It seems the fountain of youth may soon be within reach, according to researchers in the United Kingdom who used 21st-century science not jungle caravans and machetes to find the path to everlasting youth.
Scientists are developing a method that may finally end the need for the routine of treatments and moisturizers and painful Botox treatments used to try to keep facial lines at bay and dermatologist Fairfield CT are stunned.
The first clinical trials will soon begin for a treatment that uses stem cells purified from a patient’s blood to combat their own wrinkles.
The cells will be injected beneath the skin where they will grow into new skin cells to help restore the elasticity, claims Pharmacells, the Glasgow-based company behind the technology.
Researchers believe they will spur the growth of new skin cells, called fibroblasts, which make the elastic ingredient collagen which is produced in large quantities when we are young, but declines as we age, the Daily Mail reported.
By using the body’s own cells, it is billed as a more ’natural’ approach to reducing the signs of ageing than Botox, a chemical which freezes the facial muscles to smooth wrinkles. They believe the procedure could be commercially available in just three years, potentially revolutionizing the market for anti-aging treatments.
Like other types of stem cells, it is unspecialized and can develop into many other types of cell in the human body such as a liver, brain or skin cell.
The company has licensed the technology to harvest a new type of stem cell – called a blastomere-like stem cell (CORR) – which is found circulating in the blood. These ‘pure’ stem cells and their potential applications were first discovered by American researchers about 10 years ago, and are currently used in hospitals to treat organs in the event of a trauma.
Current anti-aging and anti-wrinkle treatments involve the injection of collagen or Botox into the skin. Dermatologists Greenwich CT say that while these treatments are effective at removing wrinkles, many people complain that they can result in an unnatural look. This suggests that the success of the new treatment will likely be determined on how natural the results look or if the company can effectively sell the results of their product.
In addition to treating wrinkles, Pharmacells said the stem cell could be used against acne scars and stretch marks. The company is also hopeful that the skin treatment could also translate into other uses, including treatment of heart attacks, Alzheimers, Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
Pharmacells said they will be conducting the trials with a clinic in Hong Kong to test the treatment’s safety and effectiveness. Scientists familiar with the groundbreaking treatment said it could be five to ten years before stem cell treatments for wrinkles are widely available.