Posts Tagged ‘melasma’
November 11th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
La unión dermo/epidérmica es tan delgada (en un microscopio es apenas una línea) que podemos sentir la tentación de ignorarla por completo. Y, sin embargo, es crucial para la salud de la piel. También es fundamental para algunos problemas que muchos de nosotros consideramos muy molestos: las manchas por el sol que aparecen a medida que envejecemos. Otros no tienen que esperar tanto tiempo: se ven afectados por melasma o vitiligo mucho antes en la vida. Todos estos son trastornos de la pigmentación y, aparentemente, la disrupción de la unión dermo/epidérmica puede ser el evento inicial en los trastornos de la pigmentación que desencadenan factores como la radiación UV. Una…
November 10th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The dermal-epidermal junction is so thin (in a microscope it is just a line that we may be tempted to ignore it completely. And yet, it is crucial to skin’s health. It is also critical to some problems that many of us consider very annoying: sun spots that appear as we age. Others don’t have to wait that long: they are afflicted with melasma or vitiligo much earlier in life. These are all disorders of pigmentation, and, apparently, disruption of the dermal/epidermal junction may be the starting event in disorders of pigmentation initiated by factors like UV radiation. Once the chain of events is initiated, keratinocytes don’t adhere properly and…
September 24th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Look at your face and hands and see what last Summer, the one that just ended, did to them. Ouch! Pigmentation is more irregular, plus there is a new scar or two and, how about those new wrinkles? First of all, as the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy will tell you: Panic is the worst advisor when you have any problem, especially a health problem, panic makes you take bad decisions. My suggestions 1) NOT suitable for sensitive skin: A good start would be a super light “peel”: 15% Vitamin C serum or alpha/beta exfoliator, but not both. More is less, in this case. Follow the instructions carefully. Rinse the…
September 19th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Remember: All protective mechanisms in the skin are interconnected and regulated by redox-dependent processes. What is glutathione? Figure: glutathione (a.k.a. γ-L-Glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine), with that all-important SH group. When oxidized, two glutathione molecules are joined together to make a S-S bridge. L-Glutathione (gamma-L-Glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine) is a tripeptide composed of the amino acids L-glutamine, L-cysteine, and glycine. Glutathione is part of the antioxidant defense system of the cell, together with superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutharedoxin, thioredoxin, alpha-D-tocopherol (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and others. GSH protects cells by neutralizing (i.e., reducing) Reactive Oxygen Radicals (ROS*). This conversion is illustrated by the reduction of peroxides: 2 GSH + R2O2 → GSSG + 2 ROH (R…
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 16th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
El dipalmitato de ácido kójico es un derivado del ácido kójico y un ácido graso (ácido palmítico), y uno de los muchos activos que usamos para aliviar el problema de la hiperpigmentación. Hace tiempo puede que nuestra piel mostrara una pigmentación uniforme, pero apenas nos bronceamos por primera vez, tal perfección desaparece. Aparecen pequeñas áreas más fuertemente pigmentadas que otras. ¿Por qué? Porque la síntesis y la acumulación de melanina en la piel es un mecanismo exquisitamente complicado que se altera fácilmente. Cuando se altera, sobreviene la hiperpigmentación. Hay muchos ingredientes que pueden usarse para ayudar con la hiperpigmentación y este es un buen ejemplo de cuándo no recurrir a…
February 9th, 2015 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The basics The color of our skin is partly due to the pigment called melanin. Other factors are the content of diet carotenoids, the bluish-white color of connective tissue, and the abundance of blood vessels in the dermis and the color of blood flowing in them (oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin). Other minor pigments (minor unless you have a bruise) are bilirubin (the yellow hemoglobin degradation product that colors bruises) and the complete sequence, which includes hemoglobin to biliverdin to bilirubin to hemosiderin. The different skin colors among individuals and races do not reflect major variation in numbers or size of melanocytes, but rather different kinds and amounts of melanin produced by…