Privacy Policy
Signals Blog

Contributors

Categories

Right Turn: If you don’t love the skin you’re in

by | Jun 3, 2016

Have you ever wanted to shed your skin? I don’t mean in the metaphorical sense like becoming a different person, free of all the old baggage we accumulate in life. And I’m not talking about CCRM’s new logo and colours either, but thanks for noticing. (Shameless.)

I mean literally have new skin, maybe skin that makes you look younger or less tired?

Scientists at Harvard and MIT have reported that creating a “second skin” is possible, based on pilot studies, using chemicals called siloxanes that Health Canada has deemed safe to human health. (That doesn’t mean, however, that everyone approves of their use.)

The skin is supposed to work like this: you can soak the invisible film, a polymer, with sunscreen or treat skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis and not worry that sweat or water will wash the protection away. The explanation given in a New York Times article is that “a more permeable second skin might be used for undereye bags while a less permeable one might hold a medication in place.”

Two companies are behind the new biomaterial: Living Proof, with biomedical engineer Robert Langer at the helm (read posts about him here and here), and Olivo Laboratories. I’ve written about the “cosmeceutical” industry in the past (stem cell facials anyone?) and the analysts at CCRM have known about Living Proof for a while now. In 2013, the company successfully closed a $30 million financing and was reported to have achieved $100 million in annual sales in 2014.

I can’t say the words “shed my skin” without hearing the Peter Gabriel lyrics from the song Sledgehammer. If this product proves successful, we will have a new, gentle, tool in our cosmetic arsenal that is far less invasive than a sledgehammer to make those wrinkles disappear.

 

Our regular feature, Right Turn, appears every Friday and we invite you to submit your own blog to info(at)ccrm.ca. We encourage you to be creative and use the right (!) side of your brain. We dare you to make us laugh! Right Turn features cartoons, photos, videos and other content to amuse, educate and encourage discussion.

As always, we welcome your feedback in the comment section.

The following two tabs change content below.
Avatar photo
My Twitter profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profile

Stacey Johnson

Stacey Johnson is the editor of Signals and a contributor. For 25 years, Stacey has been providing strategic communications counsel to government, corporate, technology and health organizations. She began her career at the CTV Television Network and then moved to Hill & Knowlton Canada where she advised clients in a variety of industries and sectors. Stacey is the Vice President, Communications and Marketing for CCRM, a leader in developing and commercializing regenerative medicine-based technologies and cell and gene therapies. She has a Master's degree in Public Relations. You can follow her on Twitter @msstaceyerin.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *