Avon terá que pagar R$ 130 mil a cliente por manchas na pele

Vendedora de Pelotas (RS) usou um produto para retardar envelhecimento

DA REPORTAGEM LOCAL
O STJ (Superior Tribunal de Justiça) manteve a condenação que obriga a Avon a pagar R$ 130 mil de indenização a uma vendedora de Pelotas (RS) que ficou com manchas no rosto após usar o Renew All-In-One, um complexo facial usado para retardar o envelhecimento da pele. A Avon, que pode recorrer, não se pronunciou.A empresa havia ingressado no STJ para tentar derrubar a decisão do Tribunal de Justiça do Rio Grande do Sul, que, por questões processuais, também havia confirmado a sentença da 4ª Vara Cível de Pelotas.O Renew All-In-One, que reúne vários agentes no mesmo produto, é indicado ao público acima de 25 anos. Ele ainda está no mercado -é vendido por R$ 30 na internet.A empresa promete que, após duas semanas de uso, o produto reduz rugas e linhas de expressão, tornando a pele mais hidratada, firme e macia.Aidêe Nunes Almeida decidiu usar o produto, comprado de uma revendedora da Avon, no final de 2000. Pouco depois, após uma semana de uso, notou sinais de escamação e manchas anormais na pele do rosto.Segundo seu advogado, Carlos Francisco Sica Diniz, Aidêe, após procurar o serviço de atendimento da Avon, foi orientada a continuar o tratamento, pois as reações seriam normais e passariam logo.A vendedora usou o produto por mais uma semana. O problema, em vez de diminuir, foi se agravando. Ela, por conta própria, decidiu suspender a aplicação do cosmético.Perda de cor na peleAs manchas não desapareceram e, no início de 2001, Aidêe procurou tratamento médico em clínicas de Porto Alegre (RS). "As opiniões foram sempre no sentido de que a paciente [Aidêe] estava apresentando acentuada acromia [perda de cor] na pele facial", relatou o advogado.Além disso, ela fez tratamento psiquiátrico, pois entrou em depressão. "É uma pessoa muito simples, nem tinha dinheiro para pagar o tratamento. Pediu ajuda para a filha."Diniz disse ainda que, quando a sentença for cumprida, o valor da indenização deve alcançar cerca de R$ 450 mil.A vendedora foi atendida pelo dermatologista Augusto Cesar Bopp, que confirmou que as manchas surgiram depois que ela começou a usar o complexo.Ontem, em entrevista à Folha, Bopp disse ser muito difícil identificar o que motivou a reação. "Teríamos que testar todos os componentes", disse.Segundo Bopp, as reações após o uso de cosméticos são muito comuns. "Há muitos fatores: o tipo de pele, a forma de uso, os componentes. As reações variam muito de pessoa para pessoa. O que é bom para uma pode fazer mal para outra", afirmou.Outro ladoProcurada ontem pela Folha no início da tarde, a Avon informou que não falaria sobre o caso. A empresa só vai se pronunciar oficialmente hoje.
Fonte: www.folha.com.br data: 30/11/07

Estudo confirma eficácia do pantenol na hidratação da pele

Agência USP

Pesquisa da Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP) da USP revela que o pantenol (ácido pantotênico), substância largamente utilizada na indústria farmacêutica, possui propriedades hidratantes. O estudo do farmacêutico Flavio Bueno de Camargo Junior mostra que formulações cosméticas com 1% e 5% de pantenol reforça a hidratação da camada protetora natural da pele, que previne o envelhecimento e doenças como a escamação. Para avaliar os efeitos a curto prazo do pantenol, foram selecionadas 20 voluntárias com idade entre 20 e 35 anos, que testaram oito formulações diferentes (três géis, três géis-creme e duas emulsões), acrescidas ou não de 0,5%, 1% e 5% de D-Pantenol, versão industrializada do produto. A avaliação a longo prazo foi feita em 40 voluntárias que levaram para casa duas formulações de gel-creme das quatro estudadas, e aplicaram uma em cada antebraço, duas vezes ao dia, por um período de 30 dias. “A estabilidade física e hidratante do produto foi verificada por meio de medições do conteúdo aquoso do estrato córneo (camada mais superficial da pele), perda de água transepidérmica, função barreira da pele, viscoelasticidade e elasticidade biológica cutânea”, relata o pesquisador.“Após 15 e 30 dias de aplicação das formulações o estudo indicou que as formulações com 1% de pantenol se mostraram eficazes na hidratação, mantendo a proteção da função barreira da pele”. A concentração máxima de pantenol utilizada pela indústria farmacêutica é de 5%. As voluntárias que participaram do estudo tinham peles branca, morena clara e morena moderada, não fumavam e não apresentavam alterações hormonais, alergias ou dermatoses. Prevenção O ácido pantotênico é um constituinte natural da pele, que também pode ser sintetizado por bactérias intestinais, e é encontrado na carne, grãos integrais, gérmen de trigo, soro do leite, rins, fígado, coração, verduras, levedura de cerveja, frutas secas, frango e melaço. Por ser uma pró-vitamina, a B-5, o pantenol é largamente utilizado na indústria farmacêutica, mas existem poucos artigos científicos sobre seus benefícios, principalmente na pele.“O efeito hidratante, apesar de ser o mais simples na área cosmética, é o mais almejado, pois uma pele hidratada previne uma série de doenças, inclusive o envelhecimento” ressalta o pesquisador. “No caso de queimaduras, ele também pode ajudar na reconstituição da camada protetora”. O estudo mostrou a estabilidade física das formulações contendo pantenol, dado que não existia na literatura. “O uso de 1% de pantenol já atinge o objetivo de hidratar a pele, sendo indicado para formulações cosméticas ou dermatológicas com finalidades hidratantes, pós-sol e protetoras da saúde da pele”, ressalta Camargo. A pesquisa é descrita na dissertação de Mestrado Desenvolvimento de formulações cosméticas contendo pantenol e avaliação dos seus efeitos hidratantes na pele humana por técnicas biofísicas, defendida em novembro de 2006 e orientada pela professora Patrícia Maia Campos, da FCFRP. No último mês de setembro, os resultados do estudo foram apresentados na Internacional Federation Societies of Cosmetic Chemists Conference, em Amsterdam, (Holanda).

(Fonte: Rosemeire Soares Talamone, do Serviço de Comunicação Social da Prefeitura do Campus de Ribeirão Preto)

Mais informações: (0XX16) 3602.4307, com Flavio Bueno de Camargo Junior

Natural, Organic Beauty

By NATASHA SINGER
Published: November 1, 2007

FOR Flavia Kawaja, an interior designer in Manhattan, a trip to the beauty department at Whole Foods Market comes not with a shopping list but with a mental list of what synthetic ingredients to avoid.Ms. Kawaja won’t use antiperspirant made with aluminum derivatives, in case the urban legend that they could cause diseases like Alzheimer’s turns out to be true. She also steers clear of skin-care products with parabens, common antibacterial agents used as preservatives in some cosmetics, drugs and foods.
Although there have been no rigorous large-scale prospective clinical trials to show that parabens in cosmetics represent a risk to beauty consumers, a few studies have shown that exposure to parabens can cause reproductive changes in lab rodents.
By choosing cosmetics marketed as natural or organic, Ms. Kawaja errs on the side of caution. Even so, she admits that she’s unsure whether her careful choice of natural shampoos and sunscreens translates into health benefits.
“I don’t assume that organic automatically means good for you,” she said. “I mean, if you fry an organic potato, it’s still a French fry.”
Organic connoisseurs have long made a practice of reading food labels to weed out those grown with pesticides or that contain synthetic colors, flavors or preservatives. Now, in the wake of recent health scares over tainted pet food and toothpaste, some beauty mavens are seeking synthetic-free cosmetics in the belief that products made without industrial ingredients like petrochemicals ought to be healthier for you.
These newly minted label inspectors are fueling a boom in so-called natural and organic personal care products. Natural cosmetics market themselves as containing plant or mineral ingredients; organic products say they are made with agricultural ingredients grown without pesticides.
During the 12 months through Sept. 9, Americans spent $150 million on the top three mass-market natural personal care brands, including Burt’s Bees, Jason Natural Cosmetics and Tom’s of Maine, an increase of $51 million over the year before, according to Information Resources Inc., a market research firm. Meanwhile, sales of organic personal care items reached $350 million last year, an increase of $68 million over 2005, according to manufacturers’ data compiled by the Organic Trade Association, an industry group.
“We’re seeing an increased consciousness that what you put on your body is as important as what goes in your body,” said Jeremiah McElwee, the senior coordinator in charge of personal care at Whole Foods, which is the company’s fastest-growing department. “The biggest impetus for buying natural or organic body care is the perceived health benefit.”
It would seem logical to assume that common ingestible ingredients like olives or soy would naturally be healthier for the skin and body than hard-to-pronounce, multisyllabic industrial cosmetic ingredients like the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone. But representatives for the government and the beauty industry, as well as some environmental activists, acknowledge that there is no published scientific proof to support the notion that plant-based cosmetics are safer, healthier or more effective for people.
“Consumers should not necessarily assume that an ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ ingredient or product would possess greater inherent safety than another chemically identical version of the same ingredient,” Dr. Linda M. Katz, the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, wrote in an e-mail message to this reporter. “In fact, ‘natural’ ingredients may be harder to preserve against microbial contamination and growth than synthetic raw materials.”
The confusion over the “truthiness” of the natural personal care market also stems from the lack of national standards.
The F.D.A., which regulates cosmetics, has never imposed standard definitions for marketing terms like natural and organic as they apply to grooming products, Dr. Katz said via e-mail. So manufacturers are free to use such terms on everything from a synthetic-based shampoo with one plant derivative to a synthetic-free face powder formulated with only minerals.
The agency requires manufacturers to ensure that cosmetics are safe for their intended use. But the agency leaves it up to manufacturers to decide which safety and efficacy tests to perform on ingredients and finished products.
John Bailey, the executive vice president for science of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, a trade group in Washington, said cosmetics are safe, whether their formulas contain synthetics or plants.
“On the most fundamental level, they are held to the same legal and regulatory standards,” said Dr. Bailey, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry.
But Jane Houlihan, the vice president for research of the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit group in Washington, said the lack of established federal standards is responsible for consumer confusion over whether natural products provide tangible advantages or are simply a sop to green mind-sets.
“Even if a beauty product claims it is purely from the earth, you need to read the ingredient label,” Ms. Houlihan said.
Ms. Houlihan said increased consumer interest in natural products is driving a few manufacturers to include exotic plants in formulas that lack an established track record in the beauty industry. For example, she said, her group could not find published safety data on newer cosmetic ingredients like West Indian rosewood bark oil and white peony flower extract.
“Just because an ingredient comes from a plant does not necessarily make it safe to use in a cosmetic,” Ms. Houlihan said. “Tobacco, hemlock and poison ivy are all examples of plants that can be hazardous.”
Indeed, some dermatologists said that even natural ingredients that seem benign can cause skin allergies. For example, Dr. David A. Kiken, a chief dermatology resident at the school of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said he had seen skin irritation caused by tea tree oil, chamomile and green tea in cosmetics.
“Although the term natural botanical extracts inherently purports to have beneficial and benign properties, these extracts can cause adverse reactions in individuals,” Dr. Kiken wrote in a paper published in the American Journal of Contact Dermatitis.
In the absence of F.D.A. standards, dozens of beauty companies and stores are using words like botanical, herbal, natural, pure and organic to market brands, each using its own in-house definition.
For example, on www.sephora.com, the company distinguishes between botanical brands that use some plant ingredients; natural brands that eschew synthetic preservatives, colors and fragrances; and organic brands that employ some plant ingredients grown without pesticides.
Other brands style themselves as organic to signal ultimate wholesomeness. Even then, definitions vary widely. Some beauty companies simply employ organic in their brand names. Others promote certain ingredients that have been vetted by private companies that inspect organic foods.
A few brands — including Origins and Nature’s Gate — have even received certification for some products from the National Organic Program, the division of the Department of Agriculture whose logo appears on certified organic food products. Cosmetics are eligible to use such food seals if they contain at least 95 percent of certified organic ingredients that are agricultural products made from livestock or crops, grown and processed without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics.
But people should not interpret even the U.S.D.A. Organic seal — www.ams.usda.gov/nop/FactSheets/Backgrounder.html — on cosmetics as proof of health benefits or of efficacy, said Joan Shaffer, a department spokeswoman. Government-accredited certifiers simply vet the manner in which these food ingredients are grown and processed, just as they would for a jar of organic tomato sauce, she said.
“The National Organic Program is a marketing program, not a safety program,” Ms. Shaffer said, likening the department’s organic seal to its grading system for beef. “Steak may be graded prime, but that has no bearing on whether it is safe or nutritious to eat.”

Fonte: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/fashion/01skin.html?pagewanted=2&ref=health - 01/11/07

Anti-aging range promises surgery-like results

10/22/2007 - NutraLuxe MD releases its micro-encapsulated anti-aging range, which includes seven products that promise surgery-like results without pain or the use of harsh preservatives.The US-based company's newest range has been made available to consumers via the company's website, with plans to release the range in Europe mid-November.The NutraLuxe MD Plus range consists of seven products, including a muscle freezing face lift product, a skin firming product and a wrinkle repair serum. In addition all the products in the new range, designed in collaboration with cosmetic surgeon Dr Andrew Hawrych, are paraben and pthalate free.CosmeticsDesign.com spoke to Peter VonBerg of NutraLuxe MD who explained that as all of the active ingredients are micro-encapsulated, and the products are oil- rather than water-based, there is no need for chemical preservatives.In addition the micro-encapsulation of ingredients ensures that they remain active over time.The company's skin firming product utilises the micro-encapsulation technique in order to include vitamin C in the form of pure L-ascorbic acid into its products."L-ascorbic acid is not stable, if added to a cream it will disintegrate within 10 hours. We are the first US company, to our knowledge, to use pure and active L-ascorbic acid in their products," VonBerg told CosmeticsDesign.com.The face lift product from the same range, to be topically applied, contains two key ingredients, myoxinal and agiriline, both classed as neuropeptides. The chemicals block the signal from the neuron to the muscle, thereby stopping it from contracting - the same effect that is achieved through botox injections.VonBerg explained that the chemicals have both an immediate and a cumulative effect."The skin has a memory. As the muscle contracts less frequently the skin will flatten out and the wrinkles will get significantly smaller", he explained.After one to two months of daily topical application the consumer will begin to see the cumulative effects on the wrinkles, claimed VonBerg.The neuropeptides are a relatively new addition to the cosmetics market and NutraLuxe is the second company in the US to use them in its cosmetics products, according to VonBerg. Their popularity is likely to increase as the trend for surgery-inspired cosmetic products advances.The trade show Beyond Beauty, held in Paris this October, provided a launching pad for many new products of this kind. A significant number of these products come from relatively new companies, suggesting this development may play an important role in the cosmetics market of the future.The popularity of such products illustrates the nature of the modern consumer who is increasingly demanding of cosmetics products with high levels of efficacy.Simple anti-ageing and moisturising claims are not sufficient. Now it seems that cosmetics claiming to mimic the effects of surgery without the pain appear to be the way forward.NutraLuxe is looking to tap into this growing market worldwide. The company is currently applying for European registration for the range, through its sister company in Munich and plans to have the range available to consumers through its website in mid-November. NutraLuxe MD ultimately plans to release the range in high end pharmacies across Europe.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/ - Segunda, 22 de outubro de 2007.

Why Should Kids Have All the Acne?

By NATASHA SINGERPublished: October 18, 2007AT meetings of 12-step recovery programs, people offer gripping testimonials about their struggles, and rarely fail to mention how long they’ve been clean. In commercials for Proactiv Solution, the popular acne treatment, celebrities and average joes on the three-step skin-care program tell their tales of woe and often gush about how long their skin has been clear.The Proactiv sob sell has galvanized even people who rarely have blemishes to become, well, proactive about their skin.
Rebecca Powell, a graduate student in microbiology at New York University, ordered Proactiv three years ago after seeing an infomercial, although she only occasionally gets a pimple.
Ms. Powell said the products dried out her skin, and she stopped using them. But earlier this month, Ms. Powell, 24, purchased a Proactiv sulfur face mask designed to reduce inflamed pimples. “You see the infomercials and you become more aware of body image stuff and it makes you care more, so you buy it,” she said.
Founded in 1995 by two dermatologists, Proactiv has become a phenomenon by transforming the way consumers think about pimples. The brand captured public attention by hiring stars for its infomercials like Vanessa Williams, Jessica Simpson and Sean Combs to lay bare their valiant struggles to attain flawless skin, effectively turning acne into a celebrity malady. But the company’s real innovation was repositioning mild breakouts from a routine annoyance that a dab of Clearasil might fix to a preventable condition, like cavities, requiring vigilant daily upkeep.
“Ten years ago, we covered it up, but their message is ‘you don’t have to have bad skin,’” said Karen Young, the chief executive of the Young Group, a consulting firm to beauty companies. “They have shifted the consumer psyche.”
Proactiv has become a blockbuster by motivating consumers to trade up from a $4.99 drugstore product like Clearasil, made with the antibacterial agent benzoyl peroxide, to a 60-day, three-part regimen, also made with benzoyl peroxide, that costs $39.95 for ongoing subscribers.
The brand now has more than five million active customers and annual worldwide sales of about $850 million, 70 percent of which are in the United States. By contrast, sales of acne products in American drugstores were about $155 million for the year that ended July 15, according to Information Resources Inc., a market research firm.
“Right now, we own acne,” said Greg Renker, a chief executive of Guthy-Renker, the direct-response television company that sells Proactiv. The company spends about $125 million a year buying time for its infomercials on channels like VH1 and MTV as well as Web sites like Facebook, he said. “We are the fastest-growing acne brand in the world.”
The Proactiv story may be just as much about the promotion of acne as a serious disease as it is about the marketing of products to fight it.
“You can get the same amount of benzoyl peroxide at a drug store at a fraction of the cost and it will work as well, provided that you use it,” said Dr. Hilary E. Baldwin, the vice chairwoman of the dermatology department at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Patients with serious acne who tried Proactiv, in her experience, were unhappy with the results and sought prescription treatments, she said.
People typically get acne after hormones cause oil to build up in the hair follicles, trapping bacteria and triggering superficial pimples as well as deep, painful lumps. The most severe forms of acne can be disfiguring and emotionally devastating and are often treated with prescription drugs. But until recently, adults with less serious facial blemishes did not necessarily view themselves as having acne, which they considered a teenage problem.
The founders of Proactiv, Dr. Katie P. Rodan and Dr. Kathy A. Fields, dermatologists in the Bay Area of California, developed the brand for this adult market, especially for women who get flare-ups every month before their periods. And in the process they rebranded the word “acne,” making it acceptable to grown-ups.
“Women did not identify with acne; they were using euphemisms like ‘stress bumps’ or ‘monthly breakouts’ to describe their problems because they thought acne was an ugly four-letter word or they thought acne was just for teenagers,” Dr. Rodan said. She and Dr. Fields receive royalties on Proactiv sales. “What the infomercial did was give us half an hour to explain that those breakouts you are suffering on a monthly basis are really acne and it is not a curable problem, but it is treatable and manageable,” Dr. Rodan said.
There are no definitive statistics on the prevalence of acne. Nearly 17 million Americans have acne, according to the Web site of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, www.niams.gov, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Dermatology, which received several million dollars last year from pharmaceutical companies, said 40 million to 50 million Americans have acne; a spokeswoman said that figure is based on a paper, published in the academy’s medical journal, that applied estimates of acne incidence to census data.
But pimples are such a lucrative business that the skin industry is starting to promote acne as if it were a menace on par with heart disease.
Earlier this month, the American Acne and Rosacea Society held a news conference in Manhattan at which one dermatologist described acne as being “at nearly epidemic levels” and another doctor said the group’s purpose was “to defend acne’s status as a legitimate disease”; last year, the society received $285,000 from companies that make acne drugs. Meanwhile, the International Dermal Institute, which trains aestheticians and has just introduced its own acne product line, put out a news release titled “Adult Acne — A Growing Epidemic.”
“We don’t know whether acne is a real epidemic or whether more patients are being driven into dermatologists’ offices thanks to infomercials,” said Dr. Baldwin, who is the president of the American Acne and Rosacea Society; she said she is a paid speaker for nine companies that make acne drugs.
Spotless skin has always had aesthetic value. The zoologist Desmond Morris wrote in his book “Naked Woman” that a smooth, unblemished cheek suggests that a woman is youthful and healthy. Harvard psychologist Nancy Etcoff goes further in her book, “Survival of the Prettiest,” in which she argues that the stigma of pimples has its roots in evolutionary biology. Because acne can be caused by increased androgen levels, potential mates may unconsciously view a woman with blotchy skin as less fertile than someone with clear skin, she wrote.
The basic Proactiv kit includes an antibacterial cleanser with 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide, a toner with witch hazel to reduce oil, and a treatment lotion with 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide.
“When you work on prevention, you don’t have to worry anymore that you will wake up and your day will be ruined because you look in the mirror and you have a 50-pound honker on your nose,” Dr. Rodan said.
The doctors took their product formulas to Guthy-Renker, which had already found success marketing self-help guru Tony Robbins. The company developed half-hour Proactiv infomercials using ordinary people to recount their transformations from reticent loners with spotty skin into pimple-free social butterflies. The brand keeps customers coming back with an automatic replenishment system that sends products to people, and charges their credit cards every 60 days.
“Proactiv is automatically replenished, it comes to your own door and it works,” said Karen Grant, the senior beauty analyst at NPD Beauty, a market research firm. “What more could you want?”
Indeed, some people with moderate acne who follow the regimen said that it has worked.
“There used to be some new pimple flaring up on my face every day,” said Tammy Lewis, 28, a nurse in Queens, who has been using Proactiv daily for four years. “Now I only get a few minor red spots and it is manageable.”
But Proactiv may not be for everyone.
“One piddling little zit is not going to hurt you, it is not contagious and you might not need to do anything to treat it,” said Dr. Jodi E. Ganz, a dermatologist in Atlanta. “At the same time, you do worry about people with severe acne who might waste a year and hundreds of dollars trying something that is not going to work for them.”
She credited Proactiv’s popularity to a larger phenomenon: society’s increasingly intense pursuit of physical perfection.
“I don’t think people should be obsessed with one pimple,” Dr. Ganz said. “But now that everything from lasers to plastic surgery is so available, we as a society are becoming less tolerant. Any little imperfection, whether it is a blemish or an age spot, has turned into a big deal.”
Fonte: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/fashion/18skin.html?pagewanted=2&ref=health - 18/10/07

Going Skin Deep

By Ishani GanguliSpecial to The Washington PostTuesday, September 18, 2007; Page HE01
Today's fountain of youth is filled with a strange brew of fairy-tale herbs and chemicals: Chaga mushrooms, osmolytes, coffeeberry extract, polyhydroxy acids, silver tip white tea, rhodiola.
Americans shelled out $44.6 billion for anti-aging products and services in 2004 alone, according to a report by Business Communications. A 2004 online survey of 1, 343 Americans 25 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that 72 percent of women and 13 percent of men had used or were then using an over-the-counter anti-aging product. Nineteen percent of women and 6 percent of men reported using prescription face creams, masks or gels.
Now, Boots No. 7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum -- the British "anti-aging sensation" that made a hyped transatlantic journey to the States this summer -- has become the latest emblem of our age-old desire not to age.
But what do these supposedly time-defying potions actually do for the tens of millions of Americans of all ages who seek immortal skin on drugstore shelves? The answer is often unclear.
Scientists dispute the definition of aging as well as its mechanisms, so claims that a product can stop or reverse the process are misleading at best, said Thomas Perls, a geriatrician at the Boston University School of Medicine and director of the New England Centenarian Study.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not approve anti-aging creams -- with the exception of a few that count as drugs rather than cosmetics -- and marketers have no requirement to prove that they work. The Federal Trade Commission looks into unsubstantiated claims, but it takes on lawsuits only after dissatisfied customers file complaints.
Anti-aging creams are "not being held to any standard, so we don't know if they work," said Rebecca Kazin, assistant professor of dermatology and medical director of the Johns Hopkins Cosmetic Center at Green Spring Station. She encourages consumers to buy and apply the creams with a healthy dollop of skepticism.
The best bet is to talk to your primary care physician or dermatologist about what skin care is best for your skin type, said Washington dermatologist Sandra Read.
And of course, Perls said, lifestyle choices such as avoiding cigarettes and sun, as well as following a healthful diet, are proven strategies for better skin.
Nonetheless, Americans show no sign of slowing their search for a panacea among the tubes and bottles on drugstore shelves. Here's a closer look at some of the products, their ingredients and the research behind them.
Sunscreens
The approach: Blocking the harmful ultraviolet rays (both UVA and UVB) that cause photoaging, which compounds the skin's natural sagging and deterioration and leads to the most visible signs we associate with aging.The ingredients: Inorganic chemicals (zinc oxide or titanium oxide) and organic compounds (octyl methoxycinnamate or oxybenzone).
What they do: Ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide reflect harmful rays, while octyl methoxycinnamate and oxybenzone work by absorbing the rays and dissipating them as heat.
Where to find them: Creams that have SPF labels, including Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream with SPF 15.
Do they work?: Sunscreen "is the number one anti-aging product," Kazin said. "I tell people, and they kind of laugh, but it's true. If you use it regularly, you'll definitely look better over time." Read calls it "the cornerstone of all of my treatment for patients."
Retinoids
The approach: Using a multi-step molecular block of photoaging effects.
The ingredients: Retinol, tretinoinWhat they do: These vitamin A derivatives block the degradation of the skin's structural proteins and interrupt the chemical pathways of UV skin damage.
Where to find them: In three prescription creams -- Renova, Retin-A and Avage -- and in over-the-counter retinol creams such as Estee Lauder Diminish Anti-Wrinkle Retinol Treatment.
Do they work?: Retinoids "increase cell turnover, reverse signs of photoaging and allow you to smooth out fine lines and lighten brown spots," Kazin said. Retin-A was developed in the 1970s to treat severe acne. Read said she prescribes retinoids regularly for mild to severe signs of photoaging, though not for women considering pregnancy because retinol can cause severe birth defects. Extensive clinical data and FDA approval support this approach.
Antioxidants
The approach: Replenishing the body's stores of skin-protective antioxidants, which diminish with age.
Examples: Vitamins A, C and E, coenzyme Q10, polyphenols.
What they do: Kazin said antioxidants "slow down the aging process," which occurs when ultraviolet rays from the sun generate free radicals -- reactive forms of oxygen that damage DNA and proteins in skin cells -- trigger inflammation and wreak havoc on the support structures underlying the skin. Antioxidants "basically mop up the free radicals and let the skin heal itself," Read said.Where to find them: SkinCeuticals products (containing vitamins C and E), Boots No. 7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum (with pro-retinol, a form of vitamin A), Revaleskin products (polyphenols) and the ABRA therapeutic line (polyphenols).
Do they work?:"It is an improvement, a clear improvement," Read said of antioxidants as a whole. Studies show that vitamins C and E are effective in combination, though vitamin C may do little on its own. In studies, polyphenols derived from green tea, fruits and vegetables reduce UV-induced DNA damage and inflammation.
Hydroxy Acids

The approach: Sloughing off dead cells while increasing skin's thickness.
The ingredients: Alpha hydroxy acids (lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, glycolic acid) and polyhydroxy acids (gluconolacton, lactobionic acid).
What they do: The acids work to increase the skin's thickness and the density of the collagen fibers that are responsible for the skin's strength and elasticity. They also have apparent antioxidant properties.
Where to find them: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Eye Cream (alpha hydroxy acids), Exuviance products (polyhydroxy acids).
Do they work?: Studies show that these fruit acids decrease wrinkling, roughness and discoloration. "They really do produce significant reversal," Read said, though alpha hydroxy acids can cause mild to severe skin irritation.
Fonte: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402101_4.html - 18/09/07

Active ingredients produced by plant cell cultures in lab

The advantages of deriving active ingredients for cosmetics products from plant cell cultures were discussed at this year's congress, 'Plants for Human Health in the Post Genomic Era', held in Helsinki.The conference, organised by the Phytochemical Society of Europe, saw nearly 200 scientists present their research on emerging technologies, and the possibilities of using plants as production hosts for proteins and small molecules valuable for human health.Dr Cornelia Schürch from Mibelle AG Cosmetics, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of cosmetics products, discussed the possibilities for the large-scale production of plant cells for cosmetic applications."Plant cell culture is not yet common in the cosmetic field, but it may help to overcome essential problems in the manufacturing of cosmetic products" said Schürch.She went on to explain the approach taken by Mibelle AG Cosmetics in collaboration with the University of Wädenswil, a project that they have expanded from laboratory to production scale.Schürch described the use of a high pressure homogenisation technique that decomposes the plant cells and releases the beneficial constituents, which are encapsulated at the same time in liquid nanoparticles.Plant cell culture describes the growth of plant cells under laboratory conditions in isolation, outside of the intact plant, with the advantage that the products produced are of a high quality and a guaranteed standard.A further advantage of plant cell cultures over plant raw material is that the manufacturer is not restricted by seasonal harvesting; a factor becoming increasingly significant as companies look towards finding naturally sourced actives.Furthermore, only a very small amount of original plant cell material is necessary to grow the cells in culture, therefore concerns for the over harvesting of endangered species are addressed.This second point is particularly pertinent as an increasing number of companies are turning towards exotic sources for their active ingredients, such as plants from the Amazon or Africa, leading to concerns over the environmental sustainability of such practices.In addition, cells cultured in the laboratory can be manipulated to produce more of the desired compound by putting the cells under stress, subjecting them to UV radiation, or various toxic substances.Furthermore, manufacturers can select the most productive cell lines and ultimately modify the cell's genetic characteristics, in order to up production.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/ - Segunda-feira, 17 de setembro de 2007.

O filtro solar impede o envelhecimento da pele?

O aspecto envelhecido da pele pode ser causado por fatores intrínsecos (genéticos, familiares) e extrínsecos (exposição ao sol, poluição, fumo etc). Dos fatores extrínsecos, o sol é o principal deles e o causador do fotoenvelhecimento.
Por isso, a partir dos 25 anos de idade, o filtro solar deve ser usado com o hidratante de uso diário. As pessoas que trabalham expostas ao sol ou que praticam esportes diariamente ao ar livre desenvolvem antes e de maneira mais acentuada o fotoenvelhecimento, pois a radiação ultravioleta emitida pelo sol é cumulativa. Além da possibilidade de envelhecer precocemente, existe uma chance maior de ocorrer o aparecimento de câncer de pele, por isso, é imprescindível o uso correto dos filtros solares. Quando uma pessoa, qualquer que seja a idade, vai à praia ou piscina, deve fazê-lo antes das 10h e depois das 15h.
Também é importante aplicar o filtro solar meia hora antes de se expor ao sol e repassá-lo a cada duas horas, mesmo nos dias nublados. Em resumo: se você tem 25 anos ou mais, use hidratantes com protetores solares (com fator nunca menor do que 15) em áreas expostas diariamente, pois assim você estará fazendo uma prevenção adequada do envelhecimento cutâneo.
Luiza Kassab Vicencio, dermatologista
Fonte: http://www.bonde.com.br/folha/folhad.php?id=13478LINKCHMdt=20070913 - 12/09/07

Cognis taps into demand for exotic natural ingredients

With the sourcing of natural ingredients becoming more and more of a problem as demand rockets, Germany-based supplier Cognis has extended its naturals portfolio with the launch of an Amazonian clay-based exfoliating ingredient.
The heightened demand for natural ingredients has also led to a search for increasingly unusual or exotic ingredients. Marajo Scrub LS 9843 taps into these factors, as it is based on natural clay sourced from Marajo island, in the Amazon region of Northern Brazil.
The ingredient has been developed and manufactured by the company's France-based Laboratories Serobiologiques division as a micro-exfoliator that is said to soften the skin, restoring its balance and radiance due to its rich mineral content.
The clay is a source of mineral salts such as iron, aluminium, potassium, calcium, boron and sulphur - constituents of good skin health - as well as kaolin, a clay mineral that is commonly used in cosmetics.
Likewise, as a raw material, the raw clay also confims to the Ecocert standard for ecological and organic cosmetics, allowing it to comply with increasingly strict certification processes, driven by consumer desire for the most natural products possible.
The manufacturer says the ingredient is suitable for a range of products, including scrubs aimed at the body and face, as well as purifying treatments for problem skin, scalp exfoliating products for dandruff and as an exfoliator in both bar and liquid soap formulations.
"Marajo scrub is an example of how we are helping manufacturers to meet the growing demand for natural-source cosmetic raw materials, allowing Ecocert Certification for ecological and organic cosmetics, without sacrificing efficacy," said Isabelle Benoit, global marketing manager for Laboratories Serobiologiquies.
"The ingredient should appeal to consumers' desire for escape, is environmentally sound, reliable in application, and delivers superior performance."
As a kaolin-based clay, the ingredient needs no preservative, has a whitish-gray appearance, is easily dispersible in water, has a mild but distinguishing odour and is recommended as a 3 - 5 per cent dosage for most formulation needs.
The company says that its own studies have proven the ingredient's efficacy, with a formulation containing a 3 per cent dose showing an immediate improvement in skin radiance for 70 per cent of subjects that were tested.
Likewise, the studies showed that an hour later the subjects' skin was smoother, less dull and more uniform, with pore size visibly reduced.
The latest launch by Cognis taps into a fast-growing sector that is driving some of the fastest rates of product development in the personal care industry as a whole.
Organic Monitor, a research company, estimates that the European market for natural and organic products is currently growing at 20 per cent a year, and is set to surpass a value of €1bn.
Fonte: http://cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/- Terça-feira, 11 de setembro de 2007.

Antioxidante à base de planta combate rugas

Jerusalém. Um novo método para combater rugas na pele tem como base um antioxidante encontrado em plantas. A novidade foi desenvolvida por cientistas da Faculdade de Agricultura, Alimentos e Meio Ambiente da Universidade Hebraica de Jerusalém, em Israel. Em pesquisa de doutorado na universidade, Orit Bossi isolou um antioxidante baseado numa planta que atrasa o processo de envelhecimento reagindo contra a quebra de fibras de colágeno na pele. Orit conduziu sua pesquisa com a supervisão de Zecharia Madar, da universidade, e de Shlomo Grossman, da Universidade Bar-Ilan, também em Israel. Antioxidantes atuam contra radicais livres que danificam muitos tecidos no corpo, inclusive a pele. Quando encontrados em pequenas quantidades, os radicais livres não são prejudiciais, participando inclusive de vários processos orgânicos. Entretanto, quando em excesso, como ocorre durante o envelhecimento ou como resultado de exposição excessiva à radiação ultravioleta do sol, provocam a destruição do colágeno e das fibras elásticas na pele. Quando isso acontece, há uma perda acentuada de elasticidade e novas rugas são formadas. - Um problema de muitos antioxidantes comerciais encontrados hoje no mercado que dizem retardar o processo de envelhecimento é que eles oxidam rapidamente e, portanto, sua eficiência declina com o tempo - disse Orit. - A vitamina C, por exemplo, oxida muito rápido e é sensível a altas temperaturas. Isto também acontece com o antioxidante EGCG encontrado no chá verde e na vitamina E. Mas, ao contrário destes exemplos, o antioxidante usado na nova pesquisa é capaz de suportar altas temperaturas, é solúvel em água e não oxida facilmente, continuando eficiente com o tempo. Orit prevê uma nova geração de produtos cosméticos que não apenas combaterão o envelhecimento, como também serão mais eficientes contra os níveis mais profundos de rugas na pele do que os produtos atuais. O especialista não revelou qual a planta que usou para retirar o antioxidante, já que o estudo está em processo de ser patenteado. Na pesquisa, Orit conduziu experiências com tecido de pele de ratos, que se parecem com o dos humanos. A médica aplicou o antioxidante em dois grupos de células da pele - as que foram expostas a raios de sol e receberam o seu antioxidante e as que foram expostas e não receberam o produto. As células não tratadas mostraram um aumento nos radicais livres que causam rugas, enquanto as células tratadas não tiveram um aumento significativo nesses marcadores.

FONTE: http://jbonline.terra.com.br/ - 31.08.07

New vending machine hot chocolate makes beauty claims

A new hot chocolate sold in vending machine is a novel addition to the growing market for drinkable and eatable beauty products.The Denmark-based firms, Eurogran and Chr Hansen, joined forces to make the beauty concoction called Le Royal ChocoDark, which is high in antioxidants, the molecules associated with skin health and anti-ageing. Ingredients specialists Chr. Hansen achieved this by adding palm oil carotenoids to the brew, which is already high in antioxidants thanks to the high cocoa content of the dark chocolate.The hot chocolate drink will be sold from vending machines across Europe, after the launch of the product at the EU Vend exhibition in Cologne, Germany, on September, 20.The product will find its way into hotels, offices and restaurants as well as health shops and gyms so as to ensure that it reaches its target audience."We see great possibilities for Le Royal ChocoDark to be included in vending machines - not only in offices, but also at places like fitness centres and life-style-stores," said Thomas Stilling from vending supplier Eurogran.Food and beverages with cosmetic effects represent an emerging market that is developing fast in America, Europe and Asia, said Eleni Grammenou from Euromonitor.Reflecting this is two unusual product launches over the last few weeks. A nutritional scientist has developed an anti-wrinkle pizza in Italy and a range of beauty teas have been launched in America.Le Royal ChocoDark aims to tap into the large potential market of women who buy both chocolate and beauty products."We are sure that this chocolate drink will appeal to a wide range of consumers all over, and especially for those interested in beauty. Worldwide, female consumers are the main consumers of cocoa products, and combining cocoa with natural carotene creates a good synergy effect," said Sami Sassi from Chr Hansen. The growth in the market for cosmetic food and drink products has a knock on effect on the market for carotenoids. A 2003 Frost and Sullivan report suggested that the ingredient was being underused due to the lack of public awareness of its health benefits. A recent report from Global Industry Analysts suggested that the tide is turning and estimates that the total world market for carotenoids will reach €0.78bn by 2010.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com - Sexta-feira, 24 de agosto de 2007.

New class of bio-lipids for use in cosmetics formulations

An Illinois based biotechnology firm is launching a class of natural bio-lipids off the back of its soy based sunscreen discoveries; promising to deliver the benefits of active ingredients that have previously been unsuitable for use in cosmetic formulations.Scientists from the company iSoy Technologies, have developed a molecule with sunscreen properties, known as FSG33 - the result of joining a compound found in the soy plant with ferulic acid.The ferulic soy glyceride (FSG) is produced through a unique enzyme reaction, which according to the company produces no toxic by-products, unlike the usual synthetic chemical reaction. A variation of FSG made its commercial debut earlier this year in an anti wrinkle formulation marketed by a cosmetics company in New York, and iSoy now propose to use the same technology to create many other bio-lipid molecules, as well as continuing to market the possible applications of FSG. The bio-lipid molecules, when applied to the surface of the skin, act as a reservoir for essential nutrients from which depleted skin can replenish itself as it needs, explained company president Raymond Willis. "The core idea of our technology is to allow natural actives that have no lipid form, or a very poor lipid form, to be converted into useable lipids that are skin friendly with an ability to stay in the skin for long periods of time" Willis told CosmeticsDesign.com.The original innovation, FSG33, exhibits strong antioxidant properties and neutralizes harmful UVA rays, explaining the interest in the compound as an anti-aging ingredient. Furthermore, the FSG molecules appear to improve the solubility, stability and delivery of other skincare actives such as vitamins, thereby helping to transport the nutrients into the skin. In addition to the anti-wrinkle formulation, iSoy is currently testing a natural FSG soap bar that, according to Willis, has seen outstanding results, with many users reporting the products ability to improve the quality of extremely dry and rough skin. The company expect to market this particular attribute of FSG in formulations where the consumer might encounter particularly harsh environmental conditions. In addition to FSG, the company is exploring the potential of other bio-lipids, aiming to create at least 25 new molecules based on the same technology, and are currently searching for industry partners.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com - Sexta-feira, 24 de agosto de 2007.

Research points to unknown properties of skin care lotions

Recent research suggests that the properties of a lotion change radically on application to the skin; changes that were previously unknown to scientists, and opening up the industry's research and development to criticism.The study, presented at this year's 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, suggests that the nature of skin care lotions radically alter after just 10 minutes contact with the skin, affecting the product's absorption properties.The research, presented by Dr Stig E. Frinberg, regards the nature of the oil, water and surfactant mix that form the basis of most cosmetic lotions; specifically focusing how the structure changes when its moves from the bottle onto the skin. Friberg's research reveals that after application onto the skin a lotion begins to evaporate, causing its internal structure to change. The lotion moves from a liquid phase into a more orderly state such as a liquid crystalline or solid amorphous state, and it is this new state that will determine the effects on the skin.Importantly, Friberg states that these changes may affect the absorption of molecules into the skin, therefore radically altering the activity and efficacy of the product in general."The appearance of liquid crystalline structures in the emulsion acts as if you have a much higher concentration of the active substance on the skin" Friberg explained.The research suggests that further study of the new structures the lotion forms on application could be extremely beneficial to the cosmetics industry, as companies are currently working with a template that is, according to the researcher, flawed.It is hoped that further investigation may help manufacturers to better tailor the active ingredients to the emulsion; one example could be salicylic acid, an active ingredient often used in formulations used to treat acne and psoriasis.Traditionally scientists have assumed that the structure of an emulsion remains intact as a lotion evaporates. And Friberg blames this ignorance on the industry's tendency to 'jump on the bandwagon' rather than to push the boundaries of original research.He references the plethora of research into the effects the form of the lotion - for example emulsions, microemulsions and vesicle solutions - has on the skin, and claims that his research shows that such efforts are in vain as the lotion is radically changed within 10 minutes after application.The scientist told the meeting that the cosmetics and skin-care product industry is sometimes beset by a 'me-too' mindset, where research and development focus on matching the competition rather than applying sound science to improve products.In terms of his own discoveries, Friberg does not expect the industry to respond straight away to his claims, stating that any view which deviates from the tradition takes a long time to penetrate the commercial world.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com - Quarta-feira, 22 de agosto de 2007.

Anti-aging tea competes for shelf space

By Guy Montague

Beauty tea is the latest addition to a range of food and beverage products to hit the market that are specifically formulated to enhance physical appearance.Boston-based Sipping Beauty is launching six teas this month that, among other things, claim to fight the effects of aging, help the complexion and ensure fresh breath.The company says that the ingredients used are clinically proven to carry significant beauty benefits. Its Forever Young tea contains pure cocoa, which the company claims helps to preserve the skin's youthful appearance.Sipping beauty was created and is distributed by Maswel Brands. The company has not announced where its teas will be sold but it is likely that they will follow other products like Borba drinks onto the cosmetics aisles rather than drinks aisles.The news comes as a new line of Borba drinks from Anheuser-Busch is launched that is said to contain antioxidants, vitamins and botanicals to improve the skin's appearance.On the quirky side, Eugenio Luigo Iorio, a nutrionist from the University of Naples, has created an 'anti-wrinkle' pizza, La Stampa newspaper reported.Food and beverages with cosmetic effects represent an emerging market that is developing fast in America, Europe and Asia, said Eleni Grammenor from Euromonitor.Grammenor said foods and drinks that claim to enhance the appearance of skin, nails and hair are hitting the shelves and have proved particularly popular with Japanese consumers.Although the market for such products is growing, signs are that the total size of the market remains small. Their close compatriots, dietary supplements with beauty claims, represent only one per cent of the $8.46bn total US market for dietary supplements, according to Euromonitor.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com - Terça-feira, 21 de agosto de 2007.

Anti-aging compound claims to reset the clock

A California-based skin care company has recently announced the release of the Age Intervention Regeneration Booster, promising to allow cells to 'reset their aging clocks'.Jan Marini''s Age Intervention Regeneration Booster is a six week anti-aging program consisting of six 'one a week' ¼ oz. bottles, with a suggested retail price of $225.The product is part of the Jan Marini's Age Intervention line that already includes a face cream and serum, an eyelash enhancer and a hair conditioner - all designed to fight against the aging process.The California based skin care company is well known for its medically-based skin care therapies using patented formulas and ingredients. This latest product is based on the topical application of telomerase enzyme, incorporating the enzyme with anti-inflammatory agents, specially chosen peptides and other skin enhancing ingredients.The company claim that an independent clinical study has demonstrated significant and lasting improvements in the appearance of lines and wrinkles, elasticity, firmness and general texture of the skin.Telomerase is an enzyme involved in DNA replication, which, under certain circumstances, stops the telomeres from shortening. Shortening telomeres are thought to be involved in the aging process, explaining the interest that the compound has received as a possible anti-aging ingredient.A telomere is the region of highly repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes that act as a buffer during chromosome replication. Such a buffer is necessary as the replication process cannot reach the ends of the chromosome - if the telomere buffer was not present then vital DNA information would be lost.With each replication the telomeres get slightly shorter except when the telomerase enzyme is activated. However, in adult humans the enzyme is generally not active hence the shortening of the telomeres.The hope is that the topical application of telomerase may help stem the shortening of telomeres and therefore help skin to remain youthful, although little conclusive scientific evidence is available on the effects of lengthening telomeres via telomerase activation on aging in humans.The age Intervention Regeneration Booster is not the only product on the market promising to harness the power of telomerase as an anti-aging compound. For example Revive's Peau Magnifique claims to reset your skin's aging clock by a minimum of five years and costs a mere $1500 for the four week treatment.

Fonte: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com - Terça-feira, 21 de agosto de 2007.

CABELOS E PELE

Como escolher o melhor produto para a minha pele?
Trocas de shampoo ou de condicionador podem prejudicar os meus cabelos?

Nos últimos 20 anos, o ramo da beleza vem galgando um promissor caminho rumo à profissionalização. Os tradicionais ‘‘institutos de beleza’’ se transformaram em sólidas empresas geradoras de empregos. A este crescimento podemos contemplar a capacitação dos profissionais. A indústria, por sua vez, vem apontando índices de investimentos de qualidade, chegando a ganhar respeito no mercado internacional. Já o consumidor contempla um mercado de trabalho onde a imagem pessoal recebe igual atenção à sua qualificação profissional. Somos surpreendidos a cada dia com novos produtos e tratamentos, entretanto poucas pessoas se sentem satisfeitas com o resultado. Qual a principal causa desta frustração? Como profissional da área há quase 15 anos, tenho acompanhado todo esse processo e vivenciado diariamente esta questão: ‘‘Por que o produto que eu comprei, testei em mim por dias, não correspondeu às minhas expectativas?’’. Os princípios ativos oferecidos com toda certeza não são os responsáveis, mas sim a potencialização, ou seja, como a pele foi avaliada e preparada para aproveitar o ativo oferecido é a principal causa desta frustração. Os produtos para cabelos também sofrem com esta queixa: ‘‘Qual o melhor shampoo, condicionador ou creme de pentear?’’ Salientamos que o couro cabeludo e o cabelo obedecem ao ciclo sazonal, fisiológico e idiossincrático (ou seja, de cada pessoa). E como qualquer cosmético, é necessário haver uma ‘‘preparação’’, onde o profissional (hair dresser ou esteticista capilar) de sua confiança promoverá a avaliação e a conduta adequada ao fim proposto, para então haver o cuidado diário. O uso aleatório com toda certeza levará à frustração e perda do aproveitamento que o cosmético em questão poderia oferecer. Salientamos que a avaliação adequada necessita de alguns procedimentos. É aplicada uma anamnese (histórico pessoal), avaliado o couro cabeludo antes e após higienização, dentre outros. O vendedor, por mais qualificado que seja, não disporá de recursos para tal precisão. Margareth Watanabe, nutricionista, esteticista e maquiadora

Fonte: http://www.bonde.com.br/folha/folhad.php?id=21214LINKCHMdt=20070817 - 17/08/07

Q: Who Is the Real Face of Plastic Surgery?

By NATASHA SINGER
Published: August 16, 2007

IT was the pale green and pink striped bikini that did it.
When Sandra Cornier, a mother of two from Brooklyn, looked at a recent photo of herself taken at Manhattan Beach, N.Y., she didn’t like what she saw. She had been nursing her son for 11 months, and now she could barely fill out the bathing suit top.
She made a decision: She would have breast implant surgery, and right away, because she wanted to be cozy in her favorite bikini by the end of the summer. She did not have the cash available, but she was willing to borrow.
“I just wanted to proportion myself out and look like I did before I had children, simple as that,” said Ms. Cornier, 33, who is married and works for a government agency. She took a loan for $10,800. “I did not want to wait two or three years to save up for surgery.”
Cosmetic medicine used to be the province of the rich and celebrated who would pay cash or write a check up front for their tummy tucks and eyelid lifts. (Such procedures are not typically covered by health insurance.) But in the last five years, with the advent of reality shows like “Extreme Makeover” and the popularization of nonsurgical treatments like lasers and wrinkle injections, people with blue- or pink-collar incomes and Beverly Hills ideals are embracing vanity medicine.
Doctors around the country are noting a democratization of cosmetic medicine, a redefinition of it as a coveted yet attainable luxury purchase, on par with products like Louis Vuitton handbags or flat-screen televisions.
The medical industry has responded by marketing plastic surgery as if it were an appliance or other big-ticket consumer product: a commodity to be financed with credit cards and loans.
About a third of people considering plastic surgery reported average household incomes below $30,000, according to a survey conducted in 2004 for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The poll of 644 people found that 13 percent of those seeking information on plastic surgery procedures reported an annual household income of more than $90,000.
Dr. Paul A. Blair, a facial surgeon in Hurricane, W.Va., said his patients have included high-school teachers, truck drivers and school-bus drivers. Dr. L. Mike Nayak, a facial surgeon in St. Louis, said that his patients include blue-collar or lower-salary professionals — “teachers, retirees, psychologists, regular middle-class working folks.”
“I have a couple of jail wardens,” Dr. Nayak said.
Laurie L. Essig, who teaches sociology at Middlebury College in Vermont, said there is little mystery why this is so: Middle-class Americans are buying into the idea of better living through surgery. Makeover shows, magazines and advertising campaigns have convinced people that flatter stomachs, inflated bosoms, smoother brows and whiter teeth will so improve their careers or their romantic lives that it is even worth going into debt, she said.
“In a bosom-obsessed society where you think you can earn $20,000 more with bigger breasts, is it insane to consider taking out a loan to have surgery?” said Dr. Essig, who is writing a book on the economics behind plastic surgery. “The demographic is teachers, law enforcement officers and stay-at-home moms.”
One of the most vivid illustrations of this economic reality is the rise of finance companies offering middle-income patients easy access to credit to pay for their surgeries.
Patients throughout the country find brochures in their doctor’s office with slogans like “Get the Cosmetic Procedure You Want — Today!” from established financing companies like Capital One and CareCredit, a unit of GE Money. In Star magazine, among ads for weight-loss pills and slimming gels, an Internet-based financer called DoctorsSayYes.net advertises: “Absolutely no one will be turned down. Now you can finance your cosmetic procedure for as little as $99 down and $99 per month.”
Mike Testa, the president of CareCredit, said that Americans spent about $14 billion last year on cosmetic medical procedures, from liposuction to laser skin treatments. Of that, $1 billion is financed by companies like his, he said.
“It is certainly getting more patients to say yes today rather than delaying treatment,” Mr. Testa said. “If you had to pay cash for a car, how many cars would you buy in your lifetime?”
The car analogy came up frequently in interviews with more than 30 doctors and patients.
“One of my patients said: ‘I financed my car. Why shouldn’t I finance my face?’ ” said Dr. Lisa Cassileth, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, Calif. “Plastic surgery has become just like any other high-ticket item you put on credit and pay for later.”
Cosmetic patients said financing — including home equity loans — allows them to proceed as soon as they are ready.
Ms. Cornier, the Brooklyn mother, was matched by the manager of the office of her Park Avenue plastic surgeon, Dr. David P. Rapaport, with Capital One health care finance for her $10,800 loan. She received approval in minutes for the breast implant surgery, she said.“Financing gives the average person like me the opportunity to do this without having to wait,” Ms. Cornier said.
For many patients, the plastic surgery loan is just another bill — a way to build up frequent-flier miles if they put it on a credit card, or another check to write once a month. Michelle Lee, 28, a saleswoman at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Pleasanton, Calif., used a finance company to pay for $6,000 in liposuction after her regular workouts failed to perfect her arms, stomach and inner thighs, she said.
“Those were problem areas for me and I needed results now,” she said. “It is all about instant gratification for me.”
She was charged a $600 processing fee for the loan, but she made sure to pay off her balance before the 25 percent interest kicked in, she said.
Other patients face years of payments; there are no published statistics about bankruptcy or even default associated with plastic surgery loans.
Lani Guzman, 21, who works part-time jobs as an administrator at a law firm and at a carpet company in South Pasadena, Calif., had surgery in May to smooth a bump on her nose that had been bothering her for years, she said. She put $5,000 on a credit card and took out a three-year loan with a financing firm for the other $5,000.
“They charged dumb fees like $650 to put the loan together, which is kind of a rip-off,” said Ms. Guzman, who also serves in the Army Reserve. She said she pays $178.01 monthly to the finance company and does not know how long it will take her to pay off the debt on her credit card.
Dr. Robert Kotler, the facial surgeon in Beverly Hills who operated on Ms. Guzman, said that orthodontists invented the idea of paying in installments for elective medical procedures. Now a crooked nose is becoming the new overbite, he said. And, just as pay-as-you-go orthodontics turned the Hollywood smile into a rite of passage for the children of middle-class families, financing is widening the audience for plastic surgery from Mercedes S-Class drivers to subway riders.
“What does it cost to amortize a nose over the useful life of it?” Dr. Kotler said. “It costs 30 cents a day, cheaper than a can of soda, and unlike a car, you get the benefit of a nose for the rest of your life.”
But some doctors worry that some patients are spending on vanity care, even as they forgo health insurance because of its expense — a decision that is particularly risky should something go wrong or need to be corrected after the elective procedures.
“I have some 23-year-old women who are getting breast implants who think they are young and healthy and don’t need health insurance,” Dr. Rapaport said. “But they are used to paying for clothing and makeup, so there is no cognitive dissonance for them in paying for procedures to maintain their bodies.”
Doctors also worry that easy access to credit could induce people to sign up for (and perhaps regret) procedures they otherwise might not be able to afford. Every month, said Dr. Darrick E. Antell, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan, as they make their loan payment, they might question whether their surgery decision was worth it.
“In cases where funds are tight for the patients, they might be better off buying a new dress instead of a new chin,” Dr. Antell said.
As for Ms. Cornier, she was still happy two weeks after she had the breast implant operation, even though it is likely that, with interest, her procedure could ultimately cost $16,440, about a 50 percent increase. She said the gratification of having a new silhouette more than compensated.
“I did not want to look like Pamela Anderson,” Ms. Cornier said. “I just wanted my bathing suit to fill out right.”

Fonte:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/fashion/16skin.html?pagewanted=1&ref=health - 16/08/07

Alisantes para cabelo: orientações de segurança

A Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa) lança material informativo sobre o uso correto de alisantes e alerta para os perigos do formol, nesta sexta-feira (3), em congresso internacional de estética, em São Paulo (SP).
Os folderes (pdf) e adesivos (pdf) destinados a salões de beleza e clínicas de estética estarão disponíveis ao público durante o 15. Congresso Científico Internacional de Estética.
A gerente-geral de cosméticos da Anvisa, Josineire Sallum, participa, nesta sexta-feira (3), da abertura do congresso. Até o próximo domingo (5), profissionais de saúde e de estética estarão reunidos no Centro de Exposição do Anhembi para aprimorar conhecimentos e trocar experiências na área. Material informativo sobre alisantesData: 3 de agosto de 2007 – abertura do congressoHora: 9h30Local: Palácio de Convenções do Anhembi em São Paulo (SP).

Mais informações: Assessoria de Imprensa da Anvisa
Telefones: (61) 3448-1299 / 9674-8388

Informação: Assessoria de Imprensa da Anvisa

Health Panel: Ease Limits on Acne Drug

By ANDREW BRIDGES
The Associated PressWednesday
August 1, 2007; 2:53 PM

WASHINGTON -- Health advisers are urging slightly more flexibility in rules designed to prevent pregnancies among women taking an acne drug that has caused birth defects _ even though women taking the drug still are getting pregnant.
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration decided Wednesday that minor changes would ease access to Accutane and its generic competitors without further increasing those troubling pregnancies.
There were 122 pregnancies in the program's first year and another 37 in the four months since, administrators of the privately run program told the panel.
The program lost track of 35 of the women who became pregnant. Most of the rest of the pregnancies, 54, ended in abortion, and an additional 17 women miscarried. The one child known to have been born so far escaped birth defects, and officials are watching to see what happens with 15 continuing pregnancies.
Moreover, Accutane's manufacturer learned of another 19 pregnancies in women who took the drug despite never enrolling in iPledge _ a program that was supposed to cover every user of the drug, every doctor who prescribed it and every pharmacy that sold it. Women taking the drug pledged not to become pregnant.
"Why does that not represent a major failure of the iPledge system?" asked panelist Sean Hennessy, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
It's unknown how most of the women obtained the drug, said Dr. Daniel Reshef, of Accutane manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. Two got it from outside the country, two directly from pharmacies, one took the drug by accident _ she thought it was ibuprofen _ and another took her mother's prescription.
The FDA convened the panel of experts to conduct an initial review of the program meant to prevent women from becoming pregnant while taking the drug. Exposure to isotretinoin _ as the drug is formally known _ in the womb can cause severe brain and heart defects, mental retardation and other abnormalities.
In the only vote Wednesday, the 18 panelists agreed unanimously to recommend making the program more flexible, something long sought by dermatologists.
For example, they said women who don't fill a prescription within seven days of a pregnancy test should be allowed to get another test and then fill the prescription. Currently, those who don't act within seven days are frozen out of the program for 23 days.
In a second change, they said women should have to fill the prescription within seven days of seeing their doctor, rather than within seven days of the pregnancy test.
All patients _ men and women _ who want the drug must enroll in the program, along with wholesalers, doctors and pharmacies. Women must meet additional requirements, including using two forms of birth control (or pledging abstinence) and passing pregnancy tests before each monthly refill.
Most of the reported pregnancies appear due to women's failure to back up their birth control, or to failure of birth control itself, said Reshef.
The FDA wants more information about those pregnancies to improve the $100 million program, the most rigorous risk-management program the agency has approved for any drug.
But just 10 percent of the 122 women who conceived while taking the drug provided the detailed, follow-up information needed to do so, Cynthia Kornegay, of the FDA's drug risk evaluation office, told panelists.
Several advisers called the questionnaires punitive in tone. For example, a question about a woman's educational background followed others about their experiences with contraception failure, said adviser Dr. Judith Kramer.
"If that's not implying you're stupid because you're pregnant, I don't know what it's doing," said Kramer, an associate professor at Duke University Medical Center. Panelists recommended encouraging women upfront to engage in the detailed follow-up should they become pregnant.
Even further changes to the program may do little to prevent pregnancies: Agency officials acknowledged their efforts may be thwarted by a limited ability to change human behavior.
"The agency is very cognizant of the fact that getting to a zero goal is not possible to attain," said Dr. Susan Walker, director of the FDA's dermatology drugs office.
More than 305,000 patients registered to use the drug, including 137,415 women of childbearing age. The registry allowed 91,894 of them to receive at least one prescription.

Fonte: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101423_2.html - 01/08/07

Tempo de cuidar da beleza

Ana Luiza Guimarães

O inverno é a época do ano mais recomendada pelos médicos para quem faz tratamento estético. Até o mês de julho, houve um aumento de 60% na procura por esses tratamentos, segundo a Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica.
Apaixonada por praia, Ana Beatriz Buonochristiano não queria perder o verão se recuperando do peeling cirúrgico. “Recomendaram que eu fizesse num período de temperatura mais baixa, porque a recuperação é melhor. Quando chegar o final do ano eu vou estar recuperada para poder caminhar, fazer minha programação de verão em condições melhores”, fala a empresária.
Isabela está fazendo um peeling de cristal que ajuda a tirar manchas e melhora a textura da pele. “Nessa época é melhor, porque faz esfoliação e não tem intensidade solar do verão”, explica a médica dermatologista Heloísa Hofmeister.
Seja por que a radiação solar é menor, as temperaturas mais amenas ou até por uma conveniência do período de férias escolares, quando muitos pais aproveitam para tirar férias também e por isso têm mais tempo. O fato é que o inverno é a melhor época do ano não só para os tratamentos mais simples, feitos no próprio consultório, mas também para os mais complexos como cirurgias plásticas e lipoaspiração. “O clima é mais favorável, a temperatura mais amena, incidência da radiação solar é menor,. É mais vantajoso, mais confortável e mais adequado sob ponto de vista técnico“, afirma o cirurgião plástico Everardo Abramo.
Foi no inverno de 2006 que Aparecida Teixeira fez uma plástica de abdome e implante de prótese de silicone nos seios. “Foi maravilhoso, você vai pra praia, veste uma roupa legal, a auto-estima vai lá pra cima mesmo”, conta.
Durante o inverno, os médicos também recomendam cuidados caseiros que podem dar um bom resultado:- O uso do protetor solar deve ser mantido. A radiação solar do inverno também queima a pele e pode causar manchas e escurecimento de cicatrizes;- O banho não deve ser quente demais. Antes de se enxugar é bom passar óleo mineral pelo corpo e, mesmo assim, usar um hidratante depois;
Seja em casa ou na clínica, o inverno é uma boa época para elevar a auto-estima. Há também que tomar outro grande cuidado no inverno. Com o frio temos mais fome e é mais fácil de engordar.


Fonte: Jornal Hoje - 01/08/07

Dermatologistas alertam sobre os possíveis efeitos colaterais

DA REPORTAGEM LOCAL

Preocupados com possíveis efeitos colaterais de cosméticos ou remédios à base de nanotecnologia, Europa e Estados Unidos começam a investir em pesquisas que apontem os riscos da novidade. No Brasil, a Anvisa (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária), responsável pela liberação de medicamentos e cosméticos, ainda não realiza testes específicos com os novos produtos.Questionado pela Folha, o órgão afirmou não ter estatística sobre quantos deles foram aprovados e estão à venda no país. A assessoria de imprensa informou que não há legislação nem testes específicos para nanotecnologia, mas que todo cosmético ou remédio passa por testes de eficácia e segurança antes de ser liberado.Os dermatologistas alertam que é preciso cautela com o uso desses produtos. "Se não houver receptor específico, as pequenas partículas podem ir para a corrente sangüínea e serem prejudiciais ao organismo", diz Denise Steiner, coordenadora do Departamento de Cosmiatria da Sociedade Brasileira de Dermatologia.Maurício Pupo, consultor na formulação do Corrige Lines, da Ada Tina, e também coordenador de pós-graduação em cosmetologia da Unicastelo (SP), da Unigranrio (RJ) e da Metrocamp (Campinas, interior de SP), reconhece que é preciso começar a considerar a possibilidade dessas partículas entrarem no organismo. "Se essa partícula não for de uma substância já tolerada pelo organismo, como vitaminas, ferro, zinco, não sabemos o que pode acontecer."Israel Feferman, diretor de pesquisa e desenvolvimento do Boticário, afirma que não há o que temer com substâncias toleradas pelo organismo. "Temos protocolos de testes que mostram que não há riscos. As partículas não chegam à corrente sangüínea e, em uma hipótese impossível disso acontecer com nossos produtos, usamos componentes naturais, e não farmacêuticos, que são aceitos pelos organismos."Jean Luc Gesztezi, cientista da Natura, explica que o tamanho da partícula utilizado pela empresa (150 nanômetros) é seguro. "Ele é grande o suficiente para não causar efeitos indesejáveis ou adversos", afirma. "Além disso, realizamos todas as avaliações que determinam o uso seguro desses produtos, desde estudos das matérias primas até estudos clínicos." (DT)

Fonte: www.folha.com.br -15/07/07

Nanotecnologia ganha adeptas no Brasil

Tendência mundial chega ao país e consumidoras descobrem cosméticos com partículas que penetram mais na peleCremes têm partículas de substâncias já encontradas nos produtos reduzidas a um bilionésimo do metro, explicam os pesquisadores

DANIELA TÓFOLIDA
REPORTAGEM LOCAL

Micropartículas de vitaminas e de substâncias como colágeno entram na pele e prometem fazer milagres. O fim das rugas, o clareamento das manchas, a redução da celulite. Quase tudo parece possível no mundo dos cosméticos com nanotecnologia. Nova mania mundial, esses produtos começam a ganhar adeptas no Brasil."Não abro mão do meu creme contra celulite que usa nanotecnologia", conta a professora Andréa Müller, 31, uma das defensoras dos produtos. "Sou vaidosa e os resultados estão sendo excelentes. Minha pele melhorou tanto que não fico mais sem", confessa.Nanotecnologia em cosméticos nada mais é do que o uso de partículas de substâncias já comumente encontradas nos produtos, como a vitamina C, reduzidas a um bilionésimo do metro. Bem menores, elas conseguem penetrar mais fundo na pele e, dessa forma, agir de forma mais eficaz, explicam os pesquisadores.O problema dessa tecnologia é que não se sabe ainda o que pode acontecer se as micropartículas ultrapassarem as camadas mais profundas da derme e caírem na corrente sangüínea (leia texto abaixo).A dermatologista Carolina Ferolla, proprietária de uma clínica que leva seu nome na Vila Nova Conceição, zona sul de São Paulo, confirma que a procura por produtos com nanotecnologia tem aumentado a cada mês. "Como alguns deles precisam de receita médica, tem paciente que marca consulta só para pedir o creme. Está virando uma mania."Não é preciso, porém, procurar um dermatologista para ter acesso a cosméticos com nanotecnologia. O Boticário, por exemplo, lançou neste ano o Nanopeeling Renovador (R$ 119), kit de esfoliação com nanoemulsão que promete funcionar como um poderoso antiidade. No ano passado, a empresa lançou o Nanoserum anti-sinais (R$ 89), também para combater o envelhecimento.O Boticário mantém um laboratório com 30 pesquisadores, que estão em busca de aplicações cosméticas da nanotecnologia. O mesmo está fazendo a Natura. Há três anos, a empresa investe em pesquisas sobre o assunto. Em março, lançou as Brumas de Leite Hidratante (R$ 29,80), que hidratam por 24 horas, tendo rápida absorção graças à nanotecnologia. Na quarta-feira, a Natura colocou à venda o Spray Corporal Refrescante (R$ 29,80), para o público masculino.Já a Galena Farmacêutica oferece substâncias feitas à base de nanotecnologia que prometem resultados nas primeiras aplicações. O X-Solve, lançado em maio, é um deles. O ativo tem como objetivo melhorar celulite e estrias em 30 minutos após aplicação. Em 2006, a empresa havia lançado um produto para tratar manchas na pele e outro que diz reduzir 2,5 cm no diâmetro abdominal em seis semanas. As substâncias estão à venda em farmácias de manipulação, mas precisam de receita.Outro produto à base de nanotecnologia encontrado em farmácias de manipulação é o Corrige Lines, do laboratório Ada Tina, que promete tratamento instantâneo das rugas. O creme custa R$ 125 e acaba de ser lançado.

Fonte: www.folha.com.br - 15/07/07

Black for Me, Light for My Hips

By ANNA JANE GROSSMAN
Published: July 12, 2007

THE line between caffeine and, well, everything else you can buy is a little blurry. At Starbucks, you can pick up CDs and a book about child soldiers with your espresso. At Kiehl’s in New York, the scent of espresso beans wafts from the cafe through the aisles of soaps and hair tonics.
Now drugstore shelves, which once had few things caffeine-related, save perhaps the odd mug cozy or cappuccino-scented candle, are offering an array of skin care products containing the beloved stimulant.
The 20th century was a confusing time for caffeine. The Food and Drug Administration vacillated on whether it was good or bad for you. Sanka was created, but so was the frappuccino. The new millennium, however, is shaping up to be a good one for it.
Over the last few years, studies have suggested that caffeine is capable of staving off baldness and lowering the risks of Parkinson’s disease, among other wonders. And now, because of a boom in caffeinated topical agents, caffeine’s possible benefits are accessible even to the 10 percent of the population that abstains from drinking it.
More than 140 cosmetic skin care products containing caffeine were released in the United States last year alone, compared with 21 in 2003, according to the Mintel Global New Products Database, a company that tracks trends in skin care products.
As any coffee drinker can attest, caffeine has two indubitable qualities: It is a stimulant and a diuretic. And these are the two main properties that companies are trying to transfer into topical lotions and potions.
The majority of products containing caffeine are skin-firming tonics that attempt to use its dehydrating qualities to decrease liquid in fat cells. While there are numerous facial firming products containing caffeine, such as eye creams by Kiehl’s and Anthony Logistics for Men, most of the caffeinated lotions claim to be cellulite busters, including Bliss’s Fat Girl Slim and Avon’s Super Shape Anti-Cellulite and Stretchmark Cream.
“There’s a direct correlation between the increase in the amount of products that contain caffeine and the huge trend toward skin-firming products that work on cellulite, since so many of those products contain it,” said Rachael McFarland, Mintel’s cosmetic research analyst for the United States.
Many of these products entered the market after a 1999 study published in the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery concluded that caffeine-based liposome-encapsulated cream temporarily reduced the thickness of fat, particularly in the hips and triceps.
“The caffeine gets into the fat cell and this makes the fat cell get a little more energized,” said Dr. Lawrence Moy, a dermatologist in Manhattan Beach, Calif., who was one of the study’s authors and sells his own line of firming creams containing caffeine. “When fat cells get more energized, it affects the sodium-potassium balance in the cell. The sodium runs out of the cell and water leaves with it. Potassium runs into the cell and all this helps the cell to become a bit dehydrated and to shrink.”
The layman’s translation? It might make your legs look a bit less like cottage cheese, if only for a few hours.
Of course, all this assumes that the caffeine can penetrate the skin once its applied. According to a 2004 study conducted at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research center in the Netherlands, caffeine can indeed penetrate, at the rate of about 2 micrograms per centimeter squared per hour. That means it would take an hour for an amount the size of 1/15th of a grain of salt to penetrate a fingernail-size patch of skin.
Some companies would like you to believe that once it gets under the skin, it can make you feel like you just took a shot of espresso. V-tonic Bath Spheres by Fresh contains a cola-nut extract that the company promises will energize the skin, and Kiss My Face’s Wake Up toothpaste has guaranine, a form of caffeine found in guarana seeds. But Mia DiFrancesco-Licata, a Kiss My Face spokeswoman, said: “It’s such a small amount. It really just works subliminally.”
But the idea that a simple daily ablution could help speed the waking-up process is appealing, especially in an on-the-go culture that guzzles products like Red Bull and supports a Dunkin’ Donuts or a Starbucks on just about every corner.
“People are looking for more ways to jump-start the day now more than ever before,” said Ms. McFarland of Mintel. “It’s innovative and smart for companies to capitalize on that by creating more products that you’d use every day anyway, like soap, that just happen to also contain caffeine.”
Costic, a New Jersey-based wholesale company, sells a peppermint-scented soap that it says contains 2,400 milligrams of caffeine. (An average cup of coffee contains 200 milligrams.) The soap is available on various Web sites under different names; its biggest retailer is ThinkGeek.com, which sells it as “Shower Shock.”
But Jeff Costic, the company’s founder, said in an interview that he did not have any scientific research to back up ThinkGeek’s claim that the soap can provide the “ultimate clean buzz.”
“It was just an idea I came up with when I was trying to give consumers something they’re addicted to,” Mr. Costic said.
A similar soap containing close to 4,000 milligrams of caffeine is available at Xoxide.com.
But even if caffeine does enter the bloodstream via soap, the jury is out on whether enough of it can penetrate to make a difference in alertness.
“There is no way that enough caffeine could be absorbed through the skin during the amount of time that the average person showers,” said Dr. David Bank, director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, N.Y.
The bloggers behind TheBeautyBrains.com, a cosmetics-debunking Web site written by a group of cosmetic chemists who remain anonymous to keep from jeopardizing their day jobs, used the TNO Nutrition and Food Research study to estimate that it would take an hour of full-body scrubbing — without rinsing — for a body to absorb the amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee.
Caffeine is an antioxidant that can combat cell damage caused by free radicals, which is one reason it is an ingredient in some sunscreens, Dr. Bank said.
It can be found in products like Rodan & Fields Essentials Protect S.P.F. 30 and Origins Have a Nice Day Super-Charged Moisture Cream and Lotion S.P.F. 15; these companies say it’s there because of its anti-oxidant, anti-irritant and anti-redness benefits.Dr. Allan Conney, a professor of chemical biology, leukemia and cancer research at Rutgers University, said users of any caffeine-rich cosmetic could also unwittingly be benefiting from a possible side effect that one study hinted at: they might be killing off existing skin cancer cells.
In 2002, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science published a study led by Dr. Conney that used caffeine to kill off skin cancer sells on radiated mice. The results were promising, especially if you’re a mouse living in a coffee urn.
“Although caffeine has a sunscreen effect, it also has a biological effect of causing apoptosis — programmed cell death — in UVB-damaged skin cells and in tumors but not in normal skin or in areas adjacent to tumors in tumor-bearing mice,” Dr. Conney said in an e-mail message. “To the best of my knowledge, caffeine and caffeine sodium benzoate are the first examples of substances that have both a sunscreen effect and enhance cell death in a DNA-damaged tissue.”
There is no proof that this effect can translate to human skin. Nevertheless, Dr. Conney and Dr. Bank are among the doctors open to the idea that one day a once lumpy thigh may also be one that is free of skin cancer.
Even if it is someday proven that the benefits do translate to humans, it might be just as effective to spend a couple of dollars at the cafe inside Kiehl’s rather than loading up on the expensive lotions nearby.
“You’d get the same effect from just drinking it,” Dr. Conney said.

Fonte: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/fashion/12skin.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=fitnessandnutrition - 12/07/07

Do Sunscreens Have You Covered?

By NATASHA SINGER
Published: July 5, 2007

AS the noon sun began to cook bathers in Long Beach, N.Y., last Sunday, members of the Sofferman family lounged on towels, each wearing a sun lotion chosen with the care usually given to picking out a new bathing suit.
Denise Sofferman and Ilene Sofferman, sisters who both work in the apparel industry in Manhattan, had put on tanning oil, their bodies already golden brown. Denise’s daughter, Lauren Levy, 21, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, had protected her pale skin with a heavy-duty S.P.F. 50 product formulated for children. Ilene’s 9-year-old daughter, Alison, had received a head-to-toe coating of S.P.F. 30.
Two hours later, the daughters were sunburned, their backs as pink as watermelon.
“It says waterproof, but Lauren didn’t even go swimming,” said Denise Sofferman, reapplying sunscreen to her daughter.
Ilene Sofferman, smearing another coat of lotion on Alison’s pink face, read from the back of the sunscreen bottle. “They have all these different marketing terms —S.P.F., UVA, UVB, waterproof, sweat-resistant — but you have to figure out what they mean by trial and error,” she said.
After decades of warnings about the dangers of sun exposure, an increasing number of Americans are making sunscreen part of their skin-care routines. Americans bought 60 million units of sunscreen last year, a 13 percent increase compared with 2005, according to Information Resources Inc., which tracks cosmetics sales.
But the increased demand has spurred an explosion of lotions, sprays, pads and gels with such diverse marketing claims — All-day Protection! Ultra Sweatproof! Total Block! Continuous Protection! Ultra Sport! Instant Protection! Extra UVA Protection! — that the Soffermans are not alone in their confusion over how to choose the most effective sunscreen.
In the nearly 30 years since the Food and Drug Administration issued its first regulations for sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug intended to reduce sunburn risk, the science surrounding skin and cancer has expanded dramatically.
Critics have clamored for the F.D.A to update the rules, saying that the standards have not kept pace. At the same time, they complain, the agency has allowed manufacturers to make vague and improbable-sounding marketing claims, leaving consumers confused and, worse, misled about what to use and how to use it to protect themselves.
The pressure on the agency has been mounting in recent weeks. Last month, reports by Consumer Reports and by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit group in Washington, found that a variety of popular sunscreens lacked sufficient broad protection against the sun’s harmful rays. And in May, Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s attorney general, sent a scathing petition to the F.D.A. saying that unclear sunscreen labels and inflated marketing put people at risk.
“Most sunscreens are deceptively and misleadingly labeled, most perniciously to give consumers a false sense of security,” Mr. Blumenthal said last week. “In my view, the F.D.A.’s failure to act is unconscionable and unjustifiable in any public sense.”
John Bailey, the executive vice president for science at the Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, an industry trade group, said that the directions on sunscreens adequately convey coverage. “These are very beneficial products which should be used to protect against the adverse effects of sunlight,” said Dr. Bailey, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry.
Nonetheless, the F.D.A. seems poised to address the labeling issue. Although it has been planning since 1999 to confirm new rules, Rita Chappelle, a spokeswoman for the F.D.A., said the agency expected to issue new sunscreen standards in the coming weeks. But until they are released, Ms. Chappelle said the agency would not answer questions about forthcoming regulations.
One fact about sunscreens is indisputable: They can impede sunburn and lower the incidence of at least one form of skin cancer in humans.
Dr. Allan C. Halpern, chief of dermatology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, said that the regular use of sunscreen can inhibit squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer that kills 2,000 to 2,500 Americans a year.
In a study of about 1,600 residents of Nambour, Australia, volunteers who were given sunscreen to use every day for four and a half years had 40 percent fewer squamous cell cancers than a control group who maintained their normal skin-care routines. Even 10 years after the study concluded, the volunteers assigned to use sunscreen during the trial period had fewer cancers.
“It shows that using sun protection for almost five years gives you an intense, longer-term benefit against squamous cell carcinoma,” said Dr. Adèle C. Green, deputy director of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, which ran the study.
Dr. Halpern said that sunscreen should also protect against melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, and basal cell carcinoma, because the product can inhibit harmful ultraviolet rays that can contribute to the diseases.
Yet even after new F.D.A. labeling rules are published, it may take two years for the changes take effect.
Dr. James M. Spencer, a dermatologist in St. Petersburg, Fla., who specializes in skin cancer, said that he hopes the updated standards will clarify how much protection sunscreens provide, the dose needed to achieve significant protection, and the frequency with which a sunscreen should be reapplied.
The F.D.A. in 1978 first proposed a system of labeling products with an S.P.F. or Sun Protection Factor, which measures how effective the product is in preventing burn caused by the sun’s ultraviolet B rays. UVB radiation can also be a factor in skin cancer.
Dr. Spencer said that an S.P.F. 15 product screens about 94 percent of UVB rays while an S.P.F. 30 product screens 97 percent. Manufacturers determine the S.P.F. by dividing how many minutes it takes lab volunteers to burn wearing a thick layer of the product by the minutes they take to burn without the product.
But people rarely get the level of S.P.F. listed because labels do not explain how much to use, said Dr. Vincent A. DeLeo, chairman of dermatology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan.
“Sunscreen is tested at 2 milligrams per square centimeter of skin, which means you should be using two ounces each time to cover your whole body,” Dr. DeLeo said. “But for most people an eight-ounce bottle lasts the whole summer.”
People who apply S.P.F. 30 too sparingly, for example, may end up with only S.P.F. 3 to S.P.F. 10, according to the Web site of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, www.bccdc.org/downloads/pdf/rps/reports/RIN15.pdf, which has comprehensive guidelines.
“The S.P.F. is a terrible system to guide consumers,” Dr. Spencer said. “Nobody is using sunscreen the way it is measured in a lab.” He said he hopes that the new standards will call for S.P.F. to be replaced with a system defining sun protection as high, medium or low.
Until then, Dr. Spencer said that people should use about a shot glass of sunscreen for the body and a teaspoon for the face to best achieve the S.P.F. protection listed on labels. It should be reapplied every few hours and immediately after swimming or sweating.
Dermatologists said that the agency is also likely to introduce a rating system for the sun’s ultraviolet A rays, which can contribute to cancer and skin aging. Many products already contain UVA screening agents, but under the current rules there is no rating for them.
Manufacturers are catching on that some consumers seek UVA protection. In print advertisements this month, Neutrogena and Banana Boat have been battling for UVA supremacy, including graphs in which each shows their product offering the highest coverage.
But Dr. David M. Pariser, the president-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology, said that without a standardized UVA rating system, consumers can’t be sure how much a sunscreen provides.
“Right now, we don’t know whether doubling the percentage of a UVA sunscreen ingredient doubles UVA protection or not,” Dr. Pariser said. “That is part of the muddled system we hope will be cleared up.”
Until then, Dr. Pariser said to choose sunscreens that contain ingredients known to filter UVA. These include Mexoryl SX, avobenzone, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. He also recommended a database at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summary.php created by the Environmental Working Group that lists products with UVA protection.
Some doctors, along with Mr. Blumenthal of Connecticut, predicted that the new sunscreen rules would prohibit outsized marketing terms.
“ ‘All-day protection’ is just plain false since sunscreen has to be frequently reapplied,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “And ‘waterproof,’ which may be O.K. for an adult taking a quick dip in the pool but not for kids who are in and out of the water all day, is just plain deceptive.”
Dr. Green in Australia said the best way to prevent skin cancer is to stay out of the sun during peak hours and wear sun-protective clothing. But Dr. Halpern said you can’t keep Americans wrapped up.
“There is only a small subset of American society that is willing to wear long-sleeved shirts and wide-brimmed — defined as four inches wide — hats on a sunny day at the beach,” he said. “Until we can get that behavior, the next best thing is sunscreen. Put on two coats, so you won’t miss any spots.”
Precautions
Protection from the sun’s harmful rays requires more than slapping on a coating of cream. There are multiple precautions to take, according to interviews with doctors.
• Avoid outdoor activities during peak sun hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wear protective clothing, sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats.
• If you are prone to burn, use a sunscreen with S.P.F. 30 or higher.
• Apply about a teaspoon of sunscreen to your face and a shot glass of it to your body.
• Make sure your sunscreen contains at least one ingredient known to filter UVA rays, such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX.
• Reapply sunscreen frequently, and immediately after swimming.

Fonte: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/05/fashion/05skin.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=health - 05/07/07