By Dr Adi Yoskovitch
The skin is the largest organ in the human body. It is the first line of defence in protecting the body from the external environment. In developing the formulations at Pö Derma, I concentrated my efforts on the following basis: cleanse, repair, protect.
In choosing the combination of ingredients, I based my skin care formulations on several well-known ingredients that deliver the results that my patients look for; improving skin texture and glow, minimizing fine wrinkles and preventing further skin damage, while at the same time helping with skin repair.
My goal was to create a comprehensive skin care system which can work both together and individually to achieve my patient’s skin care and quality goals.
Pomegranate And Its Benefits
The most important ingredient in our comprehensive skin care system is pomegranate. Pomegranate, or as its scientifically known as Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing small tree, with its origins dating back to the middle east and Mediterranean regions. Pomegranate has been used since ancient times due to its medicinal value for a variety of reasons. The lusciously red fruit is full of numerous minerals and nutrients, and the scent of the pomegranate is unparalleled with its citrus and refreshing notes. In terms of its scientific benefits as it relates to the skin, pomegranate is one of the most powerful naturally occurring antioxidants in the fruit and plant world, due to its high content of punicic acid which is a type of conjugated linoleic acid known for its potent antioxidant capacity.
The role of any anti-oxidant to capture and remove free radical ions that are caused by insults to the skin, including ultraviolet light, smoking and the regular aging process whereby collagen breaks down, thus releasing the free radical into the skin. The other role of pomegranate is to act as an anti-inflammatory agent. By decreasing the amount of inflammation in the skin, there is less micro-collagen reorganization, which is responsible for dermal and epidermal wrinkling. As you can see, there are plenty of pomegranate benefits for skin, which you can find across our range of products below.
First Phase: Cleanse Your Skin
The Pö Derma cleanse, repair and protect approach to skin care begins with our Flawless Daily Cleanser. In addition to pomegranate, there are several important elements to the cleanser, including brown kelp, aloe vera, and salicylic acid.
Brown Kelp
Incorporated in our Flawless Daily Cleanser is brown kelp, which gently penetrates the skin to remove toxins and debris, while at the same time hydrating the skin. The natural anti-inflammatory allows for gentle cleansing without producing an inflammatory response. The kelp acts as a sponge in order to remove skin oils and dirt and debris while at the same time calming the skin.
Aloe Vera
The addition of aloe vera is also key to the cleansing process. A well-known anti-inflammatory, aloe vera also cools the skin. It is a potent moisturizer that does not clog skin pores. It also possesses numerous antioxidants such as beta-carotene, Vitamins A, C and vitamin E. Aloe vera is also a nutrient-rich plant, containing over 75 different minerals, enzymes, naturally occurring sugars, amino acids and salicylic acid. The salicylic acid and enzyme components serve as a gentle exfoliant, helping to remove dead skin cells from the epidermal layer. All of these serve not only to nourish the skin, but to help repair damage and prevent further insult to the skin surface.
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is derived from the willow tree root, and it is a lipophilic type of beta hydroxy acid. The benefits of salicylic acid for skin is that its mild pH is strong enough to remove dead skin cells, while at the same time not causing an inflammatory reaction. It is known to have a very positive effect on acne prone skin, and is very effective in the treatment of blackheads and minimizing pore size. Its exfoliant nature is another important salicylic acid benefit, as it treats light blemishes. The fact that it is lipophilic (or fat-liking) makes it an excellent cleansing agent by removing the oily accumulation on the skin surface.
Second Phase: Repair Your Skin
The next step in the comprehensive skin care system is the repair phase. Our day-to-day lives subject us to damaged skin, whether that be from ultraviolet rays from the sun, smog, acne, dirt as well as the ageing process. All of these cause inflammatory processes which serve to break down collagen, damaging the skin’s barrier, decreasing the skin’s natural ability to protect itself. Our Glowing Refined Polishing Mask has several key ingredients to help repair the skin, including pomegranate, kaolin clay and bentonite clays, as well as papain. The pomegranate here serves to act as a catalyst for the other ingredients, heightening their efficacy.
Kaolin and Bentonite Clay
The kaolin and bentonite clays act as a binder of skin impurities due to their unique surface area. Not only do the clays act as gentle exfoliants, but the impurities bind to the clay and are removed upon washing, without irritating the skin. The clay also binds excess oils and helps unclog pores, while at the same time hydrating the skin, thus giving a more buoyant and younger appearing skin.
Papain
Another key element is papain, a derivative of the papaya plant, which is a proteolytic enzyme. The papain enzyme acts as a gentle exfoliant by removing the dead cells at the skin surface. By removing the dead cells, the healthier skin cells move to the surface, creating that desired glow.
Brilliance Resurfacing Serum
An important element in the repair part of the system is the Brilliance Resurfacing Serum. This is an advanced blend of retinol, alpha-hydroxy acid, sea algae, vitamin A and pomegranate. Here again, pomegranate acts as both a catalyst and anti-oxidant, heightening the effects of the other ingredients.
Retinol Benefits and Vitamin A
Retinol and vitamin A are very important ingredients and essential to the formulation, as they work to encourage cellular turnover in the skin. This cellular regeneration is key to skin repair. It causes the older and dead cells at the surface to desquamate, or fall off, leaving younger, healthier cells at the surface. In addition, the improve collagen strength and collagen repair thereby reducing skin-thinning, resulting in a more youthful, brilliant glow to the skin. As well, the strengthened collagen helps to minimize fine line and wrinkles and repair sun damage. These are one of many retinol benefits on the skin
Alpha Hydroxy Acid
Alpha hydroxy acids are a group of naturally occurring acids including citric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid and malic acid. There are a number of alpha hydroxy acid benefits, similar in function to retinol, alpha hydroxy acids (or AHA’s) help to repair skin by removing the top layer of older and dead skin cells. By doing so, they expose the younger, healthier cells and as a result, cause a thicker and firmer skin layer. This leaves a fresher, younger appearance with a decrease in fine lines and wrinkles. In addition, AHA’s are a very effective way of managing skin blemishes via the same mechanism.
Radiance Growth Factor Serum
An important aspect of skin repair is the generation of new skin cells which allow for the generation of new collagen. Our Radiance Growth Factor Serum contains several key elements which promote repair and regeneration of the skin, including stem cells, Argirelox peptide solution, and pomegranate
Apple and Gardenia Stem Cells
The benefits of stem cells are multi-fold. Not only do the specialized peptides and enzymes act to protect the epidermal skin layer, but they also serve to stimulate the skin’s own stem cells to differentiate and proliferate thus creating newer healthier cells to rise to the top of the layer. In addition, the plant stem cells keep their anti-oxidant capabilities when applied to the skin, which is an added benefit.
Third Phase: Protect Your Skin
The third part of our comprehensive skin care system centers around protecting the skin via Lustre Intense Moisturizer, our Luminous Night Cream and Luscious Lip Balm, each with specific ingredients designed to protect your most valuable asset; your skin.
Lustre Intense Moisturizer
Integral to our skin care system is the moisturizing and hydrating capacity of our Lustre Intense Moisturizer. Several important elements contained in this moisturizer not only repair but protect your skin, including pomegranate, coconut seed oil, DMAE and glycolic acid
Coconut Seed Oil
Coconut seed oil has high contents of Vitamin E, essential amino acids as well as lauric and caprylic acids. Not only does it promote cellular adhesion at the surface which improves the skin’s natural resilience, these help to hydrate and improve the skin’s own flora which helps protect the natural barrier.
Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE)
Dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE is an antioxidant membrane stabilizer, which serves to protect the skin and enhance skin elasticity. Another important free radical scavenger, it prevents the formation of harmful free radicals. In the case of our Lustre Intense Moisturizer, it serves to heighten the beneficial effects of pomegranate by augmenting the effects of Vitamins A, E and C.
Glycolic Acid
Glycolic acid is a derivative from sugar cane and belongs to the AHA family. It can help protect the skin by removing pore-debris and removing the dead cells which act as a nidus for blackhead and comedone production. In addition, it allows for the skin to better uptake AHA’s and retinol.
Luminous Night Cream
Like the evening moon lights up the evening sky, our Luminous Night Cream illuminates your skin while you sleep. Specially designed to work at night, it contains numerous ingredients to work while you rest
Shea Butter
Containing numerous fatty acids, such as oleic, linoleic and stearic acids, as well as vitamin E, shea butter is a lipophilic concentrate with unique hydrating, healing and anti-inflammatory agents. Its thickness makes it an ideal nighttime component to our Luminous Night Cream by improving the strength of the skin barrier, while at the same time protecting the skin’s natural hydrating capacity.
Arnica Extract
Long used in post plastic surgery patients to minimize bruising and improve healing, arnica is a sesquiterpene lactone which causes skin renewal and protection. It also is a collagen stimulator which serves to build up collagen in the skin and protect the barrier from daily insults.
Luscious Lip Balm
One of the most important parts of the face are the lips. A combination of both skin and mucosal surfaces, they are easily damaged by sunlight, smoking as well as natural toxins. The specially designed lip balm contains several elements key to protecting this unique skin / mucosal barrier
Hempseed and Grapeseed Oil
The combination of these elements provides a rich source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, as well as Vitamin C, D, and E which all serve to repair and protect the delicate mucosal barrier of the lip, as well as incorporating key hydrating elements.