Maybe you've heard of stem cells, as they have become an increasingly popular trend in the last few years with applications all thorughout modern medicine and aesthetics. Because stem cells are still somewhat new in the field of medicine, the information that is available can be difficult to understand or feel like medical jargon. So in todays blog we will dive into stem cells, what exactly they are and how they can be used in aesthetics.
There are three kinds of stem cells and each of them have unique qualities that make them different from each other. Stem cells are defined as cells that have no primary function which allows them the ability to differentiate into cells with primary finctions. The two main principles of stem cells are that they can replenish through self renewal and they can generate differentiated cells.
Stem cells can be either Multipotent, Pluripotent or Totipotent. They are classified as one of those three types of stem cells depending on their source and finction. Adult stem cells, which can be harvested from blood and bone marrow, are considered Multipotent. This is because adult stem cells are more limited in what they can become. Multipotent cells can only differentiate, or become, a type of cell in the tissue that it resides. Pluripotent cells are what most people know of when they think of stem cells. That is because pluripotent cells are the most controversial of all stem cell research. Pluripotent cells are the category of cells that embryonic stem cells belongs to. Embryonic stem cells are the foundation or building blocks for our entire anatomy, they are among some of the first cells to develop after conception. Pluripotent cells are far less limited than Multipotent cells, they are able to differentiate into any kind of stem cell in the body and not bound by the restraints of the tissue in which it resides. Pluripotent cells have unlimited use in mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm tissue. Lastly, we will explore Totipotent stem cells, which are most applicable to our practice. Totipotent stem cells are derived from plant tissue, otherwise referred to as the meristem. These totipotent cells are different because they are not only able to diffrentiate into any type of cell, much like pluripotent cells, but they are also able to UNdifferentiate without any external manupliation. This is extremely important, as it relates to aesthetics, because this effects the senescence or programmed cell death. All cells have a senescence or programmed cell death, because as we know, the more times a cell replicates the more likely it is that the cell will develop a deadly DNA mutation. Cancerous cells are a great example of deadly DNA mutations and how quickly they can take over. Totipotent cells replicate slower than traditional stem cells derived from mammals. The slower replication means less chance of a deadly DNA mutation and it also speaks to the lifetime stability of the cells.
So, now that we have established what stem cells are and the different kinds of stem cells, we can talk about how stem cells can be used in accordance with aesthetics. Our skin is constantly sheading old cells and needs new diffrentiated cells to replace the ones we are losing. There is also strong evidence that our hair bulge stores epidermal stem cells that then form hair cells or gland cells. Here at A Touch of Energy Wellness we use a special kind of plant stem cell from apples known for their exceptionally long life. These apple stem cells are used in combination with RF Microneedling to breathe new life into your skin. The Microneedling starts by creating tiny microscopic cuts in the skin which then allows the stem cells to be placed on the area and absorbed through the small tears in the skin. The act of creating small tears promotes the collegen in the skin to work overtime to come to the surface. Think of it like this, by creating small channels in your skin, the stem cells are able to go in and work overtime to increase the prodection of collegen in your skin, resulting in more firm, healthy and blemish free skin! The same technique can also be applied to the scalp to promote hair growth.
Are you totally hooked on Stem Cells now?! If so, give us a call at 513.620.7185 and let's talk about how we can use our Swiss Apple Stem Cells in your next treatment!