Skin Actives Products
January 26th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Emulating natural substances: the natural moisturizing factor The horny layer (stratum corneum) of the epidermis has no live cells but is biochemically very active. The components of the natural moisturizing factor (NMF) is a mixture of amino acids and derivatives with a high binding capacity for water. NMF keeps the skin hydrated, but frequent washing will remove this valuable resource. Skin Actives offers an NMF emulator that can be used to prevent and alleviate skin xerosis and other skin problems caused by the loss of NMF. The epidermal stratum corneum Figure: The layers of the epidermis The stratum corneum (SC) is the outermost layer of the epidermis in the skin…
January 2nd, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Your skin may be hiding behind a cloud. Here is how to remove the “cloud” and see your skin again. And love it and take care of it. This is what you’ll need: Glycolic alpha/beta exfoliant (5 minutes): a combination of alpha hydroxy acids and salicylic acid, the exfoliant will remove the most superficial layers of the epidermis exposing “fresh” skin that looks more luminous. Salicylic acid will also work at keeping the pores open, discouraging acne bacteria from prospering. Collagen serum. This amazing combination of nutrients and signal protein will tell your skin to keep making the proteins and hyaluronic acid your skin needs to stay full and tight.…
December 7th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Your nails are “just protein.” So how come you can improve your nail’s health and appearance? Just like you can improve your hair appearance and health, even though the hair is “just protein.” The same for eyelashes and eyebrows. Because although they are mostly inert protein, we can influence the process that makes them. You can do two things: improve the health and appearance as the nails are formed and prevent damage once they are formed. What are nails? Figure. Nail anatomy. From Edwards (1948) The horny plates that grow on the back of each finger and toe are the equivalent of the claws in our cats. In higher primates,…
November 18th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Our new ingredient is a bioidentical protein with the power of Royal Jelly defensin-1, a.k.a. Royalisin. It has its own INCI name, Honey Bee Defensin-1 Why love it? 1) Uses the power of technology to make a valuable protein affordable and free of allergenic components 2) simulates re-epithelization 3) antibacterial 4) antifungal 5) accelerates healing 6) accelerates skin renewal 7) It does all of these while preserving the environment, allowing honey bees to do what they do best: pollinate so many beautiful flowers, preserve nature and make honey! Find it in our new serum, Regenerating Defensin Serum. Read more about bee defensin 1: What’s new in Skin Actives? Defensin…
October 21st, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
This is the gift that Nature gave us, but scientists made it achievable. Why? Because the serum is full of beneficial natural chemicals. True, herbalists and shamans may have been the first to use these natural products. But the pharmacologists identified the active chemicals, biochemists purified them, and protein chemists built the pure proteins. This is the ingredient list for our new Defensin serum. Water, Glycerin, Kefir bioferment, Algin, Rosehip Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Honey Bee Defensin-1, Epidermal Growth Factor, oleuropein (Olive Leaf Extract), Quercetin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Fucoidan, Oryzanol, Seabuckthorn Fruit Oil, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Pentylene Glycol, Sucrose Laurate, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzoic Acid. What it could…
September 5th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
If Winter is tough on your skin because of the heating and the dry air, Summer is surely tougher. To the dryness of air conditioning, add the UV radiation of those days at the beach (or on your recliner in the backyard). Not all is bad news. Our skin is NOT a wall, for better and for worse. Skin can heal itself if you give it a chance and will do even better if we help it. We should have been protected with sunscreen and applied more after swimming removed most of it. We should have been applying moisturizers of some kind. But even if we did, we still have…
July 3rd, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Why are Skin Actives ingredient lists so long? It’s not because of “label value”, the skincare industry practice that uses plant Latin names to hide the “baddies” and make you think you are getting value for money. Not at all. Each ingredient in our list has a good reason to be there. We at Skin Actives understand how complex the skin is. To address a skin problem, or to improve skin health, or reverse skin aging, we need to address that complexity, and this is how our ingredient lists become so long. Look, for example, at how eczema develops (for a more detailed explanation, please see this post). You have…
July 2nd, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What happened to our bodies after more than two years of a pandemic? Covid 19 took so much away from us (and it keeps taking). I am thankful that with the aid of vaccines and boosters, hundreds of masks, and a lot of luck, I managed to avoid (so far) this terrible illness that killed one million Americans and countless others worldwide. Some things have changed: I am now less enthusiastic about kissing and hugging acquaintances. I am (still) wearing a mask to the supermarket (I am in that age group) and haven’t been to a party or gone to the movies. I also have a couple of what superficially…
July 2nd, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Actually, kefir bioferment for your scalp, not just your hair. It will improve scalp and hair and work as a pre-biotic, modifying, for the better, the complex scalp microbiota (when it goes wrong, think dandruff). The scalp makes the hair, a “finished product” protein, not live cells. We can help maintain the health of the scalp, so that our hair looks better and feels better. Still, the kefir bioferment has a nice conditioning effect on the hair, which will feel softer and more manageable. Bioferments by Skin Actives We use the name “bioferment,” an INCI name. INCI refers to “International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients.” By law, we must use the…
July 1st, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is alopecia areata? Severe alopecia areata (AE) can cause a total loss of body hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows, nose hair, and hair in the ears. How does this happen? AE is one of the many autoimmune diseases where our immune system malfunctions and doesn’t recognize molecules in our bodies, treating them as foreign and dangerous. What is JAK? The Janus kinase family of enzymes is involved in signal transduction by cytokines. Cytokines control cell growth and the immune response by binding to specific receptors. Once activated, these receptors are phosphorylated by Janus kinases, and the modified receptors recruit transcription factors that modulate gene transcription. Block these kinases, and…
July 1st, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is atopic dermatitis? It’s a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by skin barrier dysfunction, inflammation, and itch. Steps to control eczema and atopic dermatitis Patch-up skin barrier disruption with topical occlusive products Keep the skin well hydrated. Avoid further disruption: avoid bubble baths, alcohol, abrasion, and prevent scratching at all costs Avoid ingredients that are allergenic like some fragrances and tea tree oil. Unfortunately, some “natural” products supposedly formulated for sensitive skin, contain allergenic ingredients, practically ensuring that eczema will develop or worsen. Avoid UV: this type of radiation promotes inflammation and production of ROS* (reactive oxygen species) Control opportunistic allergens like Malassezia with antifungals and pre-biotics (bee…
May 18th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I am worried about all that talk about “plant-based” you see in skincare advertising. Why? Because it seems that in pursuit of anything and everything “plant”, we are going in the wrong direction. Example: alkanes. I love alkanes: linear carbon and hydrogen chains, make up waxes that will protect leaves and fruits from losing water. They also work great at preventing water loss from our skin, and the most expensive skincare products use inexpensive petrolatum and mineral oil to make a cream that will prevent water loss and accelerate healing. Most of the petrolatum and mineral oil we use comes from ancient organic matter, the same source of the gas/petrol…
May 16th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
This sounds big, but that’s because we are! Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. Our products contain amino acids and other nutrients that will be better used by your skin because there are growth factors and antioxidants. Your hair will be stronger because apocynin will support your stem cells while ROS* BioNet prevents damage to the cell membranes. Skin Actives has never been about the one “magic ingredient” because we understand how a living system works. We see the skin as it interacts with the rest of the body and we look at the epidermis…
May 16th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
In radiation treatment for cancer, noxious radiation is used, in a VERY focused way, to kill cancer cells. Using information from PET scans and more, the physician/math/physics expert, designs a treatment strategy suitable for the type and location of cancer cells. The objective is to kill cancer cells without harming the healthy tissue around them. This is easier said than done. There will always be damage to healthy tissue, even when using top-of-the-line methodology and equipment. Fort example, the skin is on the way when targeting breast cancer cells “hiding” within the bones. What will happen? Let’s concentrate on the fact that cancer cells will be destroyed, adding months or…
April 20th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Are you having fun extracting blackheads with a nose strip? They can be useful, but they are just a start. But first, what’s a blackhead? From my book Pores secrete sebum. One of the effects of the not-very-useful sebum is acne, so I can see why pores’ popularity is low. Pores get larger and more visible during adolescence when hormones increase sebum secretion. Pores can get clogged with sebum, keratin, and dead cells, resulting in an environment lacking in oxygen and favorable to the growth of the acne bacterium, C. acnes. The products of bacterial metabolism cause the inflamed pimples characteristic of acne, a real problem that good skincare can…
April 15th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
More clothes? More tchotchkes? More jewelry? At 60+, we have accumulated as many souvenirs of travels and people as we want. Our shelves and walls are full. But our skin remains a priority, even when we forget it. It’s itchy, delicate, easily bruised, and sunspots “decorate” it all over. Skin Actives has real people with skin problems, so we care about every age, from babies to the elderly. What can you get for our over-60 mothers, and grandmothers (or yourself)? Hannah and her mother Slawa (Zulema), z”l. ELS: Every lipid serum. Will help prevent bruises if you apply it (immediately, if you can) after hurting yourself against the open fridge…
March 17th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
If you look now at our Alpha Beta exfoliator, you will see that we added glycolic acid. Why? Because glycolic acid is popular. Sometimes we may add an ingredient because it is very popular, as long as it is OK, i.e. safe. There is nothing special about glycolic acid. It’s a hydroxy acid like lactic acid (which I like better) but it has no specific problems. Why is glycolic acid so popular? The legend goes that it is smaller than other hydroxy acids so it “penetrates” better. There is no evidence that this is the case. Lactic acid molecular weight: 90 Glycolic acid molecular weight: 76 This small difference would…
January 4th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
There are acne patches that will cover up the lesion, they are small, sticky, and made of hydrocolloids. What can they do? Very little but they may be enough if the acne lesion is very minor. The hydrocolloid will absorb the fluids produced by the acne. It will also hide the lesion and help prevent you (or your kid) from touching the zit and spreading of infection. You can improve on these “inert” patches by using them in conjunction with Zit-ender. Apply just a hint of Zit-Ender to the pimple and stick an acne patch on top. If you don’t have acne patches at home, you may be able to…
September 12th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is a beta-glucan? β-Glucans are large molecules made out of small sugars like glucose bound to each other in a particular way called a beta glycosidic bond. These basic characteristics leave a lot of variation in size, branching, and sugar composition, leading to great variation in physical properties like solubility, capacity to form gels and films, viscosity, and the physiological effects on animals, including humans. Figure: beta 1,4 glycosidic linkage in cellulose (by NEUROtiker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). The orientation of a linkage (as alpha or beta) changes the properties of the resulting oligo o polysaccharide. Starch, for example, has glucose monomers linked to each other in alpha…
September 11th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
…and that oral antibiotics work on too slowly (for an inpatient grandmother)? …and that adapalene doesn’t seem to alleviate? Try Skin Actives Zit Ender! It makes me happy that my grandson now thinks that I am a genius. Eventually he will realize that I’m not, but in the meantime it feels great. What’s in SAS Zit Ender? Sea Kelp (Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate) Bioferment, Salix Alba (White Willow) Bark Extract, Water, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Epigallocatechin Gallate, Kaempferia Galanga (Galangal) Root Extract, Oleanolic Acid, Zinc PCA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Licorice Extract), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Galactoarabinan, Fucoidan, Beta Glucan (Yeast), Beta Glucan (Oat), Opuntia Ficus Indica (Prickly Pear) Extract, Pyrus…