THE NEW COMPLETE SILVER MASQUE

The New Complete Silver Masque

Having a face mask as a finale in a facial procedure is quite popular. There is a face mask for just about every skin type and every skin concern. You can have an anti-aging and moisturizing face mask, or one that lightens your skin. For sensitive and acne-prone skin, there is an anti-bacterial and soothing mask.

At SkinStation, we developed our own proprietary face mask serum that offers all these skin care benefits in one easy application. We call it The Complete Silver Masque. 

The soothing and moisturizing silver masque serum infuses a synergistic blend of active nutrients deep within the skin, to help

* lighten skin discolorations and improve skin tone
* minimize fine lines and tighten loose skin
* control acne-breakouts and minimize blemishes.

Why call it a silver mask? At the heart of the serum formula is the new, patented porous silver that soothes sensitive skin and provides anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial post-treatment protection. 

Clinical strength natural lightening extracts from licorice, mushroom, and wheat help even out skin discolorations. 

Nano-sized hyaluronic acid and plant-derived amino peptides from pine needle extract provide clinically proven anti-aging and anti-oxidant benefits.

A few minutes after the silver masque application, you will feel your skin tightening up, as if you just had a face lift.

After 10 minutes or so, feel your skin as the paper mask is lifted up. You will feel your skin so cool and refreshed. This gives you a rejuvenated feeling. Practically no serum is left behind so you know that all the serum nutrients have been thoroughly absorbed by your skin.

Use The Complete Silver Masque as part of your facial care routine. Whether you are getting a full facial or a simple diamond peel procedure, having the mask as a finale is a nice and easy way to treat your skin to all kinds of skin goodies. Have it as well after a facial laser or firming procedure to sooth your skin and speed up healing. Your skin will look at its very best with real benefits from the silver mask. 

______________________________________________________________

This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on September 16, 2014 . The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. Skin Smart aims to clarify facts and myths on skin care. Send your questions and comments to info@skinstation.ph. 

A NEW WAY TO FIGHT ACNE

 

Fighting acne from within is nothing new. There is the oral antibiotic, erythromycin and its various derivations. Then there is the USFDA approved blue light therapy, which we aptly call AcneLight. When everything else fails, there is isotretinoin, considered the treatment of last resort due to inherent risks associated with the drug.

The good news is that a new anti-acne complex that has proven effective in controlling acne breakouts is now available. Taken as a capsule once a day, DERMAX AcneX anti-acne complex contains three ingredients: Lactoferrin, Lignans from Flaxseed, and Zinc Gluconate. All these work together from within to reduce acne and prevent future breakouts.

Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin is a naturally occurring glycoprotein from fresh pasteurized skim milk. It contains immune factors that help regulate, activate, and balance the immune system. It has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties that contribute to faster healing of acne lesions.

Lignans from Flaxseed

Linumlife Extra is our source of standardized phytoestrogen lignans with at least 20% of SDG, the main lignan in flaxseed. It is clinically tested and shown to reduce oiliness in skin. Hormonal imbalance leads to excess sebum production and contributes to acne formation. The phytoestrogens in lignans help balance hormones and control oil secretion.

Zinc Gluconate

An imbalance in testosterone levels can cause acne. Zinc gluconate helps prevent potential hormonal imbalance that leads to acne breakouts. It is highly effective in reducing inflammation from acne lesions. It also boosts collagen formation to keep skin healthy and youthful.

DERMAX AcneX anti-acne complex is a food supplement that does not require doctor’s prescription. Nevertheless, have your free consultation with our medical doctors at SkinStation to know what would be a good acne treatment program for your specific case, to ensure effective control of breakouts and prevent scarring.

__________________________________________________________________________  

This was published in the July 9, 2013 issue of Manila Bulletin, Lifestyle Section. The author is the CEO 

of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. Skin Smart aims to clarify facts and myths on skin care. Send your questions and comments to info@skinstation.ph. 

Can Light Therapy Clear Acne?

Can Light Therapy Clear Acne?

The sun has been a subject of worship and study for thousands of years.  Sunlight can lift your mood and make you feel happy. And light can have antibacterial effect.

It was discovered that some of the blue light present in sunlight (415–430 nm) can eliminate acne bacteria from the inside out. When blue light reaches the sebaceous (oil) glands in the skin, it activates porphyrins, which are compounds inside the acne bacteria. These excited porphyrins release singlet oxygen, resulting in self-destruction of the bacteria. Being anaerobic, acne bacteria cannot survive the presence of oxygen.

The USFDA approved for the first time in 2004 the use of blue light as a medical device for the treatment of mild to moderate acne. The first blue light system was based on metal halide lamps custom made to emit most of its energy at 405-420nm. Now, blue light systems use LEDs, with very minimal level of UV light.

The USFDA approval was based on a peer reviewed clinical study on effect of blue light on acne lesions done in Israel on 2003. Current literature points toward blue + red light therapy showing slightly better results than blue light alone. Red light (620-660nm) has been shown to effectively reduce inflammation. A combination of blue and red light provides both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory action. This is the best light therapy option for inflammatory acne breakouts.

Overall improvements of an average 76% for 80% of patients occur over three months. Some studies show that it performs better than benzoyl peroxide and the treatment is far better tolerated. However, approximately 10% of users see no improvement.

At-home light therapy devices require much patience to use: 30 minutes to 1 hour twice daily. With medical grade equipment, 15-minute treatment done 2 - 3 times weekly is recommended. Eye goggles should be used to protect the eyes. No short-term significant adverse side effects have been reported except for redness and irritation for light sensitive individuals, especially those on Roaccutane.

One positive side effect is the significant decrease in melanin levels during the course of treatment, with brightened skin tone and improved skin texture reported by patients in one study.

Conclusion: Light therapy is a safe and effective option for acne clearance. It is most especially useful when patients want to avoid antibiotic medication or are pregnant or breastfeeding. For the first three months it is necessary to have the 15-minute treatment done 2 - 3 times a week.  After that, the frequency of treatment can be reduced.

____________________________________________________________________This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on April 24, 2012. The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulations Commission for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. He can be reached at fred.reyes@skinstation.ph.

How AcneX Soap Was Developed

How AcneX Soap Was Developed

Among Filipinos, soap is still the preferred product over facial wash. We therefore decided to develop a soap formula, which we call Project AcneX, to address the exfoliant need for anti-acne maintenance. Adding scrubbing particles was ruled out because of possible adverse reactions from people with sensitive skin.

We looked at anti-acne soap products in the market. One intriguing concept invited scrutiny, the salicylic acid soap. Salicylic acid is a commonly used anti-acne ingredient. It is highly effective in treating acne because of its ability to penetrate the follicle. It encourages the shedding of dead skin cells from within the follicle. Pores are cleared of blockages thereby controlling acne breakouts.

There is a big problem though. Salicylic acid is effective as an exfoliant only if it remains an acid. It’s a puzzle how that can be done in an alkaline soap. Acids and alkali are very reactive. In soaps, the acid is neutralized into its sodium salt. Most, if not all, of the old salicylic acid soaps in the market have not addressed this critical concern.

With the new micro-encapsulation technology,the acid-in-a-soap concept is now possible. For our AcneX soap project, we decided on using the more advanced double encapsulation of salicylic acid to address two concerns: stability in an alkali base and efficacy in a wash off product. 

How it Works. The salicylic acid microcapsule has two layers. The outer layer protects salicylic acid from reacting with the alkaline soap base. During washing, the outer layer breaks up when rubbed on wet skin, releasing the inner microspheres with salicylic acid. The microspheres are designed to adhere to skin even with rinsing. It disintegrates at skin’s acidic pH,slowly releasing salicylic acid. This time-release feature makes the product much more effective and skin friendly.

Although AcneX soap is formulated to maintain clear skin, it has high enough level of salicylic acid at 1% to be as effective in clearing acne as any gel or cream acne product. If you are acne-prone, continuous twice-daily use of AcneX soap is necessary to obtain and maintain clear skin. If you stop the anti-acne treatment, the pores will again clog with excess oil and dead cells, and acne can return.

_____________________________________________________________________This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on April 10, 2012. The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulations Commission for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. He can be reached at fred.reyes@skinstation.ph.