The "A" Train

Cell Receptors are the Key To Understanding Retinoids

At the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Dr. Sewon Kang presented some of his prolific research on retinoids. The thing that I liked the most about his speech was his definition of a topical retinoid:

"any molecule that, by itself or through metabolic conversion, binds to and activates the retinoic acid receptors, thereby eliciting transcriptional activation of retinoic acid-responsive genes that results in specific biologic responses (Kang & Voorhees. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine [7th Ed.]. 2008)."

He went on to further explain that Vitamin A enters the skin where it is stored and esterfied. It is then oxidized into retinoic acid where it is received in the nucleas of the cell. (For a visual representation of this event click here).

He went on to point out that keratinocytes are divided faster in retinoid treated skin which is the main reason to use a retinoid.

There is also a general misconception that retinoids thin the skin. In a study that was conducted by Dr. Kang, skin biopsies show that the skin doubled in thickness.

The last thing he pointed out was, "Topical retinol elicits a retinoic acid-like epidermal histology (hyperplasia and spongiosis), but, unlike retinoic acid, it doesn’t cause significant erythema."

Therefore, it is my hope that we can get doctors to think about carrying an over the counter retinol as a great alternative to prescription strength retinoids.

You can read the full Dermatology Times article here.

Another Good Reason Not To Use A Tanning Bed

Yikes! http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/1436088.html :)

Green Cream Gets a "favorite" Plug

One of our favorite bloggers/beauty writers, Nadine Haobsh http://www.jolienadine.com, has just plugged Green Cream as one of her favorite products in a St. Paul Newspaper http://www.twincities.com/ci_11637368.

We have never supported her financially, but, have sent her a free bottle to evaluate. Therefore, you can take her comments as unbiased. You may want to check out her other products she likes.

Nadine first blogged about Green Cream http://jolienadine.com/blog/2008/04/02/green-cream/

Skin-Lightening 101

One of my favorite researchers, Dr. Zoe Draelos,  has published an article on Skin Lightening products in Skin Inc. magazine (A magazine for skin care professionals).

The main points from the article

• All OTC skin-lightening treatments should include using a sunscreen daily.
• Hydroquinone remains the gold standard in skin lightening, but OTC products may be banned by the FDA.
• Mequinol a prescritpion based product that does not damage the melanocyte like hydroquionone does.
• RETINOIDS are typically combined with other skin lightening agents to enhance penetration. Retioids do an effective job of lightening freckles. OTC retinol has been thought ot provide similar effects that prescription strength retinoids.
• Vitamin C when used by itself is a poor skin lightener.
• Licorice extract is low on the irritation scale, but must be used in high concentrations over a long period of time. 
• Alpha Lipoic Acid's ability to lighten skin is doubtful 
• Kojic acid is effective but has a hard time penetrating the skin and needs to be used with penetration enhancers like a retinoid. 
• Aleosin & Arbutin are not very effective but need to be mixed together to be effective.

  You can read the whole article here http://www.skininc.com/skinscience/ingredients/37222599.html?page=1

FDA Warning: Topical Anesthetic

After two young females died after applying topical lidocaine in preparation of a laser hair removal have died of a heart attacks recently.

The FDA recommends:

• use a topical anesthetic that contains the lowest amount possible of medication that will relieve the pain; 
• apply the topical anesthetic sparingly and only to the area where pain exists or is expected to occur;
• not apply the topical anesthetic to broken or irritated skin.
• ask their doctor what side effects are possible and how to lower their chance of having life-threatening side effects from anesthetic drugs.
• be aware that if wrapping or covering the skin with any type of material or dressing is recommended or considered, this can increase the chance of serious side effects, as can applying heat to the treated area while the medication is still present.

Some possible topical anesthetics are

• lidocaine
• benzocaine
• tetrocaine
• prilocaine

Some of the possible side effects are:

• Irregular Heartbeat
• Seizures
• Breathing Difficulties
• Coma
• Death

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/topical_anesthetics2009.htm

Study Resumes: Topical Retinoids in The Prevention of Skin Cancer

There was a study that started back in early 2000 regarding the use of tretinoin (the main ingredient in Retin A) as a skin cancer inhibitor. It has been shown that topical retinoids could prevent certain skin cancers like basal cells and squamous cells.

However, in 2004, the study was halted due to concerns of increased mortality rates of using topical tretinoin. I think most dermatologists knew that something was wrong with the study. After 3 years of re-examining the data, the VA Medical Center has resumed the study because there was no causal link between the use of topical tretinoin and death.

This is great news and, once approved by the FDA, you will start seeing Retin A marketed as prevention of some skin cancers. This is particularly important for people who have had skin cancer in the past, or have a family history of skin cancer.

The full article can be viewed here. 

Resolve to Use a Retinoid

With the New Year comes resolutions and if one of them is to have healthier looking skin Dr. Leslie Baumann suggests you resolve to use a retinoid nightly. http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/story/837500.html

FDA Approves Eyelash Drug

Recently, the FDA has approved bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03% as treatment for hypotrichosis. In layman terms, you can now get a prescription from your doctor to lengthen, thicken and darken your eyelashes. The new drug is called Latisse and it is made by Allergan. More info here

Dear Paula...

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that Paula Begoun, the self proclaimed Cosmetics Cop has reviewed our product on her website Beautypedia.com

Though I don't much care for the snarky tone of the article, I am afraid that you are factually incorrect on some of your statements regarding our product and company.

Your first statement is that we provide "pre and post surgical skin care treatments." No where on our site or in our literature do we  make that claim. Our product Green Cream is a daily healthy skin treatment that can address a wide variety of skin issues. Had you done your research, you would know that there are over 150 skin ailments that have been proven to be successfully treatment with retinol.

Next, you seem to be critical of the fact that we only have a retinol product. The fact is that we only create products based on an expertise we might possess. In this case, we have a patented delivery system that was developed by Dr. Terezakis that has over a 25 year successful track record. Currently, we don't have other products because there are other great products that fill people's needs adequately. Our position is to only create products that fill an unmet need.

Where I become really confused is where you commend Dr. Terezakis for her "keeping things simple" philosophy and then turn around and state that we do not have an extensive line of a bunch of unnecessary products (like the Paula's Choice line).

Lastly, you have given our product a poor rating because of our use of ethanol. You claim that we are trying to disguise the fact that we called our ingredient ethanol instead of alchohol. If you will reference your chemistry book, the technical term is ethanol and the FDA mandates that we label it as such. If we were to lablel it as alcohol,it would draw a fine from the FDA.

In the case of our fomulation, we used ethanol/alcohol as a penetration enhancer. If you check the studies and patents of most topically applied drugs you will find ethanol as a main component. In fact, I took the liberty to pull some of the studies for you that relate to the use of retinoids and alcohol (see below).

If you understood the biologics behind retinoids, you would know that if retinol  sits on the surface of the skin, it increases the chances of irritation. The more retinoid you can get into the sebaceous gland reduces the chance of irritation significantly because it is the body that does the efficient job of delivering the active ingredient. Therefore, without the ethanol your skin is almost three times more likely to get irritated. To say that the ethanol renders the retinol is wrong.

Lastly, I have tried to research your credentials as an authority on the subject of retinoids and all I could find was that you were once a make up artist. As you have so aptly pointed out, Dr. Terezakis' is not only published and cited as an expert in the media and in professional journals, but she has numerous awards from her peers and once chaired the Cosmetic Forum for the AAD.

However, unlike you, Dr. Terezakis does not have an economic interest in the sale of Green Cream. therefore, you can take her publishing and comments as unbiased.

Your reviews of all products would mean something if you actually tried the product. We offer free samples to the media, please feel free to contact us.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15734865?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15265552?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12526827?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9284094?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Olive Oil as a Moisturizer

Things have been really hectic (not because of the Holidays), while we are getting ready for the launch of our new product Aqualant. I can't go into depth yet, but Paula Begoun has given a little hint as to what one of Aqualant's active ingredients is...Olive Oil. There is a lot of great science behind this ingredient and I am glad it is starting to show up on some of the expert's radars.

I know you may be turning up your nose on using an oil, but Aqualant doesn't "feel" like your typical oil, it is very silky and smooth. We are days away from launching, so I will keep you posted.