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In this episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ekta Yadav sits down with Dr. Samuel Lynch, Founder and CEO of Lynch Regenerative Medicine (LRM) and a pioneer in regenerative medicine whose groundbreaking research helped establish the role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in tissue healing and contributed to the development of FDA-approved regenerative therapies. Drawing from more than three decades of scientific research, Dr. Lynch explores the biological mechanisms behind tissue regeneration, the importance of growth factor signaling, and why the future of regenerative aesthetics must be grounded in clinical evidence rather than marketing claims.
Who is Dr. Samuel Lynch?
A regenerative medicine pioneer who spent 35 years studying how the body heals. Working beside the American Red Cross, he isolated the protein in platelets that signals injury and triggers repair. "I spent my whole career trying to answer two very simple questions. One, how does a body know that it's been injured... and two, how does it stimulate the healing process?"
What is PDGF?
Platelet derived growth factor, the protein released from a blood clot that kickstarts healing. Lynch isolated it, mapped its gene, and produced it in yeast cells as pure recombinant human PDGF. "It remains the only growth factor to have ever gotten FDA approval for tissue regeneration," he says, after treating over five million patients in dental and bone medicine.
Why is PDGF so effective for regeneration?
Because it is both the most potent and the most balanced growth factor. Unlike actives that force one type of collagen, PDGF raises types one, three, and six collagen, elastin, and natural hyaluronic acid, plus blood supply. "It gives you a really nice, balanced rejuvenative and regenerative response," Lynch says, taking healing capacity from how it is at 50 back toward 18.
What makes PDGF-BB different from other forms?
It is the only form that activates both PDGF receptor types. Other isoforms each reach only one receptor, limiting the response. "PDGF-BB... is the only type of PDGF that stimulates both isoforms of receptors in your body," Lynch explains, producing its whole body, holistic effect.
Do the growth factors in exosomes and PDRN actually work?
Rarely at meaningful levels, according to Lynch. Many products claim growth factors, but the amounts are tiny and, in his view, subtherapeutic. "To detect a growth factor on a laboratory bench... is a night and day difference from using it therapeutically," he says, stressing medicine requires consistent, reproducible doses like insulin.
Do topical growth factor serums work on intact skin?
Mostly unproven, Lynch says. A serum may deliver a short glow, but lasting regeneration needs the growth factor to reach past the surface. "To get the longer lasting true tissue regeneration... you need to do something to disrupt the surface of the skin," whether microneedling, peels, or lasers, so the molecule can penetrate.
How does PDGF reduce downtime after microneedling or laser?
By speeding you through the inflammatory phase of healing. PDGF modulates inflammation and upregulates the body's other growth factors, moving skin faster to repair. "Your redness, your swelling, your pain, the heat... after a laser or a microneedling treatment is significantly reduced," Lynch says of topical PDGF after a procedure.
What is the PDGF under eye trial?
A Phase 2B FDA trial injecting pure PDGF for under eye hollowing, which Lynch reports is the first pure growth factor to reach this stage with FDA approval, a randomized controlled study in up to 75 patients. "The safety of this molecule has been established beyond any other growth factor, period," built on two decades of injection studies.
Why is under eye hollowing so hard to treat?
Because it is multifactorial, and existing options fall short. Fillers can migrate or cause vascular problems, and PRP and PRF have underwhelmed, which is why Lynch sees heavy off label PDGF use there. Most patients, he argues, "would rather have their own tissue regenerated than... a filler injected."
Listen to the full episode with Dr. Samuel Lynch on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Cosmetic chemist Lei Smith, founder of Leitin Skincare, joins Skin Anarchy to pull back the curtain on formulation: what barrier repair really means, how to tell if an active is actually dosed to work, why price rarely signals quality, and why hyperpigmentation is so hard to treat.
How did Lei Smith get into cosmetic chemistry?
Through curiosity and a string of passions. A former banker turned landscape gardener, Smith started formulating as a hobby about six years ago after struggling to find skincare that worked for him. "It's like an endless, you can never know everything. And I love that about it," he says of the field that finally held his focus.
Why does he keep his brand out of retail?
To protect the quality of his formulas. Smith explains that retail forces formulations down to roughly 10 to 15 percent of the selling price, leaving little room for real ingredients. "In order for me to keep formulations where people get good value... I have to do it in house," running his cost of goods near 30 percent instead.
What does barrier repair really mean?
More than slathering on ceramides. Smith stresses that barrier health is tied to lifestyle, stress, and finding the right formula for your skin type, not a single hero ingredient. "It's not a specific set of ingredients," he says, noting a popular ceramide cream might dry his own skin out, and that skincare should be revised every decade.
How can you tell if an active is dosed to actually work?
Often by the math behind the price. Smith notes a $30 toner built on a 15 percent cost of goods contains under $4 of ingredients, which limits what can truly be inside. "Just because the cosmetic product is expensive... that is definitely not the case," he warns, since price misleads in both directions.
Does skincare need a penetration system to work?
For many actives, yes. Smith says peptides and other actives often struggle to cross the skin, so a serum should make its delivery method clear. "I wouldn't buy a peptide serum if it wasn't in some type of" penetration system, he says, pointing to encapsulation, liposomes, or carriers like urea as what separates a working formula from a hopeful one.
Can you use copper peptides with vitamin C or acids?
Keep them apart from pure vitamin C, with nuance. Smith explains that low pH acids can disassociate the copper and cause inflammation, and that the caution around vitamin C applies mainly to ascorbic acid. "I would definitely keep it away from ascorbic acid, but when it comes to derivatives, there is no data," he says, so he plays it safe given the cost.
Why is hyperpigmentation so hard to treat?
Because it runs across many pathways at once. Smith breaks it down: UV creates oxidative stress, inflammation degrades collagen, and melanocytes must be controlled at several steps, from tyrosinase to pigment transfer. "There's not a product really out there" that hits all of them, he says, which is why calming inflammation early matters as much as targeting melanocytes.
Does a higher price mean better skincare?
No, and the assumption costs consumers. Smith is blunt that expensive does not equal effective, and that cosmetic chemists formulating in house often beat retail on value. "If I was led by price, I wouldn't produce a good formula," he says, because he formulates for efficacy first and prices second.
How can consumers spot real value in skincare?
Look for a visible difference and read the label. Smith and the host agree good skincare should show a result, and that buzzy peptide names parked at the bottom of an ingredient list signal very low doses. His advice is to stop trusting brand prestige and start reading formulations, because efficacy, not packaging, is what delivers.
Listen to the full episode with Lei Smith of Leitin Skincare on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Shino Bay Aguilera joins Skin Anarchy to reframe how we think about aging: the psychology behind aesthetic choices, why filler alone can backfire, how the face ages decade by decade, and why the future is about rescuing cells rather than replacing tissue.
Who is Dr. Shino Bay Aguilera?
A cosmetic dermatologist who grew up in poverty in Panama and knew his path at five. Childhood asthma and skin boils taught him how appearance shapes how people are treated. "The way my skin looked like it dictated the way I would feel that day. And how people would treat me," driving a mission to help patients physically and emotionally.
What is the psychology behind aesthetic treatments?
A primitive survival instinct reading skin for health. Aguilera says the reptilian brain scans skin, hair, and nails for genetic fitness signals, which is why beauty is a multibillion dollar industry. "Skin is so important... because it advertises youth, beauty, and fertility." We are judged by our skin, consciously or not.
Why can filler alone backfire over time?
Because replacing tissue with gel does not age naturally. Aguilera warns against what he calls transhumanism in aesthetics, using synthetic filler to replace every imploding tissue. "You cannot look human if all you have in your head is a synthetic gel to replace every single tissue." He uses filler for support and beautification, and collagen stimulators to preserve the bone.
How does the face age decade by decade?
In predictable, staged implosions: the skin loses hyaluronic acid and collagen first, then facial fat in the 40s, then bone in the 50s, then laxity in the 60s. "By the time you're 40, 45, you lost 25% of the collagen on your skin, and that's why you see saggy skin." He describes two rapid aging spurts, 40 to 45 and 60 to 65.
What should you do for your skin in your 20s?
Less than you think, and nothing aggressive. Aguilera cautions that being proactive does not mean starting filler early. "Don't think that being proactive means that you need to start doing fillers and sculptra... if you don't need it." Protect the skin, avoid sun and smoking, rest well, and treat breakouts with a dermatologist.
What are zombie cells, and why do they matter?
Senescent cells that accumulate when you overwork aging skin. Aguilera says forcing older fibroblasts to perform through constant lasers and injectables exhausts them into dysfunctional zombie cells, so skin keeps aging despite treatment. "I'm exhausting my fibroblasts, I'm contributing to zombie cells," he realized, shifting to cell centric treatment.
What skincare ingredients is he most excited about?
Those that rescue cells and support the matrix. Aguilera points to hyaluronic acid conjugated with alpha lipoic acid, needle like heparan sulfate for hydration, and new compounds that rescue cells from senescence. "I want bioregeneration," he says, meaning skin that looks like a healthy, younger version of itself rather than just more collagen.
How does a dermatologist vet skincare products?
With evidence, not marketing. Aguilera wants novel molecules backed by studies, histology, and gene analysis. "I don't just want to see a histological slide. Let me see what gene you upregulate." Before bringing anything into his clinic, he tests it on his own skin and interrogates the science.
Why does integrated skincare matter alongside procedures?
Because the right products protect the investment. Aguilera notes most patients otherwise buy the wrong things and risk reactions, so recommending skincare is part of good care. "That investment... is going to excel and perform and give them better results," framing the small added cost as what makes an expensive procedure deliver.
Listen to the full episode with Dr. Shino Bay Aguilera on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Jon DiNapoli, founder of creative agency JMD and designer behind fragrances for Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Tommy Hilfiger, joins Skin Anarchy to unpack how a brand comes alive: where creative direction starts, why packaging now sells the product, and how to balance art, cost, and commerce.
How did Jon DiNapoli get into beauty branding?
Through a newspaper ad his mother circled. A graphic design graduate, he answered an Estee Lauder listing 27 years ago and was mentored by industry figure Catherine Walsh. "It's this one little push from mom that kind of catapulted this career in a direction that I'm still pushing in," he says, having worked under Walsh over 15 years before founding JMD.
Where does creative direction for a brand start?
With questions, not sketches. DiNapoli's first move is extracting everything he can before designing, because a brand only works if it is true to itself. "Anyone can put a brand out on the market, but it's not going to work unless it's authentic to that brand itself." A Marc Jacobs fragrance has to feel like Marc Jacobs, not like him.
What white space led him to start JMD?
The gap between creative talent and business know how. As a creative lead at Coty, DiNapoli sat in sales, PR, and financial meetings, learning what sells and how products get made. "There were many agencies that were amazing... but they didn't have that back end knowledge," so he built JMD to pair design with years of brand side experience.
How important is sustainability in beauty packaging now?
It is no longer optional. DiNapoli says clean and sustainable design has shifted from a differentiator to a baseline expectation. "It used to be you stand out if you're sustainable... now it's the price of doing business. If you're not, you fail." His team revisits even launched products, like a Clean Reserve cap moved to fully wooden construction.
How do you design a brand that can grow?
By building expansion in from the first bottle, so a single launch can become a franchise. With Sabrina Carpenter's Sweet Tooth, the pink chocolate bar bottle was designed to extend into flavors. "When she launched... the song Espresso, we quickly did an espresso fragrance," because the brand had legs to grow with the artist.
What makes packaging rise above the noise?
A clear hook and a story that reads instantly. DiNapoli treats packaging as art you want to display, and tests it ruthlessly: picture only the box on a shelf. "Is that gonna tell the story? Are they gonna know what we're trying to say? And if not, we're not doing our job right." The constant is balancing commerce against art.
Why is packaging more important than ever?
Because people now buy fragrance without smelling it. With digital retail and social media replacing the store counter, the bottle is the first and often only point of entry. "People are buying fragrances now without knowing what they smell like," DiNapoli says, which magnified the role of packaging.
How do you balance packaging cost against the formula budget?
By knowing the budget before designing anything. DiNapoli says nothing frustrates him more than a brief with no real budget, because beautiful work that runs triple the cost is pointless. "If they're three times over the budget, what's the point?" Experience lets him design within the right price world from the start.
How does skincare branding differ from fragrance?
Efficacy comes first, packaging second. For skincare, DiNapoli says the clinical result matters most, and the design must still tell the story without overshadowing the science. He points to the Italian brand Aquium, created by an oncologist for dry, cracked skin, where "the two came together," pairing a proven formula with elevated design.
Listen to the full episode with Jon DiNapoli of JMD on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about JMD Creative
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Dr. Barbara Paldus of Codex Labs joins Skin Anarchy to explain how cancer treatments affect the skin barrier and what gentle supportive care can look like. This episode is educational only, not medical advice, and everything here should be run by your oncology team first.
What is the skin barrier?
Not one wall, but a living defense system. Dr. Paldus describes five interconnected barriers: physical, chemical, microbial, immunological, and neurosensory. "We go from the physical to the chemical to the microbial to the immunological and to the neurosensory." Each one, she notes, affects the others.
Why do cancer treatments affect the skin?
Because treatments target rapidly dividing cells, and skin renews constantly. Chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, and radiation each hit renewing tissue differently. "Any tissue in your body that is continuously renewing itself, like your skin or your gut, will be affected," Paldus explains, which can slow repair, reduce oil, and disrupt the microbiome.
What is radiation dermatitis?
The skin reacting within the area exposed to radiation, from mild redness and dryness to burning, peeling, tenderness, or breakdown, usually building gradually over sessions. "It may not happen during your first treatment, but it can happen maybe on the second or the third one," Paldus says, stressing the radiation team must monitor it.
What is hand foot syndrome?
Redness, swelling, tingling, and pain on the palms and soles during certain treatments. Because hands and feet face the most friction, heat, and pressure, symptoms can disrupt everyday life. "They can interfere with walking, putting on your shoes, exercising, cooking," Paldus notes, advising patients to report it early.
What skin symptoms during cancer treatment need urgent attention
Several warrant immediate care. Paldus lists rapidly spreading rashes, extensive blistering or peeling, severe pain, open or draining wounds, honey colored crusts, and fever or chills with a skin problem. "Any kind of swelling, especially facial swelling or lip and tongue swelling," plus trouble breathing, means emergency care.
What does a gentle skincare routine look like during cancer treatment?
As simple as possible: lukewarm water, brief showers, fragrance free cleansers that never leave skin tight, patting dry, and moisturizing within three minutes. "When you start cancer treatment, that is usually not the ideal time to experiment with multiple potent active ingredients." The keyword is monitor.
Is "natural" skincare safe during cancer treatment?
No, not by default. Paldus is direct that a natural label guarantees nothing, and that formulation matters more than any single word on a label. "Natural ingredients can irritate the skin, cause allergies, or interact with the treatment just as much as synthetic materials." She urges fragrance free products, patch testing on intact skin, and clearing any routine with the team.
How should you manage itching during cancer treatment?
Gently, and with a threshold for escalation. Mild dryness and itch can ease with moisturization, soft clothing, cool compresses, and short fingernails to limit scratching. "If it's persistent or intense, that can also be a reaction to medication," or a sign of deeper issues, Paldus cautions, meaning it needs medical evaluation.
What is the one thing to remember about skin care during cancer treatment?
That the skin is a system to support, not a surface to treat alone. Paldus frames supportive care as improving comfort and quality of life while staying coordinated with the oncology team. "The skin is a protective system, not a passive covering," and any worsening symptom should be assessed, never self treated.
Listen to the full episode with Dr. Barbara Paldus on Skin Anarchy, available wherever you get your podcasts.
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*This episode is educational and does not provide individual medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding symptoms, skincare, diet, supplements, and treatment decisions.
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