TOP ANTI-AGING BREAKTHROUGHS (Part 3)

Top Anti-aging Breakthroughs (Part 3)

We continue with the third installment on the topic of top anti-aging breakthroughs. Earlier mentioned are Nano-Encapsulation Technology, Fractional Lasers, Dermal Fillers, and Anti-Aging Sunscreen. Here are the last two scientific breakthroughs: 

Antioxidants

What do vitamins C and E, CoQ10, green tea, coffee berry, resveratrol from grapes, and glutathione have in common? They are among the most popular antioxidant ingredients in the market.

Antioxidants fight aging by destroying free radicals, the unstable molecules that occur from sun exposure, smoking, and pollution. Excessive amounts of free radicals can lead to cell injury and death.

DERMAX NanoQ has Nano-
encapsulated CoQ10 and
stabilized vitamin C.

Free radicals play a major part not only in aging, but also in degenerative diseases such as cancer, fatty liver, arthritis, cardiovascular and neuro disorders. Generating the loudest buzz (albeit for the wrong reason) is glutathione, which when taken internally excellently protects the body tissues.

When topically applied, antioxidants stabilize the hyperactive free radicals before they harm the skin collagen. There are scores of studies demonstrating the power of topical antioxidants to reverse the signs of aging, particularly CoQ10 and vitamins C and E.  

Being reactive themselves, antioxidants should be used in stabilized form to be effective in skin care formulations. Nano-encapsulated CoQ10 and stabilized vitamin C are used in DERMAX Professional skin care products.

Botox

On April 12, 2002, the USFDA approved botulinum toxin type A injection for cosmetic use to temporarily improve the appearance of frown lines, forehead furrows, and wrinkles around the eyes. Popularly known as Botox (an Allergan trade mark), it has become the most popular method for facial rejuvenation, with annual figures exceeding 5 million procedures in the United States alone. Wrinkles can literally disappear with Botox, normally for 3 to 4 months, but effect could extend up to 6 months for regular users.

Botox treatment at SkinStation
erases wrinkles without the frozen look.

The procedure consists of injections of a small dose of botulinum toxin to paralyze specific facial muscles. The wrinkle reducing result can be immediate, with optimum effect showing one week after the procedure.

A common side effect is the dampening of emotional expressions, which could be due to less interaction between the facial muscles and the brain. If you notice some senior TV actors unable to show anger in their facial expression, that’s caused by Botox. At SkinStation, we have developed a treatment protocol to minimize such undesirable side effect.

Botox treatment is best combined with dermal fillers and anti-aging products to further improve results. This combination of therapies can extend the youth enhancing effects and even help prevent the formation of new lines and wrinkles.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on December 10, 2013. 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.  

TOP ANTI-AGING BREAKTHROUGHS (Part 1)

Top Anti-aging Breakthroughs (Part 1)

Anti-aging beauty products and clinic procedures have been coming out every year, each one claiming to be the new elixir of youth.  While some present scientifically solid and significant advances, many are simply hyped up rehash of old products and procedures with a new name. To guide you in what can really make a difference in your skin, we present to you a three part series on the top anti-aging scientific breakthroughs that can create your best skin ever. 

Nano-encapsulation Technology

Nano refers to size, the size of a virus. Nano is a billionth of a meter; a thousand times smaller than micro. The development of encapsulated nano sized active ingredients marks a major advance in skin care formulations. DERMAX Professional is the first Philippine brand which launched nano-encapsulated skin care products with enhanced effectiveness and stability.  Targeted skin absorption has vastly improved with the smaller particle size of the nano active ingredients.

Ordinarily, skin care actives would only lay on the surface of the skin accomplishing nothing beyond improving feel. For anti-aging products, the active ingredients must work inside the skin to have any effect at all. Nano-encapsulation technology has made it possible for actives to 

• go beyond the barriers much more easily,
• protect ingredients  from losing efficacy, and
• impart time-released benefit.

Anti-aging DERMAX products containing nano-encapsulated ingredients are NanoWhite, Hyal C, HYALIFT, Retinol C and UV MILK.

Fractional Laser Resurfacing

Many dermatologists consider fractional laser resurfacing as one of the most important breakthrough wrinkle treatments in recent years.  Prior to this, the gold standard in wrinkle removal was the traditional CO2 lasers, which completely ablate skin, resulting in horrendous downtime and complications. With fractional laser resurfacing, you still get the best way to remove wrinkles with less downtime and less complications. 

Fractional laser resurfacing uses beamlets of laser light to bore pin point holes in the skin. This prevents damage to the top layer of the skin, reducing downtime to just 4 to 7 days. The body’s natural collagen production is encouraged to work fast-forward, with effects that will last for years. 

What’s new: Aside from the CO2, new fractional lasers are now available that are more skin friendly, meaning there is less possibility of hyperpigmentation with Asian skin types. These are the Erbium:YAG laser, Erbium:Glass laser, and fractional RF (uses radiofrequency energy rather than laser). All these fractional lasers are available in SkinStation.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on November 5, 2013. 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.  

THE FUTURE OF SKIN CARE: NANO-ENCAPSULATION TECHNOLOGY

When we talk of nano, we talk about size. Nano is a billionth of a meter; a thousand times smaller than micro. Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on atomic and molecular scale. The concept and the potential applications can be very exciting.

Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on its research by the governments in Europe, USA and Japan.  Applications have been found in the field of electronics, energy production, biomaterials and medicine.

With the development of nano sized active ingredients, skin care formulations have leaped to new levels of advancement.  Many major skin care companies launched new nano skin care products with enhanced effectiveness.  Skin absorption has vastly improved with the smaller particle size of nano active ingredients.

Ordinarily, skin care actives would only lay on the surface of the skin accomplishing nothing beyond improving feel. For anti-aging and lightening products, the active ingredients must work inside the skin to have any effect at all. Nanotechnology has made it possible for actives to go beyond the barriers much more easily.  

Then there was the report alleging the potential of nano sized physical sunscreens getting into the body’s bloodstream. Although the clinical basis for such a claim is largely insufficient, the alarm created such a bad press, and stunted the popularity of nanotechnology in skin care. Suddenly, the major brands deleted all reference to nano in their marketing. However, they continue to use nanotechnology in their formulations, as they hide behind terminology like “micro” to avoid any controversy.

Behind the headlines in mainstream media, the research and development in nanotechnology continues. Encapsulating nano particles is one recent major advance.

Why not encapsulate nano actives which are highly reactive and unstable? Encapsulation will protect the degradation of ingredients, keeping them as fresh as when they were first added in the blend.

Why not use encapsulation technology that will slowly release nano ingredients to impart time-release benefit?

And why not use encapsulation technology that will bring the actives to specific epidermal or dermal layer where they will be needed most?

Such incredible nano-encapsulation concepts are real and are available now at SkinStation. We have embraced nanoencapsulation technology in our DERMAX Professional skin care line. We know it is safe. We are convinced that this is the future of skin care. We not only openly declare this. We proudly incorporated “NANO” in our brand name.

(In July 2012, the author spoke before the members of Philippine Society for Cosmetic Science (PSCS) on the same topic, with the title, "Nano+Encapsulation Technology in Personal Care Products". The updated and modified version of that presentation before the PSCS can be accessed here:  https://app.box.com/s/7igjxmfyh5olyz6ktlv7.)

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Skin Smart seeks to clarify facts and myths on skin care. It will also share innovative developments in skin care industry. This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on June 25, 2013.  The author  received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry.  He is the CEO of SkinStation and can be reached at fred.reyes@skinstation.ph. 

Retinol Treatment for Aging Skin

Retinol Treatment for Aging Skin

Topical vitamin A in the form of retinol and retinoic acid is probably the most studied anti-wrinkle ingredient. Retinoic acid speeds up cell division thus quickening skin renewal, prevents collagen from breaking down, and helps improve skin tone. However, retinoic acid has many side effects, including skin redness and irritation.

To minimize side effects, retinol is used instead in non-prescription anti-aging creams and lotions. Retinol is slowly converted to retinoic acid once it penetrates the skin, causing retinoic acid-like skin rejuvenating effects. The slow conversion to retinoic acid makes incidence of skin irritation much less.

Old retinol formulas have encountered stability and efficacy issues. Retinol is highly unstable when exposed to air and may get degraded even before skin application. New formulations now use advanced nano-encapsulation technology to address this important retinol stability concern.

Nano-encapsulated retinol makes
DERMAX Retinol C highly effective.

Of all the clinical studies on retinol, one stands out for having geriatrics as its subjects. The study published in the Archives of Dermatology describes the clinical effect of retinol lotion (0.4%) on 36 subjects with ages 80 to 96. “Safe and effective therapies to reverse the atrophy of natural skin aging do not exist currently,” the investigators led by Dr. Kang wrote, “possibly because skin aging is poorly understood, and conducting clinical studies in a geriatric population represents a considerable challenge.”

At each visit, topical retinol lotion was applied to the upper-inner (sun-protected) portion of one arm and its vehicle lotion (a popular brand of body moisturizer) was applied to the other arm. Lotions were applied up to three times a week for 24 weeks.

The fine wrinkles of intrinsic aging began to improve after four weeks of retinol use, with continued improvement throughout the study, the researchers reported. The four-week response was faster than that observed in photoaging studies. Typically, at least two to three months of topical retinoic acid therapy is needed before noting any significant improvement in wrinkles caused by photoaging.

After 24 weeks, there were significant differences between retinol-treated and vehicle-treated skin for changes in fine wrinkling scores. Retinol treatment significantly increased collagen production in six patients by about 40% compared with vehicle treatment.

The improvement was not permanent. Three months after the therapy was discontinued the difference in fine wrinkle severity had lessened between the retinol- and vehicle-treated sides but remained significant. Six months after the discontinuation of retinol treatment, no significant differences remained between the 2 sides. 

If topical retinol can improve fine wrinkles, collagen deficiency, and atrophy in the fragile skin of elderly subjects, it should be able to do more on younger, less challenging skin.

______________________________________________________________________________________This was published in the June 5, 2012 issue of Manila Bulletin, Lifestyle Section. 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.