WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COLLAGENESIS

What You Should Know

About Collagenesis

Collagenesis is more than just dermal rolling (or micro needling), a process that involves poking the face with micro needles to boost collagen production.  SkinStation’s  Collagenesis procedure is based on studies indicating that the combination of micro needling and anti-aging infusion showed the best improvement compared to micro needling alone. Collagenesis combines dermal rolling and infusion of DERMAX CollaWhite serum concentrate, a proprietary blend of advanced anti-aging and lightening actives.

How Micro Needling Works: If you cut your skin, the platelets in your blood release growth factors which increase the production of intercellular matrix of your skin.  With dermal roller, you create hundreds of micro wounds down in the dermis to cause the same inflammatory response. Collagen production increases. Over time this collagen naturally tightens up to reduces wrinkles and resurface scars. And because these needle holes are so small, there’s no risk of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), unlike some deep chemical peels or laser resurfacing.

What Are The Proven Benefits of Collagenesis?
1. Helps improve appearance of acne scars

2. Reduces wrinkles by boosting collagen production

3. Helps reduce stretch marks: A study from a 2010 issue of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery show that micro needling helps reduce stretch marks. A 30-minute single session was done on 22 subjects. After 6 months, the needled area showed “improved skin texture, skin tightening…” Biopsies showed an increase of collagen and elastin.

The Importance of Needle Size

Medical needling requires needle length of 1.0 - 2.0 mm. These needles will activate collagen synthesis as long as they puncture enough capillaries.  You should have tiny red-purple blood dots all over your face. Surgical needling requires long needles (3.0 mm).  They penetrate deep enough to work on deep scar tissue and produce a lot of blood.

Only a trained physician must perform micro needling. Do not try to do it on yourself. Do not buy “at home” versions with short needles (0.3 - 0.5 mm). They don’t work at all.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on September 2, 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. 

UNDERSTANDING PIH

Understanding PIH

You have this patch of dark mark that occurred after a botched IPL clinic procedure. So you go to your dermatologist and she tells you it’s some kind of PIH. You ask her, “What’s a PIH?” The doctor’s reply makes you even more worried. "Oh, it’s short for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.” What you thought to be a minor burn mark sounds like a very serious concern.

So what really is PIH? When skin is injured, or inflamed, the healing process can turbo boost the production of more pigmentation. The injured spots become darker. Now, you see the connection. PIH refers to darkening of affected skin after the inflammation has gone away.

Common examples are dark marks from improper acne pricking, and astringent burns made worse by sun exposure. Aside from the face, what other body parts are prone to PIH? Underarms! Many have dark underarms due to antiperspirant use. Also, elbows and knees. They become dark with constant skin trauma from friction.

Anyone can get PIH. However, if you have darker skin, you will have higher tendency to suffer from PIH than those with light skin. Those dark spots will eventually fade by themselves. This may take up to two years, though.

Your dermatologist can explain to you various treatment options to hasten the departure of dark marks. Topical treatment with skin lightening creams can be the most cost-effective option.  Exfoliants like DERMAX Retinol C serum help produce faster lightening. 

DERMAX UV SUNSCREEN SERIES

Topical cortisone cream should be applied only with medical supervision. Prolonged use can worsen PIH.

Diamond peel and chemical peels containing either glycolic acid or TCA are clinic procedures that will strip away the topmost skin layer to reveal fresher, lighter skin.

Old discolorations and scars can be successfully treated with more radical procedures like collagenesis (dermaroller) and fractional laser therapy.

With time and the proper treatment, those dark spots will eventually fade away. One thing is a must, though. You have to avoid unnecessary sun exposure. Be sure to have daily sun protection that fits your skin condition, from the DERMAX UV line of sunscreens.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on July 8, 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. 

IS THERE HOPE FOR OLD SCARS?

Is There Hope For Old Scars?

You have this patch of skin that grew over a cut when you were a child. As you become more conscious of how you look, the visible scar on your body is now a bothersome thought. Is there a way to remove this old scar?

A scar forms when your body heals itself. If the wound heals within two weeks, minimal collagen will be deposited and no scar will form. If the healing takes longer than 4 weeks, a scar will form. Semi-occlusive silicone ointments and sheets are used to speed up healing and prevent scar formation. Other factors are your age, sex, ethnicity, and your inherited tendency to scar.

How your scar looks depends on its location and how big and deep your wound is. Scars are often thicker, pinker, redder or shinier than the rest of your skin.

What we usually call a keloid is usually just hypertrophic scar, not yet in the magnitude of a keloid. This kind of scar does not breach the boundary of the wound. When the scar extends beyond the site of injury, it is medically termed a keloid. When the scar is indented or sunken, or has a pitted appearance, it is called atrophic. This type is often associated with acne, chickenpox, and other infections. Contracture scars are caused by burns, which cause the tightening of the skin. Serious burn scars are beyond the scope of this article.

What can we do with old scars? The truth is, the scars will not go away completely, but there are methods that can reduce their size and appearance.

1) Collagenesis involves repeated puncturing of skin with a microneedling device. The infusion of serum to even out discoloration, like collawhite serum, improves the effectiveness of the procedure.

2) Fractional Lasers, such as CO2 or Er:YAG offer the best result for atrophic and acne scars. Multiple sessions are usually required.

3) Dermalfillers using collagen or hyaluronic acid provide instant but temporary relief for pitted and sunken scars. Re-injection of filler is required every year or so. Artefill is permanent filler, but in inexperienced hands, this could cause permanent disfigurement.

4) Keloid Injection with corticorsteroid will flatten and soften hypertrophic and keloid scars. The steroid is injected into the scar itself, so there is minimal side effect. Repeat sessions may be needed.

5) Chemical Peels such as TCA can be used, with the depth of the peel controlled depending on the kind of scar being treated.

6) Scar Revision is a process of cutting the scar tissue out. After the excision, the new wound is usually closed up to heal, assisted by silicone sheeting to speed up healing and prevent new scars from forming.

Consultation with a doctor is the first step in determining the best scar treatment option for your specific case. Do not self-medicate, and do not waste your money on creams and potions claiming to erase scars completely.

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This was published in the February 12, 2013 issue of Manila Bulletin, Lifestyle Section. The author , Fred C. Reyes, 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. 

Hyaluronic Acid: Fountain of Youth?

What gives skin the volume to make it look healthy and young? What acts as a lubricating fluid in our joints and eyes? Hyaluronic acid (HA) does both. It’s a kind of amino polymer naturally present in our body, a building block for collagen. However, our body’s ability to produce HA diminishes as we age.

When HA was successfully extracted from rooster comb, a lot of interest in its anti-aging use began. In fact, HA has been promoted as a “fountain of youth.” Now, it is commercially produced by synthetic process or by natural fermentation.

Certain injectable brands were approved by US FDA  as dermal filler, to fill up lines and wrinkles, and to plump up lips. For osteoarthritis, it is injected in joints to replace lost lubricating fluids. It is also used during removal of eye cataract to help replace natural fluids. The effect of injectable HA typically lasts for 6 months or so.

With its ability to attract water, HA is the favored moisturizing ingredient in high-end skin care products. Well, only in high-end products simply because it is so expensive. It has been noted that it also helps in healing skin with burns, wounds, or ulcers.

For anti-aging skin care, the challenge is how to improve skin penetration of HA, thus improving its efficacy. HA is a polymer that repeats itself, creating a very long chain molecule. Big molecules will just stay on top of the skin, with limited anti-aging benefits when used in creams and serum.

The breakthrough solution: control the polymer size. That paved the way for the development of the new HA with low molecular weight (LMW) that can work from within to smoothen out fine lines. The LMW grades come in different sizes, with increasing effectiveness as molecular size decreases. 

HYAL-C contains LMW hyaluronic acid and stabilized Vitamin C.

HYAL-C serum from SkinStation is an excellent example of a product with the new LMW hyaluronic acid. It contains nano-sized hyaluronic acid, the LMW grade with the smallest molecules. The nano-grade can go deep into the dermal layer of the skin where hyaluronic acid is needed most. The name HYAL stands for hyaluronic acid, while C refers to vitamin C,a popular anti-aging and lightening ingredient, also present at high levels in the serum. HYAL-C serum is a consistent best seller, loved for its instant lifting effect.It might just be the“fountain of youth” you have been looking for.

How about HA as a food supplement? Say, for joint pains? So far, results from clinical studies on oral HA supplements have not been encouraging. Orally taken HA do not simply migrate into the affected joints. However, there are suggestions that the new LMW grades may yet provide positive results.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on March 27, 2012. The author is the CEO of SkinStation and Chemworld Fragrance Factory. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulations Commission for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. Skin Smart will clarify facts and myths on skin care. Questions sent to info@skinstation.ph maybe featured in future issues.