How can we make skin more resistant to environmental stress?

What's the biological cause?

Our skin is the first line of defense against our environment: protecting us against UV rays, pollution, chemical irritants, extreme cold or heat, and too high or low humidity. More often than not, our skin does a terrific job. However, the constant exposure to stress from the environment can result in chronic, low grade inflammation – a sign that the skin is actively responding to these myriad assaults. Redness and sallow skin tone are signs of this chronic inflammation.

What's being used today and why the current solutions are imperfect.

The majority of non-prescription products that claim to relieve inflammation and the accompanying redness contain moisturizers with ingredients such as oat derivatives, aloe, vitamins A, B, C and E, Hyaluronic Acid, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Coenzyme Q10, as well as a broad range of herbal extracts.

These ingredients may demonstrate redness-reducing efficacy in laboratory experiments, however, having that translate to a noticeable benefit in a finished product on your skin remains a challenge. The reason is that a visible anti-redness result will be driven by 3 things: the amount of the active used in the product, the fundamental potency of that active ingredient, and the efficiency of the delivery system. Current solutions are imperfect because the active ingredients may not be potent, they may be used at low levels, or they may be too large to effectively penetrate the skin. Further some cosmetic products employ an alternate strategy that contains a green tint to mask, not solve, the skin redness.

How can we enable skin to stay wrinkle-free, tight and smooth?

What's the biological cause?

Wrinkles are a complex problem with several causes. One of the primary causes is chronic UV exposure which leads to a process called photo-aging -- quite literally, the aging of the skin after exposure to photons from the sun. Photo-aging results in wrinkling and loss of elasticity. It breaks down the “matrix” of the skin: the underlying proteins (mainly collagen) and the underlying fibers (mainly elastin) that give the skin its mechanical properties, in particular its elasticity. As the matrix degrades, the skin becomes less elastic and sags, eventually causing a wrinkle to form.

What's being used today and why current solutions are imperfect.

Products available on the market today that claim to treat wrinkles and improve elasticity include prescription drugs, anti-aging cosmetic formulas, and aesthetic dermatology procedures.

Dermatologic procedures are often effective in stimulating collagen and improving skin texture. Three of the most common treatments, micro-dermabrasion, chemical peels, and lasers, work by removing the topmost dead layers of the skin and stimulating the growth of new skin layers. When the skin regenerates, it creates a healthier matrix (though never as good as undamaged skin). Non-ablative lasers work by heating the dermis and stimulating collagen growth. There are also more direct, mechanical techniques used including Botox injections which prevent the muscles of the face to smile or frown, and direct injections of collagen or hyaluronic acid to fill in the deep grooves around wrinkles. Some of the downsides to these procedures are that they are costly, they do carry some medical risks, and for some they simply are not desirable treatments.

In terms of topically applied products, Retinoic acid is the only one with clinical data showing statistically significant improvements in fine wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation. Non-prescription cosmetic formulations primarily use broad-spectrum sunscreens to reduce exposure to chronic UV light and photo-aging. These are typically formulated in a moisturizing base that serves as the delivery vehicle for a combination of optical and tactile technologies that blur the appearance of wrinkles and impart a luxurious feel to skin. In addition to this composition, anti-aging ingredients such as antioxidants or peptides may be incorporated into formulations. Again, the efficacy achieved remains imperfect given their concentration, potency, and delivery method as well as the lack of tightly-controlled clinical data.

Many products also create a sensation of increased firmness with special optical properties and polymer blends. Some of the ingredients scatter light and provide a “soft focus” effect – in other words, they prevent light from directly bouncing off and accentuating a wrinkle. The polymers used in these products enhance the slip on the skin, creating a sense of softness to the touch. They don’t however address the root cause of wrinkle formation: loss of mechanical integrity due to matrix degradation.

How can we correct uneven skin tone and skin discoloration?

What's the biological cause?

Uneven skin tone, or hyper-pigmentation, is caused by sun damage, skin inflammation, and scarring. The skin’s natural color comes from two primary components: melanin and hemoglobin. Skin discoloration results from poor control over melanin production in the skin. The impairment of the melanin regulatory mechanism results in increased or decreased production of melanin in a particular location in the skin – hence resulting in blotching.

What's being used today and why current solutions are imperfect.

Current hyper-pigmentation treatments include a varied range of prescription and non-prescription products in addition to aesthetic procedures such as light and laser treatments.

Prescription medications for hyper-pigmentation incorporate drugs such as hydroquinone, retinoic acid, and corticosteroids. Despite the efficacy of these therapies observed by some individuals, undesirable side effects have also been reported. Specifically, hydroquinone use is associated with ochronosis, or the appearance of bluish-black skin. Corticosteroids may result in thinning of skin to a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression. All of these products need to be used very carefully.

In contrast to the hyper-pigmentation drugs, non-prescription products include ingredients such as Kojic acid, retinol, and niacinamide, which provide some skin lightening effects. For these cosmetic ingredients, concentration of the active in the formulation and the efficiency of the delivery system are crucial to achieving a good result.

In light of the existing therapies for hyper-pigmentation, a safe and effective solution remains a challenge because melanin synthesis and regulation follows such complex pathways. Melanin is synthesized in melanocytes, which are located in the basal layer of epidermis of skin. Melanocytes have special compartments which produce the melanin (called melanosomes). Once melanin is synthesized, it is distributed to neighbouring cells in the skin called keratinocytes. For each individual, the regulation of this pathway, both turning it on and off, depends on multiple factors and is very individualized. Hence, different skin types will benefit from different solutions to hyper-pigmentation, and one single solution may not be sufficiently safe and effective to solve this complex problem for all consumers.

How can we repair or prevent cellulite?

What's the biological cause?

Cellulite is one of the most common beauty frustrations of women. It results from the body’s natural response to hormone changes following puberty, and, importantly, it is not related to weight. The rippled skin appearance results from the unique physiology of the fat layer that resides just under the skin (subcutaneous fat). In this layer, fat cells are contained within a collagen network (or septae). When fat cells enlarge in response to hormonal changes, the rigid network maintains its structure and forces the fat lobes to bulge out from this matrix. The bulging fat cells combined with the rigid collagen network give skin the textured surface associated with cellulite.

What's being used today and why the current solutions are imperfect.

Some of the more common cellulite treatments available today involve treatments that mechanically or surgically smooth skin, as well as products that attempt to biochemically treat the problem.

Mechanical procedures target both the fat lobes and the rigid network of tissue. Some of the more common, Endermologie, Vela Smooth, and Syneron, manipulate the tissue structure by perturbing the fat and the septae through kneading and dissolving actions, providing a temporary benefit. While these invasive treatments address the mechanics underlying cellulite formation and may improve appearance temporarily, cellulite frequently finds a way to resurface.

Topically applied products attempt to work by breaking down the fat (lipolysis), draining fluid from the tissue network, or improving circulation. Ingredients which are used to target these benefits include methylxanthines (caffeine), Coenzyme A, Vitamin A derivatives, glaucine, algae, proteins, and essential oils. Many of these materials do show benefits in laboratory experiments, however, efficacy in a finished product which is noticeable on the skin remains a challenge. To be effective and noticeable, the active ingredient needs to be potent, in a high enough concentration in the final product, and effectively delivered into skin.

How can we create a safe, long lasting non-damaging hair color?

What's the biological cause?

Natural hair color derives from two types of melanin: brown-black (eumelanin) and red-yellow (pheomelanin). People choose to change their hair color for various reasons, but usually, over time, our cells may cease to produce melanin - resulting in less desirable colors. Of course, the other reason change up your hair color is that it’s FUN.

What's being used today and why current solutions are imperfect.

There are basically two options for coloring your hair: permanent and temporary. Permanent coloring works by forcing small colorless molecules into the hair fiber under chemically harsh conditions that then react to form a larger, colored molecule. Besides the harsh and damaging conditions needed to set the color, permanent color also involves reactive dye molecules which can change or fade over time after being exposed to external factors such as water, shampooing, UV light, and even sweat. Thus permanent coloring can be damaging and will fade.

Temporary coloring works by forcing small, colored molecules into the hair fiber but, since these molecules do not form larger ones (as in permanent coloring) they diffuse out of the hair easily resulting in rapidly faded locks. Although this process is less damaging than permanent coloring, the level of color change possible is limited: it often does not cover grey well nor can it significantly lighten the color.