19Jan

Some research-proven ingredients to look for in the skin products you choose include:

Retinol: considered the gold standard of effective topical treatments. Also available as prescription strength Retin-A, retinol is an ingredient in myriad over-the-counter products. It ramps up cell turnover in the top layers of the skin, decreasing wrinkles and improving skin tone.

Antioxidants: fight cell damage from free radicals, which are produced when skin is exposed to sunlight and some chemicals. Antioxidants can make skin firmer and more radiant. Many topical creams contain extracts of ingredients such as green tea and pomegranate.

Peptides: chains of amino acids act as signaling molecules in cells, telling them to heal, renew and slough away. They soften crow’s feet by slowing the contraction of tiny muscles around the eyes.

Alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs): including glycolic, lactic, citric and mandelic acids, these can help peel away the top layers of the skin to erase fine lines.

Shop now on www.dermashop.co.za for products which will be delivered to your door.

19Jan

Lasermed/Dermashop manager Penny Jenkinson jets off to Paris on 25 January to attend the IMCAS World Congress from 1 – 3 February. IMCAS has become one of the most important international courses dedicated to Ageing Skin Treatments. A record 8 000 delegates, from dermatology, plastic surgery, skin rejuvenation and aesthetic medicine professions, will be seizing this exceptional opportunity to explore the hottest topics related to the medical aesthetic field.

29Nov

Patients with rosacea, particularly the erythrotelangiectatic form, are considered good candidates for treatment with lasers and light therapies, according to Mathew M Avram, MD, who spoke about laser and light therapies for rosacea.

Patients with rosacea that are expected to do best with laser therapy are those with telangiectasia. Laser therapy is also effective for background redness but will be less effective for people with the papules associated with rosacea and “almost not effective at all for preventing flushing,” Dr. Avram said in an interview at the meeting.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) is another modality for treating rosacea. As with lasers, the mode of action is heating of certain structures and chromophores, causing their destruction and resorption, but unlike lasers, IPL output is broad spectrum and can be modified using filters.

With IPL, “basically, the endpoint that you want to see is transient purpural change, just a fleeting period of some black and blue, or if you’re treating vessels, you want to see vessel clearance when you’re firing the laser or the intense pulsed light,” said Dr. Avram, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Dermatology Laser & Cosmetic Center, Boston.

On-screen settings of laser or IPL devices are essential, “but ultimately, if you want to have an effective treatment you really have to see what’s happening to your target … you need to pay attention to clinical endpoints, which is seeing that black and blue or that vessel clearance, not just paying attention to what’s on the screen.”

With IPL, too much pressure can compress vessels and blanch the skin, resulting in a less effective treatment, he added. He noted that tissue graying, whitening, or contraction indicates overly aggressive treatment, with the risk of scarring.

Certain factors can reduce the efficacy of IPL treatments of rosacea. Dr. Avram recommended against treating tanned skin and pointed out that anaemic patients may benefit less from this approach since less hemoglobin presents a less-absorptive target for the treatments. He also advised particular caution when treating darker skin phototypes. But the most common factor that may make these treatments less effective is when a patient is on any type of anticoagulant, including NSAIDs or warfarin (Coumadin), because the mechanism of action is immediate microvascular hemorrhage, thrombosis, and eventual resorption.

For best results, Dr. Avram advises “appropriate overlap with the laser” to get an even and uniform improvement in the redness, with about a 15% overlap. Spacing laser spots too far apart can result in “foot printing,” the appearance of clearance in the areas of the laser pulse, but not in areas immediately around it “so it looks almost polka dotted.” After treatments, all patients should avoid the sun, he added.

  • Source mdedge.com/edermatologynews/
29Nov

A spotless,  flawless complexion is lying just beneath the surface of your skin – and the word is that a classic treatment is the fastest way there. Yes, chemical peels are the way to go. More people are getting them now than in 1997 when peels were the favourite cosmetic procedure. Chemical peels can actually deliver certain skin benefits such as aiding melasma and breakouts. By casting off dull surface cells, they improve fine lines, acne, discolouration, and more. And they do it for all skin types and colours.

In the 90s peels hurt. Fast-forward to 2017 and acid formulas have been refined. The goal now isn’t so much to cause visible peeling as it is to infuse the skin with ingredients that diminish lines, build collagen, and improve tone.

In minutes, acids lift away dead cells and trigger a lovely chain reaction. As that topmost layer is shed, signals are sent to the living cells below to multiply and move up, to increase collagen production, to make more hyaluronic acid and to act younger. A thorough sloughing also offers one very immediate upshot: smoother skin that’s both more radiant and more receptive. Skin-care products perform better after a peel because there are no dead cells impeding their penetration.

 

31Oct

Melanoma, a cancer of skin pigment cells called melanocytes, will strike an estimated 87,110 people in the U.S. in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A fraction of those melanomas come from pre-existing moles, but the majority of them come from sources unknown — until now.

Cornell researchers have discovered that when melanocyte stem cells accumulate a sufficient number of genetic mutations, they can become the cells where these cancers originate. Under normal conditions, ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun activates melanocytes to release melanin, a pigment that protects the skin from the sun’s rays. But if melanocyte stem cells have surpassed a threshold of genetic mutations, a tumor can start to grow when those skin stem cells are activated by sun exposure.

“If you had mutations that were sufficient for melanoma, everything would be fine until you went out and got a sunburn,” said Andrew White, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and senior author of a study published this month in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Hyeongsun Moon, a postdoctoral researcher in White’s lab, is the paper’s lead author. “The stimuli that would normally just give you a tanning response could in fact start a melanoma instead,” White said.

The researchers also may have discovered a way to prevent melanomas caused by mutated stem cells. A gene called Hgma2 was suspected to become expressed in the skin under UV radiation. When expressed, Hgma2 facilitates melanocyte stem cells to move from the base of skin hair follicles to the skin’s surface (the epidermis), where the cells release melanin. Moon, White and colleagues used mice engineered with melanocyte stem cell mutations. One set of mice had the mutations, while another set with the mutations had the Hgma2 gene deleted. They then gave the mice a very low dose of UV radiation, just enough to trigger a tanning response. Mice with tumor-causing mutations and the Hgma2 gene intact developed melanomas, but the mice with mutations and the deleted gene remained healthy.

More study is needed to better understand the Hgma2 gene’s function.

“We have an actual mechanism, with Hgma2, that can be explored in the future and could be a way we can prevent melanomas from happening,” White said.

Source: Cornell University, sciencedaily.com

31Oct

The uncomfortable, itchy rash that most people relate to babies and young children occurs frequently in adults. Although many adults with atopic dermatitis (commonly known as eczema) develop the disease in childhood and carry it through life, a large number are first diagnosed in adulthood — a trend being discussed at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting.

“Atopic dermatitis (AD) is underdiagnosed in the United States,” says allergist Luz Fonacier, MD, ACAAI board member and presenter at the meeting. “Many adults don’t seek out medical care, preferring to self-treat instead, either with home remedies or over-the-counter drugs. Often, they aren’t aware they have eczema, and they also don’t know treatments have changed a lot in the last few years. There are new drugs and topical medications that can make a huge difference in their quality of life.”

In addition to the itching and discomfort, people with eczema can experience problems with sleep and emotional distress, and it can affect their social life. Allergists work with patients to introduce therapies that treat uncomfortable and sometimes painful symptoms like dry skin, itchiness, and scaly rashes that can become infected. Easing the discomfort associated with painful symptoms can improve quality of life and make sleeping easier, as well as relieve emotional distress and embarrassment.

“In the last few years we’ve seen the introduction of targeted therapies, also known as precision medicine,” says allergist Mark Boguniewicz, MD, ACAAI member and lead author on a soon-to-be-published Atopic Dermatitis Yardstick. “The Yardstick will have practical recommendations for physicians about the treatment of AD.”

Two new medications have recently been approved for AD. The first, crisaborole, is an ointment that reduces itching, redness and swelling of the skin. It is the first anti-inflammatory medication to be approved for the treatment of mild to moderate AD in more than 15 years. It is approved for patients 2 years of age or older. Dupilumab, the second new medication, is a biologic therapy given by injection for patients 18 years or older with moderate to severe AD who haven’t responded to, or can’t use topical medications.

“The takeaway message is that there are effective medications available that help relieve eczema symptoms and now can also target the underlying cause,” says Dr. Boguniewicz. “People with eczema have been frustrated by the limitations of existing treatments. We’re very excited by the new medications which were developed based on better understanding of atopic dermatitis. We expect additional therapies to be approved soon. An allergist has the right training and expertise to diagnose your eczema, and to help you find relief with the right treatments.”

  • source: American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology – sciencedaily.com