Elina Tester : “I always give every woman a choice”
Dr. Elina Tester is a famous American businesswoman, scientist, and creator of the most advanced, breakthrough developments in the field of anti-aging skincare technologies. Today – she is president of the successful American research holding company, Corrective Development, and companies including, ABG Lab, DRK Technologies and Moscow-based Premier Pharm. Dr. Tester has deep roots in Russia that go back to the days of the USSR… where she was born and raised and where she obtained her advanced degree in biochemistry. Twenty-five years ago Dr. Tester immigrated to the USA. She had successfully defended her graduation thesis abroad and went on to earned her PhD in molecular biology from New York’s Long Island University. At the end of the 90s, Dr. Tester was one the first dermatological scientists to realize that slowing down and reversing skin aging is possible by means of molecular biology, and in particular, she was one of the first scientists to recognize the promise peptide technologies hold for use in corrective skincare. In 2000, Elina Tester founded her first company in New York. Amatokin™ or Polypeptide 1 became Dr. Tester’s first cutting-edge peptide technology and one that would revolutionize the skin care, cosmetology market.
AAM: Your motto – a personal product for every woman?
ET: Absolutely! Some women can easily spend 500 USD per dermatological procedure, while others cannot afford even 50 USD. My first technology – “Microdermabrasion in a jar” – is not an ordinary exfoliating cream, but contains the identical crystals found in microdermabrasion machines to give women, or men, a much more thorough facial renewal. This home-use product became an effective and unique alternative to the dermatological procedure. My technology immediately exploded the skin care market boundaries. It took plenty of time, money and effort to perfect my technology but the end result was well worth it, as demand for the product soared immediately following its release. In the USA today, “Microdermabrasion in a Jar” continues in high demand.
AAM: You are a Da Vinci of effective and unique treatments in mass cosmetology, aren’t you?
ET: Women should always have a choice. I have built my business on it. My creed is – “include every woman, suit every taste, and introduce any procedure that makes a woman more beautiful and more self-confident!” Everyone who works with me knows the most important thing for me is to combine science, business and natural beauty.
AMM: Speaking of exclusive technologies. As far as I know, you are using them in-house only, not offering them for private label use. Isn’t that right?
T: Yes, my technologies belong exclusively to my holding company and we do not offer these technologies to anyone else. At the same time, however, my company, Corrective Development, is working on “private label” product development for large transnational companies. We choose to tackle the very difficult problems when it comes to treating skin aging. This is the area of research that personally I am most interested in as a scientist and as a woman.
Doctor Louis Rinaldi, the marketing & product development Vice-president for the Holding Company has been with me in this endeavor for many years now. It was with him in 2002 that we created the Polypeptide-1, also known as AmatokinTM. You might wonder, why was it designated Polypeptide-1? Very simply, because it was the first polypeptide proven to rejuvenate adult skin stem cells when applied topically. And it was named Polypeptide-1 by the independent INCI committee to acknowledge its status as a breakthrough technology. Up to that point much work had been done from 2002 to 2006, when the peptide finally received this designation and an official certificate for use in the USA. Its eventual success was very exhilarating for me personally because it represented a tremendous advancement in cosmetology and corrective skin care, one of the first proteins able to send a specific signal that arouses “dormant” skin stem cells. Thereby getting to the very essence of facial rejuvenation. My dedication to this technology came from the certain belief that this peptide is exactly what is needed to help rejuvenate aging skin from within to create natural beauty for every woman who uses it. In the USA, Polypeptide-1 launched my reputation. To this day I remain the holder of the intellectual property related to Polypeptide-1 and continue to use it in my many technologies.
AAM: Am I correct in saying… as rumor has it… that you have created the alternative to the legendary botulinum toxin?
ET: My alternative peptide technology serves as a platform for many of my preparations. For example, quite recently we created the alternative product, Uvenox AP2™, a topical emulsion with a proprietary peptide complex proven to relax muscles and smooth the face by erasing expression fine lines and deep wrinkles. I plan to bring Uvenox AP2™ to Russia shortly after its USA launch.
Uvenox RX3™, the second product to be launched under the “Uvenox” brand, is a revolutionary product for hair mesotherapy. Polypeptide # 1 is part of both “Uvenox” products. To this day, no alternative to this polypeptide exists for topical application.
AMM: So you say that there are several kinds of alternatives to the botulinum toxin injections.
ET: Of course, there are many alternative topical anti-wrinkle products on the market today to suit diverse needs. Some women prefer to use a product for long-term treatment for 6 months or longer. Or a woman might opt to use a product for a month; satisfied that’s all she needs. Some women might be looking for an immediate effect, one lasting 24 hours, or even for an effect lasting only a few hours, just time enough for an important meeting or social engagement. My soon to be released topical anti-wrinkle technology under the Uvenox label will quickly relax facial muscles and give a wrinkle-smoothing benefit lasting 24 hours. It’s intended for those occasions when you want to look younger and wrinkle free, for a party let’s say, or special event, while keeping your full range of facial expressions… instead of a “frozen” look.
AAM: Do you include the polypeptide # 1 in every topical product?
ET: It is an essential technology because as I said earlier, polypeptide-1 gets to the essence, the very core, of skin rejuvenation. By that I mean, when you perform any cosmetological procedure you are partially suppressing your immune system. Polypeptide # 1 prevents skin immunity suppression. It doesn’t let the skin cells go to sleep, so to speak. It sends constant signals that prevent your skin cells and especially your stem cells from snoozing… going dormant. Instead, polypeptide-1 rouses skin cells. Stimulating cells to function at a high level, to repair and efficiently reproduce. That is the reason polypeptide-1 is able to effectively counteract the age-related depletion of skin cells… the very root cause of accelerated skin aging. Polypeptide-1 launches your skin-rejuvenating biological processes from within. Your skin becomes beautiful as a result. This is the goal and focus of all my products!
AMM: Can these alternative technologies force botulinum toxin out of the market?
ET: Nothing can totally replace the botulinum toxin. Think instead of Cosmetology as a treasure trove, wherein each product occupies a specific niche, and each product has its place. For instance, my flagship meso-therapy injection product, Meso-Wharton P199™, occupies a specific niche in the skin-corrective arsenal. And we are now, many years since its introduction and it still is in very high demand. If a technology is truly effective and accomplishes what it is intended to do, it can never become outdated. Its results will always be in demand.
But to return to your question, we now have the 2nd and even the 3rd generation of the botulinum toxin. It is what it is, one effective treatment choice… one among many! Everything has its alternative. For example, I developed a peptide with 153 amino acids; I have created another completely different peptide with 72 amino acids, named sh-oligopeptide-72. Polypeptide # 1 with 153 amino acids doesn’t occupy the same niche as sh-oligopeptide-72. They are diverse signaling technologies. They each have their own separate skin-rejuvenating mechanism, each one appropriate for different skin treatment needs. It is the main strategy of my business: I always give people a variety of choices! And in so doing I have devoted myself to developing technologies that counteract skin aging utilizing many separate treatment strategies.
AMM: How did sh-oligopeptide 72 emerge? As you say, this and Polypeptide-1 are two completely different technologies.
ET: I didn’t want to rest on my laurels after my first success with Polypeptide-1. I needed another breakthrough. Therefore, I got interested in everything related to wound healing. The point being that a wrinkle truly is a wound… a wound that doesn’t bleed. Nevertheless, this wound affects a person physically, psychologically and spiritually. I have realized what I am driven to achieve. That is, to make every mature woman’s skin as soft, smooth and radiant as a baby’s. So, I immersed myself in the science of intrauterine fetus development. As a result of my research, I learned that surgery… even extensive surgery… performed on a fetus leaves no scar. Truly fascinating, isn’t it? The baby is born without blemish, the skin fully in tact. And that remarkable ability of fetal skin to heal without blemish is due to the high stem cell content of the Wharton Jelly. On the subject of fetal surgeries, only a few surgeons in the world have the knowledge and skill to perform delicate fetal surgeries, and I feel lucky to collaborate closely with one of them.
As you probably know, I am talking about my partner, Doctor Boris Petrikovsky (PhD professor, director of NY Downtown Hospital, New York, USA).
As a result of our collaboration, Wharton’s Jelly, the source of fetal-skin healing, became the source of a newly synthesized protein, sh-oligopeptide 72, commercially known as Wharton Jelly Peptide P199. This technology is in very high demand, as it not only removes wrinkles, it also makes the skin young, firm and attractive. Well we knew it would be very effective for skin rejuvenation but we have encountered an unexpected benefit as well. Women treated with sh-oligopeptide 72 not only look younger, they actually feel younger and happier. There is an added emotional benefit to Meso-Wharton P199… a sensual benefit… and we don’t know exactly why that is!
AMM: Tell us a little secret, what are you developing currently?
ET: It seems to me that I have shared many secrets with you today. But I will tell you a little about our new developments.
What concerns a person most after 30 when he or she looks in a mirror? Wrinkles? Well yes, but that’s not all. With my products it is very easy erase wrinkles. Wrinkles no longer present the treatment challenge they once did. Today, I know mature people are tormented most by the effects of gravitational ptosis. These effects include sagging skin and facial contour-altering fat deposits, usually on the jawline, cheeks or below the chin. One cosmetics marketer aptly described it as “turkey neck”. But of course the manifestations can encompass the entire face, not just the neck. And it is a biological problem that has a profound psychological component. You can ignore wrinkles. But you simply cannot ignore this face-altering manifestation of age as it changes your appearance and often times dramatically.
My microcirculatory-stimulating peptide, Hexapeptide-17™ provides an effective solution of this problem. It is in the platform for my new technologies MesoSculpt™ C71 and MesoEye™ C71. To help me launch and publicize the efficacy and benefits of Meso-Sculpt C71 and Meso-Eye C71, I enlisted the support of the famous Manhattan plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael Kane to endorse these treatments. The Meso-Sculpt and Meso-Eye C71 technologies are unique, because they dissolve fat deposits, while at the same time lifting and firming the skin and improving the microcirculation processes, including lymphatic drainage. Thereby giving Meso-Eye C71 a profound effect on lightening dark circles as well as dissolving under-eye bags and puffiness.
The C71 technology removes fatty tissue and does not allow it to reappear. My company, ABG Lab developed the C71 technology in the United States and after much acclaim I presented it in many other markets throughout the world. It has been very well received and is a great success. I plan to launch Meso-Eye C71 and Meso-Sculpt C71 in Russia later this year.
In addition to C71 injection technology, the Uvenox Company and brand is currently developing a new line of anti-acne topical products, using a completely new protein called PAC78 combined with unique delivery system that will make it the most effective acne-fighting nonprescription product line in the world.
We continue working…
Although my family is my core, my work is my passion. And I keep close ties with my work colleagues; they look to me for inspiration, knowledge and support. And I’m always there for them. I am concerned about how they are getting on in their lives, the good and the not so good. It is important, because my team is my success and my business.
