The latest issue of the National Enquirer has an interesting story (which I am quoted in) that claims Suzanne Somers is going to have a stem cell facelift. Apparently her latest book contains a lot about her ideas with stem cells and their possible benefits. She mentions getting her stem cells banked in a recent blog post, as well.
So what is the stem cell facelift? Basically, stem cells are extremely young cells which can divide and grow into the cells of the organ they are transplanted into. That's why stem cells are very promising for cancer treatments, where treatment often includes removing large portions of important organs. Many people believe that stem cells which are transplanted into the face can help reverse aging by becoming youthful skin and fat. The stem cell procedure/device is not FDA approved for this purpose, however, so the actual stem cell facelift cannot be performed in the U.S.
Currently the closest thing we have to a stem cell facelift in the U.S. is the Volumetric Facelift, or a facelift combined with fat grafting. I was a coauthor of the original scientific paper that described this procedure back in 2004. For that article, click here. The difference between fat grafting and actual stem cell injections is that although fat is chock full of stem cells, the fat contains other cells as well.
Photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
5 comments:
I have to hand it to this gal. She's really on top of things.
I think she's a little bit kooky but a lot cool. I will always love her for her promotion of "bioidentical" hormones. As for the stem cell experiment, it might be difficult to tell whether or not it's a success because she's clearly had several procedures done already. It would be more interesting to do this to a person who hasn't had any procedures.
Stem cell therapy is set to become a major part of ATS, cancer, hearing loss treatments and of course plastic surgery. The need is however, is to ensure that these are stored in perfect condition before actually getting transplanted to the receiver’s body. This has made the industry of 'controlled rate freezers' to grow at a fast pace to keep up with the demand. I am doing a paper on ‘The Uses of Stem Cell Perseverance and the Techniques of Storing Them’ and found your post valuable.
Cynthia Beattie Mcgill
Stem Cell Facelift? Huh??! I am a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and I have no idea what is a stem cell facelift.
Hollywood is filled with gimmicks, and this sounds like another one.
I agree with Dr. Youn, that routine fat grafting to the face is terrific. Restoring lost volume is significantly rejuvenative.
Whether the stem cells in the transplanted fat really provide much help is debatable.
I have no problem with a celebrity or anyone else having "work" done but when they do and then come on TV such as she does on HSN and says,
"Oh I look like this because I use only this which you can purchase today for a low $100 and look as good as me!" THAT'S when I have a problem because where I am from that's a liar.
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