So I have been reading my Aesthetic Surgery Journal July 2021, and there are lots of abstracts and articles about skin treatments. As an aging woman, and a plastic surgeon, I read these avidly- What really works? What is just hype and what is real?
Anytime I see a study, like the one I just read about PRP with hyaluronic acid, where they conclude “it is promising” but the study was done by looking at photos and not looking at histologic biopsies, I don’t buy it. Any treatment which states it improves the skin quality- whether it is a laser, cream, or other- should have HISTOLOGIC BIOPSIES showing the improvement. If not, then I think it is all hogwash. Science is real. It is provable.
So, I loved this study “Adipose Derived Stem Cells Improve the Aging Skin of Nude Mice by Promoting Angiogenesis and Reducing Local Tissue Water.”
- Nude mice where photoaged
- They measured blood perfusion and local tissue water.
- 7 weeks after stem cell injection on one side (the other was the control), they measured multiple things: thickness of dermis, density of capillaries, and expression of angiogenic growth factors.
Findings? The stem cell side:
- significantly increased thickness of the dermis
- increased number of capillaries
- increased expression of angiogenic growth factors
- blood perfusion was significantly higher
- lower water content
My thoughts?
Speaking to the choir here. Over and over these studies with real science- biopsies, histology- show fat derived stem cells cause actual improvement in skin. Period. I see it in my patients. Their fine lines improve, acne pitting improves, pore size gets smaller. They get a dewy appearance of the skin again. It is magic and real. Don’t waste your money on other treatments which are not causing foundational change- they are just temporarily making things better and they are expensive.