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 Dr. Yechiel is the Founder, President, and Director of Research of Elsom Research Co., Inc., maker of the New Equilibrium line of cosmeceuticals which includes the Equisomin Serum anti-aging scalp treatment. He specializes in the biochemistry and biophysics of cellular aging and cell membrane structures, and has developed novel nano-encapsulation and nano-emulsion technologies for topical applications. Dr. Yechiel is also the creator of The Formulator, enabling consumers to select the ingredients for their own custom-made retail-size formulations.
Jacob
2006-03-05
hGH
Hello Dr. Yechiel,
Do you think hGH topically would have any affect on hair?
Please see this post regarding the first(?) cosmetic hGH: http://www.morphollica.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=750
Thanks
Hello Jacob,
I am actually familiar with the company and with the HGH product and I even sampled it. I met them at one of the topical conferences where I gave a lecture and they had a display table. As for the artisanship, it is quite decent product. As for efficacy, I did not see any data indicating that it can do what it is intended to do. In the short article they explain the difficulty in skin penetration of large molecules (proteins are usually large molecules). They believe that after keratolytic treatments such as removing the outer layers of skin (with alpha or beta hydroxy acids), the penetration will be enhanced. This is an example of linear logic which chips away around the problem, making it look smaller. However, the main problem with large molecules is not just the number of skin layers they have to penetrate but the ultimate problem of penetrating through any layer of intact skin (even if only a few layers are left). The shelf life of the stabilized HGH is another issue they do not regard in the literature I saw. Since stabilizing active proteins in aqueous media is a critical issue to the product and is at the same time a great technological achievement, I would expect them to at least elaborate on that if not wholeheartedly brag about it.
The need for a separate keratolytic treatment is not clearly emphasized in the articles, and due to the very low pH of such treatments it would not be practical to use them in the same preparation with the HGH. The claim of acne prevention is a medicinal claim in the US but may be not in their home country (I am not sure about this point). However, they claim that the skin is cosmetically improved, which means that they are cautious not to make functional claims. The preparation is mainly empty liposomes, and as such, they may have good clearing and absorption properties and will make skin look better with or without the HGH. Penetration through the hair shaft is easy enough, but most of the receptors for the growth factor may be facing the other direction (towards the blood vessels) or hindered by the live cell layers which are adhered to each other. For external materials to be effective, they have to be able to reach the sites for their action. I believe they are trying to be honest and in fact you can see that by their use of the term nano-liposomes and not Nanosomes, as they know that we own the trademark for Nanosomes. The makeup of their nano-liposomes is also not specified, and much depends on what phospholipids are used. I also saw in the article that they have liposomal vitamin A (retinol). Our Equisomin contains Nanosomal vitamin A and we did that in the nineties (of the twentieth century), many years before nano-technology has surfaced to the current hype.
In conclusion, the product is likely a decent cosmetic product, but dont expect a pronounced efficacy of HGH.
Thanks for the question.
Elishalom Yechiel, Ph.D.
President
Elsom Research Co., Inc.
email: innovation@elsomresearch.com
voice: 210.493.5225
paper mail:
4510 Black Hickory Woods, San Antonio, TX, USA, 78249
online:
http://www.elsomresearch.com
http://www.the-formulator.com
http://www.topical-formulations.com
http://www.nanotopicals.com
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