a problem? I think it is. False advertising makes women buy products that can’t possibly have the effect advertised, which was obtained with…
September 13th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is dull skin? It depends on who you ask. In my opinion, it is a non-existing skin condition, The opposite of dull skin, however, does exist, on babies and in Photoshopped pictures. The famous “glow” of the actresses photographed in the 1920s was obtained by careful lighting, make up and touch-ups. Photo: the great Greta Garbo. Now we have Photoshop and people still dream of the after-Photoshop skin of Julia Roberts. But remember that before Photoshop, her skin is just like yours and mine. . Photo: Julia Roberts: beautiful with or without Photoshop. What a smile! Incidentally, some insects can actually make light. It is called bioluminscence. The insect…
August 22nd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
1. What causes dark spots? Dark spots: a.k.a. sun spots, liver spots, age spots. They happen when the (very complicated) mechanism that should give you a sun tan, goes wrong. Making a pigment like melanin under the influence of the sun makes sense: if you are going to be in the sun, making a pigment that protects the skin from further damage is a good solution. Next time you are in the sun there will be less damage produced by the high energy rays because the pigments in the skin will give some sun protection. The process to make the pigment and accumulate it in the skin is very complex…
August 16th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
If you think that cellulite is a medical term, you are wrong. So, what is it? It is what you want it to be. Or, rather, what skin care companies and plastic surgeons want it to be. We all know what cellulite looks like, but let me assure you that it is NOT a disease. Still, I managed to find a review on cellulite published in a relatively obscure medical journal (European journal of dermatology and venereology, 2000, 14: 251-262). Despite the lack of recognition of cellulite in the medical field, this “condition” managed to gather a few medical-sounding names, like gynoid lipodystrophy, nodular liposclerosis, oedemato-fibrosclerotic panniculopathy and panniculosis. It…
August 16th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
If you ever feel the temptation of instant “lifting” and “plumping”, resist! I will explain why. It is true that wrinkles and skin pigmentation problems are the typical mark of aging, but so is the change in shape of your face, including the “under eye” shadows that bother so many women. And yet, nobody talks about that change o shape, except maybe to try to sell you products for skin sculpting. This is pretty silly, because “skin sculpting” is not possible. It is an advertising formula that has no meaning in real life. Our faces are not made of butter or clay, they cannot be sculpted. Buy why is this…
August 10th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I have discussed before in this blog the importance of the skin as a barrier and what happens when it gets disrupted. The skin barrier and how it works. This is about sensitive skin. A quick search of the blog will take you to dozens of posts related to the skin barrier. The “acid mantle” is part of the skin barrier, and probably one you don’t have to worry about unless you keep washing your hands with an antiquated alkaline bar of soap. Most soaps now are milder, more acidic and contain detergents rather than alkaline soap (or a mix). Even when washed with the wrong kind of soap, the…
August 6th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Combination skin is probably the norm, in the sense that some areas of the skin produce more sebum that others. The so called “T-zone”, includes the forehead, nose, and chin, and tends to be more oily than the rest of the face. As people age, sebum secretion decreases, even in the T-zone. This is the main reason why the incidence of acne also decreases as we age, as the sebum fatty acids is what keeps acne bacteria going. What to do then, if you have combination skin? Just use the same products all over, and reserve some T-zone serum for the area of the forehead, nose and chin, as needed.…
July 4th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Note that most people use this term for “bumpy” skin, common in children and teenagers. Some types of keratosis pilaris (with longer names) are related to severe genetic problems. Keratosis pilaris is a (usually) temporary disorder of keratinization, The problem resides in the upper portion of the hair follicle, which fills with scales instead of exfoliating normally. In bumpy skin, actives that improve keratinization and skin renewal will help a lot. These include alpha hydroxy acids, salicylic acid (so called “beta hydroxy”), and vitamin A. Other actives that can help are those that will help keep the skin moisturized but will not “plug” pores. K.P. is normal, if we define…
June 27th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
It is hard to find a precise definition of sensitive skin, but sensitive skin does exist: more and more people are defining themselves as having sensitive skin, reaching numbers as high as 50%. We may have to re-define normal, because once more than half of us have sensitive skin, this becomes the new normal. Clearly, there must be something that we are doing wrong. In “we” I include people and manufacturers of skin care products. What is “exaggerated” reaction? It can be pain, stinging, dryness, inflammation, redness, reactions to products or environmental conditions that usually are not described as irritating or allergenic. In my opinion, this huge increase of people…
June 25th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Two products, not counting those for eyelashes and eye brows. As always for Skin Actives, look at the ingredient list. First, let me tell you about some of the ways that eyes are special. We have to be careful not to irritate them and be very careful not to increase the chances of getting an eye infection. Styes, infections in the eyelids, are also very uncomfortable. Also, the skin of the eyelids and in the eye area is thin and gets thinner with age, making what happens in the capillaries below very visible. Eyes, like the lungs, are open to the environment and exposed to pollutants and irritants. What do…
June 18th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Once upon a time, people thought that disease was (a well deserved) punishment for sins. That was before germ theory of disease, and before Pasteur and vaccinations, but there is still a superstitious bit in us still believes that, especially when it comes to acne. Acne is a complex condition that includes faulty skin keratinization, increased sebum production, and acne bacteria overgrowth, followed by follicular rupture and inflammation. A complex condition will have a complex relationship with your body and the environment. Avoid people who tie acne (or any other health problem) with “morals”. And avoid people who blame you for being sick or have bad skin! Indeed, avoiding bad…
June 14th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Argan oil is extracted from the seeds of the fruit of the argan tree (Argania spinosa). The fruit takes a long time to mature and is not really edible, it is used as animal feed. Everything in the fruit is used: the peel and pulp of the fruit for animal feed, and the same for the paste that remains of the kernel after the oil is extracted by pressing. The nut inside the fruit contains one (occasionally two or three) small, oil-rich seeds; the oil is pressed from these seeds. The method used to extract the oil depends on what is available. Using stones is the most basic method. The…
June 13th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Copper is present in our water and air. Depending on how old is your house, there may be too much copper in your water. Depending on where you live, there may be too much copper in your air. But we need copper for good health. How much? We have very important enzymes that depend on copper for activity: cytochrome oxidase, copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, tyrosinase and more. Why is copper so important in these enzymes? Because of its capacity to take and donate electrons. Tyrosinase, for example, is an oxidase that we need to make melanin, the skin and hair pigment. For people who are trying to lighten their skin, or…
May 27th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We all know (!) that age makes women wiser and men more handsome. I don’t think this has to do with differences in skin anatomy but rather with cultural expectations. The skin of men ages just as much of that of women. If anything, as men tend to wear their hair short, they even lack the protection than longer hair gives to the back of women’ necks have. At the back of the neck, solar elastosis (thickened, dry, wrinkled, reddish skin) is usually limited to men. Do men need skin care at all? YES. We accept men’s aging skin not because it looks or works better than that of a…
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 28th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
This very emollient and soothing cream contains melatonin, sea kelp bioferment, ceramides, Boswellia serrata extract, rosehip oil, tamanu (foraha) oil, bisabolol, pomegranate oil, plus a broad spectrum of water and oil soluble antioxidants. This nice cream will help skin to retain water, ease itching, reduce scaling and soften cracks. Application of this cream will facilitate penetration of actives in other creams and serums. Ingredients: Water, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Sea Kelp (Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate) Bioferment, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Foraha) Nut Oil, Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui Nut)…
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!