For more than 15 years, Skin Actives has been developing and selling products that contain growth factors. One of the most widely studied and first to be discovered is the Epidermal Growth Factor. Many of our products contain EGF.

What is Epidermal Growth Factor?

Growth factors are naturally occurring proteins capable of stimulating cellular proliferation. Growth factors bind to specific receptors on cell surfaces and are important for the regulation of a variety of cellular processes. In 1986, Stanley Cohen received the Nobel Prize for his work revealing the role of EGF in the regulation of cell growth and development. This small protein (only 53 amino acids) was found to enhance epidermal growth and keratinization. Cells that respond to EGF do so because they have receptors on the cell membrane that recognize the factor which has been produced by cells that may be near or far from the target cell. The binding of the growth factor to the receptor initiates a cascade of molecular events that will eventually lead, among other effects, to cell division.

Over the past 40 years, research has found EGF to be effective in speeding up the healing of wounds and reduction of scars. The growth factor has also been found to be involved in the development of hyaluronic acid and other important structural proteins in the skin.

How Much is Too Much?

As Dr. Hannah Sivak says, more is not always better.  Meaning, more of an active ingredient will not always benefit your skin. At best, it could be a waste of money. At worst, it could damage the skin.  Skin Actives has done extensive research to determine how much active ingredient to include in our products for maximum benefit.  Our standard products contain a concentration of EGF that is perfect for anti-aging products. In some circumstances, and for some people, more of an ingredient may be just what they need. Therefore, we created a new line of high potency EGF products for those special cases, called Advanced Restoration these products contain 10 times as much EGF as our regular products, comparable to the concentrations used in research on wounds and scars.

Who Could Benefit From High Potency EGF?

Skin Actives High Potency EGF products help the skin to repair itself. Following aesthetic procedures such as chemical peels, laser treatment, microdermabrasion and other procedures or occurrences that damage the skin increased concentrations of EGF can be very helpful. Customers using our Vitamin C Serum and other exfoliating products will also find these products helpful.