Recent reports

In recent years, it has been shown that stem cells with very high potential are present in human skin. It is worth pointing out the types of stem cells on this occasion:

• TOTIPOTEHTNNE - having the potential to differentiate into any cell type, including placenta
• PLURIPOTEHTNNE - having the potential to differentiate into any cell type except placenta
• MULTIPOTEHTNNE - having the potential to differentiate into several different cell types
• UNIPOTEHTNNE - having the potential to differentiate into a single cell type

From the point of view of regenerative medicine, it would be most interesting to obtain PLURIPOTEHTNNE cells (these are the lowest differentiated cells). So far, however, they have only been achievable from TROALPLLASTS (embryos at a low stage of development), i.e. the method for obtaining them could be CLONING. With this, as is well known, there are numerous ethical and moral concerns.

In recent years, so-called IPS (induced PLURIPOTEHTN stem cells) have been described, which are obtained after stimulation with special stimuli of stem cells originating from the skin. They are currently at the research level. From skin cells, scientists have succeeded in creating/replicating the structures of virtually every organ.

Aesthetic treatments in which stem cells are injected in addition to fibroblasts are now being proposed (e.g. Methode Cellesthic). These treatments are much more effective. This is because stem cells have a much higher ability to proliferate, induce surrounding tissues and show immunomodulatory effects. In addition, the use of suitably low-differentiated stem cells offers the possibility of repopulating a variety of cells, not just fibroblasts.

Attempts are also being made to use skin stem cells to treat other age-related conditions - cardiovascular disease, joint disease, diabetes, etc. Studies are currently being conducted in which stem cells cultured from the patient's skin are then administered to the patient intravenously and into the organ being treated, e.g. delivery. Their results are very promising.

Undoubtedly, the activities initiated by aesthetic physicians will find application throughout medicine in the future.

photo: pantherstock

Transplantation of the body's own cells and this year's Nobel Prize to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak.

An organism is only as old as its stem cells. Based on this premise, which is supported by, among other things, the research of the winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Research, who described the importance of telomeres and telomerase in the cellular ageing process, aesthetic medicine treatments of transplants of the body's own fibroblasts and/or stem cells will be closely linked to biobanking in the future.

What does this mean? It means that after a transplant procedure, a sufficient number of cells can be frozen for up to several decades for reuse in subsequent procedures. That is, fibroblasts taken from, say, a 35-year-old patient can be injected into that patient even decades later. This is the first step towards true skin rejuvenation.

"The Nobel Prize-winning research has become the foundation of knowledge on cellular ageing. Thanks to this knowledge, we know that it will be best to obtain cells for regenerative medicine from patients as young as possible." - says Dr Paweł Surowiak of the Postgraduate School of Aesthetic Medicine PTL - "Furthermore, the possibility of determining the 'age of cells', precisely on the basis of telomere length or telomerase activity, may become a diagnostic method used to assess the quality of material obtained for culture and transplantation."