Posts Tagged ‘wrinkles’
November 17th, 2023 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The original name for this serum, 20 years ago, was “let’s make collagen.” It was soon shortened to “collagen serum” for convenience, but this serum never contained collagen, an insoluble protein that would settle at the bottom of the bottle and do nothing for your skin. From the get-go, the serum’s purpose was to push your skin to make its own collagen. You can read all about skin collagen in my book, but in my blog post on collagen, you will find more than enough to understand why collagen has to be made inside your skin. Skin Actives Scientific Collagen serum, our #1 bestseller, started as a list of actives…
September 21st, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
DaxibotulinumtoxinA for Injection (DAXI) is a “novel” botulinum toxin type A, just approved by the FDA as an alternative to Botox. It seems that its effect lasts a bit longer, approximately 6 months to Botox 3 months. Let’s not get too excited: it’s not too different from Botox. It is injected the same way, in the same area (the corrugator/procerus muscles), and acts in the same way. The difference is what you could call a “technicality”: ts shelf life is extended by pairing it with a peptide, whose only function is the stabilization of the active protein, a botulinum toxin. A botulinum toxin by any other name is still botulinum…
July 29th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Yes, if we are talking about a hanky. Cotton, linen, hemp, and so on are predominantly made of cellulose, a polymer that consists of thousands of glucose molecules joined together to form linear chains. Each glucose subunit is “sticky” because it can bind to neighboring cellulose molecules via hydrogen bonds. Individually, these bonds are very weak, but together they form a network that gives the fabric its strength. These hydrogen bonds break and reform, so clothes start taking on the shape that they are left, and creases form. When we apply a hot, steaming iron, the combination of heat and moisture breaks the hydrogen bonds, and with the pressure applied…
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…
April 3rd, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Kinetin (6-furfurylaminopurine) is a derivative of adenine, one of the nucleic acid bases that form DNA and RNA. Kinetin would be more effective if you were a plant looking to grow some shoots, but it has some benefits for human skin. Figure. Kinetin (6-furfurylaminopurine) Kinetin on human skin Kinetin (a chemical with plant hormone activity) and zeatin (a natural plant hormone) have been shown to have some growth-modulating, antioxidative and antisenescence effects in human skin cells. Kinetin application also stimulated the formation of elastin and fibrillin-1 deposition in the upper dermis and stimulated their perpendicular organization to the dermo-epidermal junction. Kinetin may affect keratinocyte differentiation to improve skin moisture content,…
March 26th, 2022 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
It is not only what you should do. it’s more important what you shouldn’t do. Say “no” (big ones) to the following UV: wear sunscreen! No to suntan. No to sunbeds (who invented those)? Oxidants: no to benzoyl peroxide! Don’t over-peel. Your skin barrier is precious Why not? UV, oxidants (ROS*) break your cell’s DNA and cause mutations. They also break proteins and polysaccharides, they damage cell membranes. In short, they damage and kill. “Over-peel” will denude your skin of its skin barrier, its “raison d’être”, the reason for its existence, which is to separate the body from the environment. Peel and peel and then there is a continuity between…
July 12th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
That suntan that used to be fashionable (and still is in some circles) is a signal that the UV in the sunlight has damaged your DNA. Nothing to celebrate, right? Ultraviolet light is classified into three categories: UVA (315 to 400 nm), which causes tanning, UVB (medium wave, 280 to 315 nm), which causes sunburn, and UVC (short wave, germicidal, 100 to 280 nm), which is filtered out by the atmosphere and does not reach us. Incidentally, the ozone (O3) layer of the atmosphere absorbs 97–99% of the UV in the range 200 nm to 315 nm, which is why the destruction of the ozone layer by some chemicals is…
March 6th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
After reproductive age is over, we are no longer useful in terms of preserving the human species. Except that, of course, as mothers, grandmothers, aunts, etc. we are probably vital to the survival of the human species. We are also the greatest reservoir of wisdom. Right? With menopause, our bodies will shut off functions associated with reproduction because they are no longer necessary. Other functions will be affected as well. That’s annoying, to say the least. Menopause and hormones Women who have decided not to go for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause may expect slow changes in their bodies, including, for example, loss of bone density. Many women are…
February 27th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Every woman knows that if she lives long enough, menopause will happen. We’ve seen it happen in our grandmothers, mothers, friends and eventually it will happen to us. Ovaries will naturally decrease their production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, and the decline will affect the whole body. We know what to expect: not fun effects, but tolerable with some adjustments and some help from the MD. This is normal and to be expected unless you decide to go for hormone replacement therapy, in which you take extra estrogen and progesterone, oral and/or in patches. Many women will have to face a different kind of menopause: induced menopause. This…
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…