Back in 1964, a man named Edward Anthony's life changed forever.

He was in jail at the time for dealing marijuana; only a 23-month sentence.

While behind bars, Anthony enrolled in a clinical trial for a Penn dermatologist named Albert Kligman, a giant in his field who made millions developing the popular acne drug Retin-A. Anthony and fellow inmates enrolled in the trial to make a few extra bucks, to help ward off the sexual predators and drug dealers that roamed the halls at Holmesburg.

Being in that study was the worst decision he ever made, Anthony told me this week. Penn doctors put him through tests that burned him and caused him unbearable pain. Anthony and most of his fellow inmates were functionally illiterate, unable to understand the informed-consent form that doctors hastily had him sign.

New skin saviours - Retinol

A new roster of new and updated ingredients have hit the beauty scene including retinol. Here's the lowdown on what it is and what it can do for your skin

Retinol

The newsThis year saw retinol caterpulted into the limelight. This was following the Horizon programme which showed that an anti-ageing skin serum - No7's now legendary Protect & Perfect - did actually work. The key ingredient was of course retinol, the vitamin A derivative that has been used in skincare for a number of years. The other side of the Atlantic, results came through from an American study into vitamin A. And they too gave the nod to its efficacy. A double hit for retinol. So now it's official, vitamin A (in the right format and at the right level) works.

Current Issue:

The world of sports has constantly demonstrated the tests of human strength, endurance and attaining personal goals.

Anabolic steroid and drug use in sports, however, has long created controversy and has also destroyed the careers of well known athletes like track star Marion Jones, who tested positive last year for the performance enhancing drug erythropoietin, or EPO.

If athletes are well aware of the repercussions — both physical and ethical — of steroid and drug abuse, why do they continue to use them?

"Most of them know that the damage is, for the most part somewhat minimal, and they know the performance improvements are significant. Most athletes, even if they think it will affect them, if they know that this is their way to the gold medal, they'll still use it," said Dan Wathen, head trainer of YSU's athletic department.

Variety of dog shampoos available

THIS TIME OF YEAR as the holidays approach and many people have house guests, it's natural to want to clean up the dog as well. If you bathe your own pets at home, here are a few tips on special shampoos for dogs.

For many dogs with greasy skin, look for a shampoo with benzoyl peroxide as the active ingredient. This is the same medication used in many acne medications, and it helps kill bacteria and dissolves grease the best.

Shampoos containing these ingredients are OxyDex, Sulf-OxyDex, and Pyoben.

For dogs with flaky skin (dandruff), look for a shampoo with sulfur and salicylic acid as active ingredients. These help to dissolve loose flakes off the surface of the skin.

Be aware that, following a bath with these shampoos, some dogs may appear more flaky at first as a result of detaching dead flakes of skin that were soon to flake off anyway.

Leading Cosmetic Dermatologist James Fairfield Sorts Out Ordinary Fractionating Lasers from the True FraxelTM Laser, ...

Leading Cosmetic Dermatologist James Fairfield, MD has just released the first of a series of free article on his web site. "FraxelTM -- or just a Fractionating laser? Why it's important to you" is available for immediate download at www.CMDerm.com.

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Feeling stressed? Your skin and hair can show it

Feeling stressed? Your skin, hair and nails can show it as they're the external indicators.

While everyone knows that stress can take a toll on a person physically and psychologically, researchers in the United States have carried out a study and found that it also can lead to dermatological problems, like acne, brittle nails or even hair loss, the ScienceDaily reported.

"When a person becomes stressed, the level of the body's stress hormone (cortisol) rises. This in turn causes an increase in oil production, which can lead to oily skin, acne and other related skin problems.

"Stress can aggravate the skin and trigger unexpected flare-ups that, in effect, create more stress for patients," lead researcher Dr Flor A. Mayoral of the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine was quoted as saying.

SOLUTIONS: Four great ways to use an orange

Did you know an orange has uses other than eating it for its deliciously sweet and naturally juicy flavor? The citrus scent may help sweeten up your kitchen and the orange peel could be used as a beauty aid.

ANT HILLS BE GONE

Do you have an ant problem around your home? Try blending orange peels and mixing with water. Place directly on the anthill. Chip Tynan of the Missouri Botanical Garden's Horticultural Answer Service says citrus extracts are known to have some insecticidal properties.

ACNE REMEDY .