Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. with more than two million Americans diagnosed annually. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma make up the majority of these cases. The third type, melanoma, arises from pigment producing cells called melanocytes. The ability to spread widely to other parts of the body is a unique characteristic of melanoma that the other skin cancers…

When we enter the spa for relaxation and that all important get away from the rush of everyday life we have certain expectations. There is an ambiance that is created within the spa, the soft, relaxing music, the pleasing to the eye décor, and the cozy treatment rooms. There is however the ‘Spa smell’. The luxurious, gentle smell of essential oils that lulls you into…

While chirality is actually nothing new to science and the pharmaceutical drug industry, it is a relatively new concept to skin care. But what do chirally correct ingredients offer the skin and can they provide real benefits otherwise unmatched? In 1847, renowned French chemist Louis Pasteur first discovered the concept of chirality as a graduate student while studying two acids in wine. He observed that…

Stress, that cliché word meaning 'totally overwhelmed,' is now acknowledged as a proven threat to health. "Over 50 percent of deaths in the United States can be attributed to behavioral and social factors [stress]," says psychologist Oakley Ray, Ph.D., of the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University in a study. This and other research implicates stress in causing disease and degradation at the…