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How to achieve younger-looking skin without the scalpel

By DR. GRACE CAROLE BELTRAN, The Philippine STAR Published Aug 22, 2023 5:00 am

The idea of growing older gracefully is a noble one. But in this day and age, looking good is not just a matter of vanity but also of professional survival. Luckily, a proliferation of next-generation, non-invasive aesthetic procedures offer subtle refreshment without the scalpel.

However, most people who are in their 50s—some even in their mid-40s—can’t recognize themselves anymore when they see their reflections in the mirror, a jarring sensation that French people call coup de vieux (sudden aging). Gravity still finds us all, no matter what food we eat, antioxidants we take, or how conscientious we are about our exercise and sleep.

Skincare

Money is of the essence here, too, without which procedures for rejuvenation would just remain available but not utilized. 

Here are some of the latest rejuvenation procedures that may be helpful for those experiencing physical changes that are not yet in its advanced stages:

Rejuran. Even if one is already investing in an arsenal of skincare products and following a strict diet and workout routine, it might not be enough to correct the damage done to the deeper layers of your skin.

Salmon sperm, or milt, is looking to change all that. Japanese researchers discovered that salmon DNA (that has been put through a strict purification process to transform it into a stable and more concentrated solution that is safe to use in humans) has the potential to perform deep, cellular repair to treat a variety of skin issues, including hard-to-treat cystic acne, enlarged pores, and hyperpigmentation.

In this day and age, looking good is not just a matter of vanity but also of professional survival.

This finally led to the development of Rejuran Healer from Korea, which encourages the skin to heal and repair itself from the inside out (it promotes blood vessel growth, essential for the transportation of oxygen and nutrients that cells need for growth and repair). It is also able to treat a whole list of other skin conditions including eczema, deep-set acne scars, dark eye circles, melasma and stretch marks.

It is an injectable that contains the active ingredient polynucleotides or polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) that offers remarkable wound-healing capabilities, stimulating the growth of fibroblasts, a cell type that produces collagen production in the skin and replaces old damaged cells for new ones. It also activates the skin to produce more hyaluronic acid, which helps with hydration and elasticity. 

As a result of its regenerative effects, fine lines and wrinkles are filled, and the skin barrier is stronger and thicker. With time it also supports the lightening of acne scars as well. What makes it different from other treatments is that it works deep down in the dermis to gradually improve the biological condition of damaged cells to reveal radiant, glowing skin. It promotes healing on the cellular level, regardless of whether the skin is healthy or not.

Ultracol is the world’s first PDO powder ingredient of absorbable threads, use for sutures for more than 30 years already. It is a safe raw material known to be a collagen bio-stimulator made of microspheres with poly dioxanone and collagen-stimulating peptides. It is designed to lift and tighten by injecting the solution into the skin. It regenerates collagen effectively, brightens and tightens the skin, improves skin firmness, elasticity and hydration. It stimulates new tissue growth and helps rebuild the structure of collagen inside the skin. It gives a natural, lifted appearance and can be used on the whole face area. You can expect visible improvement after a month, as collagenesis happens within the first 28 days. Usual swelling and bruising may sometimes be expected for the first week. 

Skin treatment session

This procedure is minimally invasive and can be done in a short amount of time as a lunchtime procedure. With treatment sessions repeated after three months and on the ninth month from its first application, results can last for 16 to 24 months. 

The thing that I really like about this treatment is that there are no scary complications like discoloration, burns, or scarring, as in use of lasers; no skin necrosis and blindness due to the inadvertent occlusion of the blood vessels after filler injections. So its safety is its bestselling point compared to other noninvasive procedures like fillers and lasers.

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (HMSC).Kiseki” is how I would label this treatment, which is being used for almost all indications. Given that tissue damage caused by inflammation is a key process triggered in response to injury, disease and aging, HMSC could become the gold standard for the treatment of any tissue or organ damage associated with intense inflammatory activity. HMSC could definitely play a positive role in promoting tissue repair.

 

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) move from their niche in the bone marrow into circulation (mobilization) and then goes into injured tissue, lining the walls of blood vessels and adhering. By direct cell-to-cell contact and secretion of small proteins that support growth, survival and cell differentiation, tissue is rejuvenated and brought back to an acceptable functional level. It has the capacity to differentiate and trans-differentiate into organ-specific cells (meaning it can become kidney cells, liver cells, heart cells, etc.). 

Studies have shown that our cells decrease in their ability to proliferate, differentiate and mobilize with age; hence, healing is difficult and takes longer in the aging population. Aside from skin and hair rejuvenation, diseased organs like the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, bones, eyes, spinal cord, intestines, and brain can be treated with this procedure.