Aesthetic Dermatology

In this month's podcast, we catch up with Dr. Darrel S. Rigel to discuss the spike in melanoma in women in their 20s and 30s.

Contributor Gina Henderson discusses news stats on how dermatology practices are faring in today's tough economy.

And, in "Hats on for Albinism," reporter Naseem Miller interviews the secretary general of the International League of Dermatological Societies, Dr. David McLean, who is  leading the effort to help albinos in Tanzania.

In this month's Cosmetic Counter segment, Dr. Lily Talakoub offers tips on how to navigate the overwhelming sea of moisturizers.

And last but not least, Dr. Alan Rockoff relays the story of a how an unopened bottle of scotch eased the nerves of a man facing cryosurgery for his genital warts.

Don't miss another episode of The Skinny Podcast; subscribe on iTunes!

In this month's podcast, we catch up with Dr. Darrel S. Rigel to discuss the spike in melanoma in women in their 20s and 30s.

Contributor Gina Henderson discusses news stats on how dermatology practices are faring in today's tough economy.

And, in "Hats on for Albinism," reporter Naseem Miller interviews the secretary general of the International League of Dermatological Societies, Dr. David McLean, who is  leading the effort to help albinos in Tanzania.

In this month's Cosmetic Counter segment, Dr. Lily Talakoub offers tips on how to navigate the overwhelming sea of moisturizers.

And last but not least, Dr. Alan Rockoff relays the story of a how an unopened bottle of scotch eased the nerves of a man facing cryosurgery for his genital warts.

Don't miss another episode of The Skinny Podcast; subscribe on iTunes!

In this month's podcast, we catch up with Dr. Darrel S. Rigel to discuss the spike in melanoma in women in their 20s and 30s.

Contributor Gina Henderson discusses news stats on how dermatology practices are faring in today's tough economy.

And, in "Hats on for Albinism," reporter Naseem Miller interviews the secretary general of the International League of Dermatological Societies, Dr. David McLean, who is  leading the effort to help albinos in Tanzania.

In this month's Cosmetic Counter segment, Dr. Lily Talakoub offers tips on how to navigate the overwhelming sea of moisturizers.

And last but not least, Dr. Alan Rockoff relays the story of a how an unopened bottle of scotch eased the nerves of a man facing cryosurgery for his genital warts.

Don't miss another episode of The Skinny Podcast; subscribe on iTunes!

Unilever, the international conglomerate that makes Dove soap, Axe body spray, Lipton tea and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, is poised to bring the world a nutraceutical that it says can activate genes that will essentially repair the damage that leads to wrinkles.

According to an extensive article in the NewScientist, the nutraceutical will be launched in October in 44 spas that Unilever co-owns in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada.  Unilever is not seeking regulatory approval because the capsules contain ingredients already in use, and the company will not make any health claims, according to the article.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Bastet78/Creative Commons

If Unilever is hoping to ever introduce the pill in the United States — which we can safely assume it will — it will likely take the same approach. Dietary supplements don’t require formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration, unless they claim to treat or cure a condition. (For more on how FDA regulates functional foods and supplements, see its web page here.)

The vast majority of supplements push as close to the legal requirements as they can, and some skirt past them, in the hopes that the FDA won’t notice. But the agency has been noticing more often and cracking down on products that make health claims.

The Unilever pill apparently has some scientific evidence to support its mechanism of action.

Again, according to the NewScientist, it will contain soy isoflavones, vitamin E, vitamin C, lycopene, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids extracted from fish oil. The omega-3s reportedly activate a PPAR gene (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor). PPARs are involved in cellular differentiation, development, metabolism, and tumorigenesis.

The company could spend the money and time to seek formal FDA approval for wrinkle improvement — following in the footsteps of say, a Quaker Oats getting a cholesterol-lowering claim for its oatmeal. Competitors have basically ridden on Quaker’s coattails — if one oatmeal lowers cholesterol, they probably all do.

But I can’t see Allergan (which makes Botox) or Medicis (which makes Restylane) sitting idly by while Unilever mass markets an over-the-counter dietary supplement with a claim to erase wrinkles. A pill could be seen as an attractive alternative to the currently available injections, fillers, and surgical options.

And everyone’s always looking for the next best anti-aging product.

The NewScientist story caused an eruption in the blogosphere, with citations appearing everywhere from the beauty site Jezebel to the Yahoo health and beauty page, Shine. A quick Google search shows that it even ran on the Ecuador Times, which bills itself as a bilingual site for all things Ecuadorian.

The world is waiting, Unilever.

—Alicia Ault (on Twitter @aliciaault)

Unilever, the international conglomerate that makes Dove soap, Axe body spray, Lipton tea and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, is poised to bring the world a nutraceutical that it says can activate genes that will essentially repair the damage that leads to wrinkles.

According to an extensive article in the NewScientist, the nutraceutical will be launched in October in 44 spas that Unilever co-owns in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada.  Unilever is not seeking regulatory approval because the capsules contain ingredients already in use, and the company will not make any health claims, according to the article.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Bastet78/Creative Commons

If Unilever is hoping to ever introduce the pill in the United States — which we can safely assume it will — it will likely take the same approach. Dietary supplements don’t require formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration, unless they claim to treat or cure a condition. (For more on how FDA regulates functional foods and supplements, see its web page here.)

The vast majority of supplements push as close to the legal requirements as they can, and some skirt past them, in the hopes that the FDA won’t notice. But the agency has been noticing more often and cracking down on products that make health claims.

The Unilever pill apparently has some scientific evidence to support its mechanism of action.

Again, according to the NewScientist, it will contain soy isoflavones, vitamin E, vitamin C, lycopene, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids extracted from fish oil. The omega-3s reportedly activate a PPAR gene (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor). PPARs are involved in cellular differentiation, development, metabolism, and tumorigenesis.

The company could spend the money and time to seek formal FDA approval for wrinkle improvement — following in the footsteps of say, a Quaker Oats getting a cholesterol-lowering claim for its oatmeal. Competitors have basically ridden on Quaker’s coattails — if one oatmeal lowers cholesterol, they probably all do.

But I can’t see Allergan (which makes Botox) or Medicis (which makes Restylane) sitting idly by while Unilever mass markets an over-the-counter dietary supplement with a claim to erase wrinkles. A pill could be seen as an attractive alternative to the currently available injections, fillers, and surgical options.

And everyone’s always looking for the next best anti-aging product.

The NewScientist story caused an eruption in the blogosphere, with citations appearing everywhere from the beauty site Jezebel to the Yahoo health and beauty page, Shine. A quick Google search shows that it even ran on the Ecuador Times, which bills itself as a bilingual site for all things Ecuadorian.

The world is waiting, Unilever.

—Alicia Ault (on Twitter @aliciaault)

Unilever, the international conglomerate that makes Dove soap, Axe body spray, Lipton tea and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, is poised to bring the world a nutraceutical that it says can activate genes that will essentially repair the damage that leads to wrinkles.

According to an extensive article in the NewScientist, the nutraceutical will be launched in October in 44 spas that Unilever co-owns in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada.  Unilever is not seeking regulatory approval because the capsules contain ingredients already in use, and the company will not make any health claims, according to the article.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Bastet78/Creative Commons

If Unilever is hoping to ever introduce the pill in the United States — which we can safely assume it will — it will likely take the same approach. Dietary supplements don’t require formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration, unless they claim to treat or cure a condition. (For more on how FDA regulates functional foods and supplements, see its web page here.)

The vast majority of supplements push as close to the legal requirements as they can, and some skirt past them, in the hopes that the FDA won’t notice. But the agency has been noticing more often and cracking down on products that make health claims.

The Unilever pill apparently has some scientific evidence to support its mechanism of action.

Again, according to the NewScientist, it will contain soy isoflavones, vitamin E, vitamin C, lycopene, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids extracted from fish oil. The omega-3s reportedly activate a PPAR gene (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor). PPARs are involved in cellular differentiation, development, metabolism, and tumorigenesis.

The company could spend the money and time to seek formal FDA approval for wrinkle improvement — following in the footsteps of say, a Quaker Oats getting a cholesterol-lowering claim for its oatmeal. Competitors have basically ridden on Quaker’s coattails — if one oatmeal lowers cholesterol, they probably all do.

But I can’t see Allergan (which makes Botox) or Medicis (which makes Restylane) sitting idly by while Unilever mass markets an over-the-counter dietary supplement with a claim to erase wrinkles. A pill could be seen as an attractive alternative to the currently available injections, fillers, and surgical options.

And everyone’s always looking for the next best anti-aging product.

The NewScientist story caused an eruption in the blogosphere, with citations appearing everywhere from the beauty site Jezebel to the Yahoo health and beauty page, Shine. A quick Google search shows that it even ran on the Ecuador Times, which bills itself as a bilingual site for all things Ecuadorian.

The world is waiting, Unilever.

—Alicia Ault (on Twitter @aliciaault)

Here’s a somewhat new twist to the saying, “You are what you eat.” The latest trend in anti-wrinkle efforts is “nutricosmetics,” combining cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products. In other words, using both topical and oral agents to make skin look younger than it might otherwise.

That’s the prediction of Dr. Zoe D. Draelos, a consulting professor at Duke University, who spoke at the SDEF Women’s and Pediatric Dermatology Seminar. First the buzz was about antioxidants. Next you’ll be seeing the glycation inhibitor carnosine touted in foods and products, followed in a few years by other glycation inhibitors.

Sherry Boschert/Elsevier Global Medical News

Why? Because there are only three ways known to limit the effects of aging on skin: caloric restriction; preventing oxidative damage, and preventing or reversing advanced glycation end productions, she said.

It makes sense that eating a healthier diet will give you a better chance of looking younger and healthier than a poor diet will, but nutricosmetics takes this to another level, with companies in pursuit of supplements, topical agents, and other products that may deliver more of the good stuff than you can get from food alone. Dr. Draelos has received consulting and research funds from 14 different companies.

Cosmetic dermatology started moving in this direction with topical and oral antioxidants. Carotenoids (vitamin A) are found in red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Think of tomatoes, which contain the antioxidant carotenoid lycopene, which inspired lycopene supplement products. Topical anti-wrinkle products may contain the synthetic carotenoids retinol, retinaldehyde or retinyl propionate. The polyphenols in green tea also are antioxidants.

Then, there’s resveratrol, a substance that modulates the activity of sirtuins, which are thought to be responsible for some of the mechanisms of aging on a mitochondrial level. French red wines are high in resveratrol, which also has been added to moisturizers to function as an antioxidant. Too much resveratrol can be bad for you, rodent studies suggest, and it’s expensive, Dr. Draelos said. Products are more likely to say that ingredients include the plant Japanese Knotweed, which contains some resveratrol.

Caloric restriction isn’t really a viable option for skin care, so the nutricosmetic industry is looking at “caloric restriction mimetics” such as anthocyanins, which are antioxidants. That’s why newer supplements will contain anthocyanins, which are found in high concentrations in wild raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Blueberry extract also may be a glycation inhibitor.

“Berries are going to be everywhere,” Dr. Draelos predicted. Interestingly, it’s the wild, stressed berries and the stressed grapes grown in colder areas like France that contain more of these ingredients than, say, wines from California’s milder climate or farmed berries.

Carnosine, the newest ingredient in skin care products, also seems to prevent glycation, possibly providing anti-aging benefits on the level of gene regulation.

Because these components are not drugs, the products don’t need to be tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, so there’s precious little science to back up anti-aging claims. Much of the marketing is based on theories of how the ingredients might help one’s skin.

An unpublished double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Dr. Draelos and her associates provides some support for oral lycopene supplements, a popular nutricosmetic product. They shined a standardized amount of simulated sunlight on the relatively pristine buttock skin of volunteers, took a punch biopsy, and counted the number of sunburned cells. Then subjects took lycopene supplements twice a day for 12 weeks before repeating the sunburn test on a different part of the buttocks. Fewer cells ended up sunburned after taking lycopene. A lower burned cell count means less oxidative damage.

Not all research is so nice. A study by other investigators of mice who were fed vitamins C and E plus extracts of green tea and blueberry tested the effects on tissue by pulling on the mice tails until the tendons snapped. To their credit, audience members at the seminar groaned when they heard this.

Someone asked Dr. Draelos what she consumes to combat aging. Because she’s vitamin D deficient, she takes vitamin D supplements, she said. She added that she likes to get her antioxidants in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, such as in flax seed oil and fish oil. Moderation is the key, she said. “Eat something of every color every day. Take a multivitamin. Don’t eat just blueberries, eat something of everything,” and take supplements if you’re deficient in something, she advised.

If you’re going to drink green tea, eat berries or tomatoes, or buy some French wine to combat wrinkles, or take supplements based on their ingredients, no one knows how much to eat or drink for this purpose, she added. Dr. Joseph F. Fowler, Jr., who spoke after Dr. Draelos, summed it up this way: “Actually, if you drink enough red wine, you won’t care.”

-- Sherry Boschert (@sherryboschert on Twitter)

Disclosure: SDEF and this news organization are both owned by Elsevier.

Here’s a somewhat new twist to the saying, “You are what you eat.” The latest trend in anti-wrinkle efforts is “nutricosmetics,” combining cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products. In other words, using both topical and oral agents to make skin look younger than it might otherwise.

That’s the prediction of Dr. Zoe D. Draelos, a consulting professor at Duke University, who spoke at the SDEF Women’s and Pediatric Dermatology Seminar. First the buzz was about antioxidants. Next you’ll be seeing the glycation inhibitor carnosine touted in foods and products, followed in a few years by other glycation inhibitors.

Sherry Boschert/Elsevier Global Medical News

Why? Because there are only three ways known to limit the effects of aging on skin: caloric restriction; preventing oxidative damage, and preventing or reversing advanced glycation end productions, she said.

It makes sense that eating a healthier diet will give you a better chance of looking younger and healthier than a poor diet will, but nutricosmetics takes this to another level, with companies in pursuit of supplements, topical agents, and other products that may deliver more of the good stuff than you can get from food alone. Dr. Draelos has received consulting and research funds from 14 different companies.

Cosmetic dermatology started moving in this direction with topical and oral antioxidants. Carotenoids (vitamin A) are found in red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Think of tomatoes, which contain the antioxidant carotenoid lycopene, which inspired lycopene supplement products. Topical anti-wrinkle products may contain the synthetic carotenoids retinol, retinaldehyde or retinyl propionate. The polyphenols in green tea also are antioxidants.

Then, there’s resveratrol, a substance that modulates the activity of sirtuins, which are thought to be responsible for some of the mechanisms of aging on a mitochondrial level. French red wines are high in resveratrol, which also has been added to moisturizers to function as an antioxidant. Too much resveratrol can be bad for you, rodent studies suggest, and it’s expensive, Dr. Draelos said. Products are more likely to say that ingredients include the plant Japanese Knotweed, which contains some resveratrol.

Caloric restriction isn’t really a viable option for skin care, so the nutricosmetic industry is looking at “caloric restriction mimetics” such as anthocyanins, which are antioxidants. That’s why newer supplements will contain anthocyanins, which are found in high concentrations in wild raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Blueberry extract also may be a glycation inhibitor.

“Berries are going to be everywhere,” Dr. Draelos predicted. Interestingly, it’s the wild, stressed berries and the stressed grapes grown in colder areas like France that contain more of these ingredients than, say, wines from California’s milder climate or farmed berries.

Carnosine, the newest ingredient in skin care products, also seems to prevent glycation, possibly providing anti-aging benefits on the level of gene regulation.

Because these components are not drugs, the products don’t need to be tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, so there’s precious little science to back up anti-aging claims. Much of the marketing is based on theories of how the ingredients might help one’s skin.

An unpublished double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Dr. Draelos and her associates provides some support for oral lycopene supplements, a popular nutricosmetic product. They shined a standardized amount of simulated sunlight on the relatively pristine buttock skin of volunteers, took a punch biopsy, and counted the number of sunburned cells. Then subjects took lycopene supplements twice a day for 12 weeks before repeating the sunburn test on a different part of the buttocks. Fewer cells ended up sunburned after taking lycopene. A lower burned cell count means less oxidative damage.

Not all research is so nice. A study by other investigators of mice who were fed vitamins C and E plus extracts of green tea and blueberry tested the effects on tissue by pulling on the mice tails until the tendons snapped. To their credit, audience members at the seminar groaned when they heard this.

Someone asked Dr. Draelos what she consumes to combat aging. Because she’s vitamin D deficient, she takes vitamin D supplements, she said. She added that she likes to get her antioxidants in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, such as in flax seed oil and fish oil. Moderation is the key, she said. “Eat something of every color every day. Take a multivitamin. Don’t eat just blueberries, eat something of everything,” and take supplements if you’re deficient in something, she advised.

If you’re going to drink green tea, eat berries or tomatoes, or buy some French wine to combat wrinkles, or take supplements based on their ingredients, no one knows how much to eat or drink for this purpose, she added. Dr. Joseph F. Fowler, Jr., who spoke after Dr. Draelos, summed it up this way: “Actually, if you drink enough red wine, you won’t care.”

-- Sherry Boschert (@sherryboschert on Twitter)

Disclosure: SDEF and this news organization are both owned by Elsevier.

Here’s a somewhat new twist to the saying, “You are what you eat.” The latest trend in anti-wrinkle efforts is “nutricosmetics,” combining cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products. In other words, using both topical and oral agents to make skin look younger than it might otherwise.

That’s the prediction of Dr. Zoe D. Draelos, a consulting professor at Duke University, who spoke at the SDEF Women’s and Pediatric Dermatology Seminar. First the buzz was about antioxidants. Next you’ll be seeing the glycation inhibitor carnosine touted in foods and products, followed in a few years by other glycation inhibitors.

Sherry Boschert/Elsevier Global Medical News

Why? Because there are only three ways known to limit the effects of aging on skin: caloric restriction; preventing oxidative damage, and preventing or reversing advanced glycation end productions, she said.

It makes sense that eating a healthier diet will give you a better chance of looking younger and healthier than a poor diet will, but nutricosmetics takes this to another level, with companies in pursuit of supplements, topical agents, and other products that may deliver more of the good stuff than you can get from food alone. Dr. Draelos has received consulting and research funds from 14 different companies.

Cosmetic dermatology started moving in this direction with topical and oral antioxidants. Carotenoids (vitamin A) are found in red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Think of tomatoes, which contain the antioxidant carotenoid lycopene, which inspired lycopene supplement products. Topical anti-wrinkle products may contain the synthetic carotenoids retinol, retinaldehyde or retinyl propionate. The polyphenols in green tea also are antioxidants.

Then, there’s resveratrol, a substance that modulates the activity of sirtuins, which are thought to be responsible for some of the mechanisms of aging on a mitochondrial level. French red wines are high in resveratrol, which also has been added to moisturizers to function as an antioxidant. Too much resveratrol can be bad for you, rodent studies suggest, and it’s expensive, Dr. Draelos said. Products are more likely to say that ingredients include the plant Japanese Knotweed, which contains some resveratrol.

Caloric restriction isn’t really a viable option for skin care, so the nutricosmetic industry is looking at “caloric restriction mimetics” such as anthocyanins, which are antioxidants. That’s why newer supplements will contain anthocyanins, which are found in high concentrations in wild raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Blueberry extract also may be a glycation inhibitor.

“Berries are going to be everywhere,” Dr. Draelos predicted. Interestingly, it’s the wild, stressed berries and the stressed grapes grown in colder areas like France that contain more of these ingredients than, say, wines from California’s milder climate or farmed berries.

Carnosine, the newest ingredient in skin care products, also seems to prevent glycation, possibly providing anti-aging benefits on the level of gene regulation.

Because these components are not drugs, the products don’t need to be tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, so there’s precious little science to back up anti-aging claims. Much of the marketing is based on theories of how the ingredients might help one’s skin.

An unpublished double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Dr. Draelos and her associates provides some support for oral lycopene supplements, a popular nutricosmetic product. They shined a standardized amount of simulated sunlight on the relatively pristine buttock skin of volunteers, took a punch biopsy, and counted the number of sunburned cells. Then subjects took lycopene supplements twice a day for 12 weeks before repeating the sunburn test on a different part of the buttocks. Fewer cells ended up sunburned after taking lycopene. A lower burned cell count means less oxidative damage.

Not all research is so nice. A study by other investigators of mice who were fed vitamins C and E plus extracts of green tea and blueberry tested the effects on tissue by pulling on the mice tails until the tendons snapped. To their credit, audience members at the seminar groaned when they heard this.

Someone asked Dr. Draelos what she consumes to combat aging. Because she’s vitamin D deficient, she takes vitamin D supplements, she said. She added that she likes to get her antioxidants in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, such as in flax seed oil and fish oil. Moderation is the key, she said. “Eat something of every color every day. Take a multivitamin. Don’t eat just blueberries, eat something of everything,” and take supplements if you’re deficient in something, she advised.

If you’re going to drink green tea, eat berries or tomatoes, or buy some French wine to combat wrinkles, or take supplements based on their ingredients, no one knows how much to eat or drink for this purpose, she added. Dr. Joseph F. Fowler, Jr., who spoke after Dr. Draelos, summed it up this way: “Actually, if you drink enough red wine, you won’t care.”

-- Sherry Boschert (@sherryboschert on Twitter)

Disclosure: SDEF and this news organization are both owned by Elsevier.