Free Stuff, part Deux

I know this isn't your usual "hot summer read," but I recently received a book from Dr. Daniel Yarosh, CEO of AGI Dermatics. If you don't know what AGI Dermatics is, well, let me tell you. It is a "bio-pharmaceutical company that develops and markets topical prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as prestige skincare ingredients and products." What does that mean to you? It means that there is a skincare lab out there that "1) recognizes that DNA damage suppresses skin immunity, and 2) demonstrates that DNA repair can preserve and restore healthy young skin." Which, in a nut shell, means that there is a chance we can undo the stupid things we did to our skin earlier in life.
For more info on this good science, you can listen to a live interview with him from April 2 on wsRadio.com's Show "The Health and Beauty Revolution" here: > part 1 > part 2 and read an article in Allure Magazine where they name Remergent® DNA Repair Formula Best of Beauty (September 25, 2007) here: > article or watch the > Today Show video of Allure's review.

I've been using the Remergent for about a week now, and though it's too early to really say much, I will say it's got 30 SPF, so I put it on every morning before I leave the house, and if nothing else, it's helped with moisturizing and minimizing those fine lines around my eyes that I've noticed popped during and after Interferon treatments. As vain as I am, that's saying a lot. I mean, I'm putting on sunscreen everyday anyway, why not give my skin a chance at healing some of that damage? I plan on taking some "after" photos in a few weeks and comparing to this recent one where you can see these fine lines really starting to show up around my eyes. Wouldn't it be great if this stuff actually worked?

Kat Von B, our lovely make-up and skin care consultant (as well as melanoma survivor), swears by this stuff, and she really enjoyed reading this book. She said that Dr. Yarosh writes about technical skin issues, such as melanoma, but puts the verbage in terms that's easy to understand. Says Kat, "I thought I knew a lot about skin and skin cancer, but I learned so much more from this book. It's going to be one of my 'go-to' books when I have questions about my skin. His lab is on the cutting edge of research with regards to skin cancer, and I believe he genuinely cares about finding ways to combat it. Case in point, he just recently lost a very dear friend to melanoma and works closely with the American Cancer Society. Of all the books I've read that explain how the skin as an organ works, this is the best one I've read. If you've never heard of him, just know that he is widely recognized as a pioneer in the science of DNA repair. He and his laboratory are responsible for inventing the ingredients for brands like Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, and Shiseido. He is working on a drug which may even be able to repair DNA and prevent some skin cancers!"

The really super great news is Dr. Daniel Yarosh gave Miss Melly a copy of his book "The New Science of Perfect Skin" as well as one Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair +SPF 30 (3.4 oz in a pump bottle which retails for $95.00!!!) to give away here on the site. Yay! That means YOU get the chance to try it out, too, for absolutely nothing AND get the books to boot. Is life good or what? Comment here, kids, to be entered into the raffle! I heart free stuff and I know you do, too.

So to get you hooked on the info in the books and to get you interested in the product, Kat scored an exclusive interview with big Doc Y and passed along the dibs for you to read up on right here. Kat always has melanoma survivors' backs, and she's the absolute best about researching how to raise awareness and promote prevention, especially in young people. So it's good to read what an authority's take on that is. This interview has also got some good information about DNA repair, and I really like what he has to say about innovations in labeling sunscreen, too. Enjoy! And don't forget to comment if you'd like in on the drawing.
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Kat: In your book, you state that the next wave of sunscreens will have a new rating that will appear next to the SPF rating on the product label, called the immune protection factor (IPF). Do you see this as a better indicator of protection against DNA damage?

Dr. Daniel Yarosh: The IPF is a measure of an effect of the sun on skin. Just as the SPF measures sunburn potential, the IPF measures immune suppression potential. It seems to be a more sensitive measure of protection than just a sunburn.

K: Your company is currently working on FDA approval for a drug called Dimericine. Can you tell me how this drug will reverse DNA damage and who will see most benefit from this drug? I see this drug potentially being used to counteract or act as a melanoma prevention drug for those high risk patients, such as people who had melanoma and went through chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or biotherapy, etc. What do you think?

Dr. Y: The best approach is prevention, and Dimericine offers the promise of preventing the DNA damage that leads to melanoma. It would certainly be appropriately used by the high risk people who have already had a skin cancer.

K: You recommend protective clothing and sunscreen use for all ages. You also suggested washing clothes with Rit SunGuard (Tinosorb) to add SPF protection to clothes. I like that you emphasize prevention. How do we get younger people to stop using tanning beds?

Dr. Y: Tough question! Remember, it took an entire generation to change the image of smoking from something cool to something dirty. First, we have to stop glamorizing a tan and show images of beauty, such as Nicole Kidman, that don’t involve a tan. Second, we have to recognize that people will tan, and provide safe alternatives, like bronzers. Third, we have to make the connection between tanning and aging – getting ugly. Young women respond more to the fear of losing beauty than the fear of cancer.

K: Which antioxidants do you consider the most powerful for DNA repair and can we find them in our sunscreens?

Dr. Y: First, antioxidants don’t repair DNA. The best they can do is stop the free radicals before they damage DNA. Once the damage is done, antioxidants are out of the ballgame. But the best antioxidants are the natural ones like vitamin C, vitamin E and ergothioneine. They should also be used in combination, since no one antioxidant can go it alone.

K: Thank you so much! I really appreciate your efforts and everything you do in the name of research and science. You have been a great source of encouragement to me.

Dr. Y: My pleasure. Thanks for your support.

Interview by Katherine Bates