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.  

Can Antioxidants Make You Look Younger?

Can Antioxidants Make you Look Younger?

Products with antioxidant labels are now the trend. The more popular antioxidants are extracts of green tea, grapes, and mangosteen. Best-sellers include glutathione, vitamins C & E, a-lipoic acid, and CoQ10. Cosmetic companies advertise antioxidant products that claim to reduce or even eliminate the signs of skin aging. The marketing hype is repeated over and over that it now appears to be the gospel truth. But what really is the truth about antioxidants?

Aging is a complex natural process. It involves genetic, hormonal and environmental mechanisms. Free radicals play a central role in aging. They are highly reactive oxygen molecules that can damage various cellular structures in our body. They are produced naturally through normal human metabolism. They are also formed by environmental factors such as UV exposure, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption.

The body possesses natural defense mechanisms. It produces antioxidants, substances that provide protection against free radicals. As we age, our natural defense mechanisms decreases, while the production of reactive free radicals increases. This imbalance results in accelerated aging. 

Topical application of antioxidants helps neutralize free radicals, and consequently lessen or prevent signs of skin aging. Beyond prevention, many topical antioxidants are also marketed to eliminate wrinkles. However, among antioxidants, only vitamin C can actually treat wrinkles by boosting collagen production through a mechanism other than antioxidation. For other products, their ability to improve wrinkles is either due to swelling or hydrating effects, or to other ingredients, such as the exfoliating retinol, AHA and BHA, and collagen boosters like hyaluronic acid and amino peptides. 

Current research suggests that antioxidants can have synergistic effects and, thus, better efficacy when combined. Examples are Vitamin C and glutathione, and vitamin C and E. Also, an additive benefit may be derived from using a combination of oral and topical antioxidant products. For topically administered antioxidants to be effective, there are two important concerns that are now addressed by advanced nano-encapsulation technology:

1) Product stabilization. Antioxidants are very unstable; they may      become oxidized and inactive before reaching the target. Encapsulation provides a protective layer that can keep the antioxidant as active as when it was blended during production.

2) Skin absorption. Antioxidants must be small enough to be absorbed into the skin, reach their target tissue in the active form, and remain there long enough to exert the desired effects. Nanotechnology converts antioxidants to nano-sized particles to enhance skin penetration.

Bottomline. Antioxidants play a key role in prevention of premature skin aging. However, they cannot undo the damage done by free radicals at the cellular level. Topical and oral antioxidants cannot erase wrinkles and crows feet. They cannot firm up sagging skin. An antioxidant product that claims to make you look younger is either over promising, or has other ingredients that can exfoliate, plump, and hydrate skin. Always look at the ingredients list.

____________________________________________________________________________This was published in the May 22, 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.

Which vitamin C is good for your skin?

Which Vitamin C is Good For Your Skin?

Vitamin C is widely used in cosmetics now.  It can get confusing which ones really work, which ones are useless. You get bombarded with many marketing hypes, each kind of vitamin C sounding different, formulated in varying amounts.

Vitamin C is of course L- ascorbic acid, and that is the form that works. The problem with L- ascorbic acid is that it is unstable for topical application. When exposed to heat, air, or light, it breaks down quickly, becomes ineffective and even potentially harmful to skin.

Scientists have developed stable vitamin C derivatives with comparable or superior skin benefits. A vitamin C derivative should be able to easily penetrate into skin cells and release L-ascorbic acid in amounts sufficient to boost collagen synthesis. Ideally, it should be less irritating than vitamin C. Three compounds have found their way into the broad skin care market: ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and ethyl ascorbic acid.

HYAL-C has ethyl ascorbic acid.

Ascorbyl palmitate is the most widely used oil-soluble vitamin C derivative in skin care. It is nonirritating and more stable than vitamin C. Unfortunately, the concentrations of ascorbyl palmitate achievable in skin care formulas do not boost collagen synthesis.

Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate is a water-soluble derivative of vitamin C. It is nonirritating and has a conversion percentage to L-ascorbic acid of over 60%, enough to boost skin collagen synthesis. Overall, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate appears to be a good choice for people with sensitive skin.


Ethyl ascorbic acid is what maybe considered a next generation Vitamin C derivative. It is a highly stable, non-irritating, patented derivative. Ethyl ascorbic acid is the most effective among the three in boosting collagen synthesis and lightening skin, with over 80% metabolized to pure L-ascorbic acid.

Bottomline. When choosing your vitamin C serum, choose the one with ethyl ascorbic acid. Look for colorless or white formulation in an airless bottle. Freshness and proper storage are important. The container should allow you to spot advanced stages of oxidation of the active ingredient by the emergence of a yellowish to brownish tint. There will still be degradation when exposed to light and air, and you don’t want to end up with a useless product.

____________________________________________________________________________This column was published in the May 8, 2012 issue of the 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.

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.