Jan Marini

Jan Marini is the president and CEO of Jan Marini Skin Re­search Inc, San Jose, Calif; she founded the company 13 years ago. In addition to researching and developing new products, she provides continuing education to physicians and skin care professionals. She also speaks at industry and medical conferences.

How does the C-ESTAMINS® nutritional skin care supplement improve the appearance of aging and sun-damaged skin?

C-ESTAMINS is an antiaging nutritional supplement that promotes energy and provides support for enhanced well-being and visible skin rejuvenation. It contains a patented technology called BioCell Collagen II®. Two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have confirmed BioCell's effects on factors that influence the appearance of skin elasticity and volume, improve skin texture, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

BioCell addresses one of the common de­nominators of aging: loss of connective tissue. Connective tissue helps give form and structure by acting as a "filler agent" and providing volume.

One of the components that the product contains is hyaluronic acid (HA), in the form of a water-filled gel. The human body produces approximately 3 grams of HA daily, but this diminishes with aging. BioCell helps to maintain HA levels. It is taken orally and is easily absorbed by the body.

How does benzoyl peroxide help treat acne?

Benzoyl peroxide is recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology as an effective antibacterial agent for treating acne. It reduces colonies of Propionibacterium acnes and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Benzoyl peroxide has been shown to create a keratolytic effect in the follicle from "sticking together" and creating follicular retention.

What two areas of the face does the Age Intervention® line target?

Age Intervention is a breakthrough in antiaging technology for adult women. Age Intervention Face addresses the appearance of a range of aging skin changes by targeting two critical areas: hormonal levels and changes associated with cumulative sun exposure.

As females age and hormonal levels drop, the sebaceous glands begin to atrophy, contributing to drier skin. In addition, the decline of estrogen results in reduced moisture content, exacerbating the formation of fine lines and wrinkles. Other hormonally related changes include thinning of the dermis, thinner and sparser elastin fibers, changes in collagen production, and changes in pigment cells.

The second and most challenging aspect of the skin-aging process is cumulative sun exposure. Two major factors involved in photodamaged skin are impaired immune function and inflammatory responses that trigger free-radical activity.

Describe the benefits of Factor-A and Factor-A Plus, and how they rejuvenate the skin and reduce the appearance of visible aging.

Factor-A and Factor-A Plus are retinoids—naturally occurring and synthetic compounds that have biological activity that resembles the activity of vitamin A. They play a critical role in skin growth, skin repair, and epithelial cell differentiation. Factor-A and Factor-A Plus are based on an active form of retinoid known as all-trans-retinol. When retinol comes in contact with the skin, a naturally occurring enzyme converts retinol into retinoic acid, the same form of vitamin A found in Retin-A®. Our proprietary stabilization system provides unparalleled benefits for skin rejuvenation .

What is your most popular face cream? Describe its benefits.

It's a close call between the Age Intervention face cream and our Transformation creams. I will focus on the Transformation formulation; it contains the patented 43-peptide Thymosin beta-4, transforming growth factor beta-1, additional selected peptides, and important anti-inflammatories.