Green Chemistry, Cosmetic Dermatology Debut in Boston
Posted: May 24, 2006
The grey clouds draped across Boston skies did not stop formulators from shining at center stage with novel concepts in cosmetics and personal care. The SCC Annual Scientific Seminar, held May 11-12, 2006, at the Boston Copely Marriott Place, enlightened attendees with innovations in claims support and hair formulations and delved into new areas like green chemistry, cosmetic dermatology and medical spas.
Session one, moderated by Mindy Goldstein, Ph.D. (Estée Lauder), highlighted cosmetic dermatology and medical spas—a more invasive area of emerging interest to cosmetic scientists. Zoe Diana Draelos, M.D. (Dermatology Consulting Services), discussed beauty treatments such as botulinum toxin injections, hyaluronic acid injectables, collagen injectables, fat transfer, microdermabrasion, superficial peels and medium depth peels.
A superficial, “lunchtime” facial peel, for example, is a chemical disruption of the corneocytes, whereas microdermabrasion is a mechanical disruption. She described the importance of having a licensed professional perform these procedures, as variables including the orientation of facial muscles and ethnic pigmentation must be taken into account when treating patients. Medium-depth chemical peels, Draelos said, are designed to “wound” the skin, which activates melanocytes in darker-skinned individuals and can cause discoloration.
According to Draelos, fillers are replacing nips and tucks as the future of cosmetic dermatology. “Fillers replace what has been lost from the skin and replace facial proportions,” said Draelos. “You not longer want to cut away excess skin, but replace the missing fat from under the skin.” She added that 20 varieties of hyaluronic acid are coming out and speculated that fillers as an area to watch.
Following Draelos’s report on cosmetic dermatology, Eric F. Bernstein, M.D. (University of Pennsylvania), discussed laser therapy for removing tattoos and hair and treating acne, scars and skin conditions including rosacea. Many factors are involved with choosing the appropriate laser as well as practitioner to treat the condition, but a key concept Bernstein conveyed was: “Don’t think like a physicist—think like a biologist.”