Back in the U.S.A.!

Well, I'm finally back home! Exhausted from the little tour of Europe. Unfortunately, the vast majority of beauty products in Europe were exactly what we have here, but anything that was different I snapped up! And not much of a good deal either, with the dollar being so lousy, everything in Europe was mad expensive! If you're looking to shop, I don't recommend traveling there right now.

So starting next week or sooner, I'll be blogging about these products. I must say though, I was a bit envious of the European market. When I do visit Europe I see the quirkiness in the aesthetics of products, but this time since I was also focused on skincare, it seemed like even the same products we have here are just packaged much nicer in Europe.

Anyway, bare with me because in just several days, I'll be moving as well! I'm going to be leaving the NYC /NJ areas to move far out West!!! I'll let you know where when I make it there. Let's just say sun & beaches, yeah! So needless to say, there's a lot going on for me and my posts may not be pouring out too quickly over the next 2 weeks or so while I get situated. However, I will be dedicating most of June to expand on my blogging, including additional blogs on some of my other interests (supplements, pediatrics, etc). So stay tuned for that. The sites are already up and being made to look pretty :-)

Thanks for reading and keeping up with me here on Truth in Skincare. I really appreciate you all and am grateful if I am able to help educate anyone even just a little! Thanks!!! I'll be posting soon!
xoxo
dr david

Reporting from Italy!

Hello Readers! Just want to drop a short note, I'm in Italy now and am checking out the skincare scene as much as I can! I'll be hitting up a couple other countries before coming back and posting about the things I've discovered! The Italians are indeed quite beautiful, so I'm trying to find out the secrets :-)

In fact, I just got out of LUSH in Venice and found out about the hot sellers there!

Ok, that's it for now, I'll be back in a bit over a week and will continue my posts for TRUTH in SKINCARE then!!

xoxo
ciao

European Tour

The time has almost come. I'll be in Europe later this week, and a lot of you emailed me about European skincare, what's available, etc. I'll dedicate sometime giving you the 411 to what's going on there. Most products are really just the same stuff, just different packaging. But, I'll take pictures, check out ingredients, research companies, and interview skincare people (if I can get through the language barriers in some countries :-).

First Stop: ITALY!

Organic Deodorant

It's nice to present some "natural" alternatives to typical products. Many people are interested in natural deodorants, so I'll present one. I came across one by erbaviva. It's a "Jasmine & Grapefruit organic deodorant".

Here's the ingredient list: Alcohol, grapefruit peel oil, cypress oil, ginger root extract, cederwood oil, orange peel oil, lemon peel oil, jasmine flower oil, sage oil, benzyl benzoate, citral, eugenol, geraniol, limonene, linalool.

The product claims to be made with over 99% organic ingredients. It's totally possible.

Analysis
Well, let's just say, I believe that it does in fact work as a deodorant. However, simply put, it does smell. It claims to be "floral", I'd say it's more "woodsy/musk". Sometimes natural oils are not the best things to use directly on the skin. However, sage oil and cypress oil have been used directly on the skin without any research showing any significant adverse effects. Just a side note: if using products with a lot of natural oils, check to make sure the oils are okay for the skin.

Some good points
It lacks highly synthetic active ingredients and has no artificial fragrances. And these are some significant good points.

Not so good points
Not too much. Lemon oil is not particularly great for the skin. In fact some research has shown that it can cause some degree of phototoxicity. But this is probably not much of a worry since the amount of lemon oil is not highly concentrated in this product. If you want to be really really cautious then don't use it before going out to the beach.

Overall
To be honest I don't like the smell too much, but there are other scents available. I would give this a THUMBS UP!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Wishing my mom and all the Mothers out there a very happy and blessed Mother's Day.

Love
David

Want to explore the human body?

Here is a terrific site where you can tour the human body for free. It's called BODYMAPS and it's worth it for everyone to check it out to learn more of what the body looks like on the inside.

A Must Take Dermatology Quiz!

How much do you know about skincare? Well, here's a great quiz, with great case stories and pictures making the journey even more educational. Click here for the quiz.

It's by a medical website, so the information in much more reliable than you'll find in 'other' quiz sites, especially those done by cosmetics companies.

WEEKLY REWIND: 4/28/08 - 5/3/08

Here's the Weekly Rewind:

MONDAY: I posted my first comeback post, after being away in Boston for the Marathon activities. I blogged about being my unfavorable review of a pre-release listening of Madonna's Hard Candy. I gave it a thumbs down, but have since given a Thumbs Up to a couple of tracks, I must admit. Heartbeat & Give It To Me. Although the parts I do enjoy of the later are certainly riffs taken from other club songs! If you want to see what I really like to listen to click here.

TUESDAY: I got back to the serious topics in skincare. I posted Part 4 of the Parabens series! Click on "THE HEART" pull down label (LEFT SIDEBAR) for quick and easy access to the heart of this blog, including the whole paraben series of articles.

WEDNESDAY: In time for Mother's Day. Save a Mama Bear. Or save another wild animal mother. After all, without mommy, the baby animals have no shot to survive. Click here for the post on that. Also, I have dedicated a whole banner for the cause (RIGHT SIDEBAR).

SATURDAY: I posted about an article describing the dangers that even simple procedures can cause. Read the article here.

Thanks For Reading!!

Unlicensed radiology technician uses dermal filler injections: 3 patients suffer Renal Failure

Dermal fillers / injections are so commonplace now. Since so many people go through this procedure (I'm sure we all know someone that's had these procedures done), it is imperative to always remember that the DANGERS ARE REAL. Make sure that you have a LICENSED PRACTITIONER doing the procedures. I, personally, would never allow anyone to be treated to these procedures except by a physician who is also LICENSED to do the specific procedure.. For example, various types of physicians and even nurses can do BOTOX (they don't have to be plastic surgeons or dermatologist), but what they should be, is licensed/trained to do the BOTOX procedure.

Here is a sad story of a radiology technician that injected dermal filler / injections into patients. This tech was not even supervised by a doctor, much less qualified to do the procedure themselves. I don't know what kind of practice would allow this, but it's just not acceptable. It's tempting in a busy practice for such "easy" procedures to be handed off to those other than a licensed physician or nurse, but for YOUR own sake, make sure no one passes the buck if you are getting a procedure done. Who ever is on the other end of that syringe better also be holding a license clearing them for that procedure!

Followed below is the excerpt of the full article by Laurie Barclay, M.D.

Renal Failure Linked to Cosmetic Soft-Tissue Filler Injections

Laurie Barclay, MD
Medscape Medical News 2008. © 2008 Medscape

May 2, 2008 — Three cases of renal failure
were reported in women who had received cosmetic soft-tissue filler
injections by unlicensed practitioners at a facility in North Carolina,
according to a public health report in the May 2 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

"Soft-tissue fillers are substances injected to augment or enhance
the appearance of lips, breasts, buttocks, or other soft tissues,"
write M. Branton, MD, and colleagues. "Previous reports have linked the
administration of soft-tissue fillers, usually liquid silicone, by
unlicensed practitioners to severe adverse events, including death....
Public health officials should be alert for adverse events associated
with these injections and take all necessary actions to prevent
additional injuries."

The North Carolina Division of Public Health was notified on
December 27, 2007, of 3 cases of renal failure in women who had
received cosmetic soft-tissue filler injections administered by an
unlicensed practitioner at a North Carolina facility. The MMWR report summarizes the subsequent public health investigation and clinical findings in these women.

The practitioner who administered all the cosmetic injections given
to these women had trained as a radiology technician but had no other
medical training or supervision. Records indicated that the injections
contained liquid silicone, but the investigators could not identify
what substances were injected, and they note that liquid silicone has
not been previously shown to cause renal failure.

Case 1 was a woman aged 42 years, previously healthy except for a
history of anemia, who received cosmetic soft-tissue filler injections
in her buttocks (300 mL of dermal silicone/saline solution into each
buttock, 600 mL total), according to records. Within 30 minutes she had
headache, vomiting, and hematuria; she went to an emergency department
2 days later, where acute renal failure was diagnosed. Urine testing
for heavy metals and other laboratory testing did not reveal a specific
etiology. She was hospitalized for 10 days, and her serum creatinine
level subsequently returned to normal without need for dialysis.

Case 2 was similar except that renal biopsy showed severe acute
tubular necrosis with cast formation of undetermined composition (not
hemoglobin or myoglobin). The woman was hospitalized for 13 days and
required hemodialysis for 5 weeks, but she subsequently regained normal
kidney function.

Case 3 also underwent renal biopsy, which showed acute interstitial
nephritis with significant numbers of eosinophils, consistent with a
toxic or allergic etiology, despite the absence of eosinophilia on
peripheral blood smears. She was hospitalized for 14 days and dialyzed
for 1 week, with normalization of serum creatinine.

All 3 women were told by the practitioner that she was being
supervised by a physician, although none of the women had seen a
physician during their visits.

Facility records contained little information regarding procedure
techniques and materials used, and they sometimes conflicted with
information obtained from patient interviews. Records from cases 1 and
2 indicated use of dermal silicone, but the investigators could not
confirm which substances had been injected or how they had been
obtained. No residual products or materials used in these injections
were available at the clinic. The practitioner said she had injected a
specific brand of medical-grade silicone oil mixed with saline but had
no invoices or other evidence to corroborate this. She subsequently was
arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license.

An accompanying editorial notes that no liquid silicone products are
currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for cosmetic
injection, although they are licensed for other indications. Off-label
use within a legitimate practitioner-patient relationship is not
typically prohibited by federal law.

Cosmetic silicone injections have been associated with granuloma
formation, infection, pneumonitis, pulmonary embolism, ulceration,
product migration, and death, mostly after injections by unlicensed
practitioners using formulations not intended for medical use. However,
few data are available concerning the incidence of adverse events after
administration of silicone oil soft-tissue fillers by licensed
practitioners.

"Soft-tissue filler injections should be administered only by
licensed providers with appropriate medical training," the editorial
concludes. "These findings underscore the risks posed by cosmetic
injections administered by unlicensed practitioners."

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(17):453–456.