The Spanish conqueror Ponca de Leon was instructed by Cortez in the 16th Century, to search somewhere in Mexico for the source of eternal youth. He at that time did not find it, but it however seems that we are today quite close: We carry it on the body; it is – indeed – the fat!
In my previous blog entry, I introduced you to the gentle microcannular liposuction. Besides the application for body contouring, it forms the basis for opening up the rejuvenating and regenerative power of stem cells from autologous fat. The fat obtained through microcannular liposuction entails large numbers of autologous stem cells that enrich cosmetic surgery in a very astonishing way.
In the past, doctors carelessly threw away the fat suctioned in the course of the liposuction, and patients were happy to be rid of the troublesome and seemingly worthless fat stores. We in the meantime know the true value of adipose tissue such as the so called “love handles” and what’s in it: the stem cells entailed in the fat are in fact something similar to the Fountain of Youth that Captain de Leon vainly sought – they have an amazing regenerative potential that medicine is only just beginning to discover. Adipose tissue is also the richest source of stem cells in the human body; it entails much more of it than bone marrow, the best known source of stem cells.
When used as part of a regenerative therapy, the power of autologous stem cells is opened up to rejuvenate the tissues, organs, and the whole organism. On the part of the aesthetic treatments, stem cells derived from autologous fat enable sustainable breast augmentation over the long term, skin rejuvenation, the stem cell facelift, as well as a natural, scar-free contouring of the silhouette in various body regions.
Whereas stem cells have been primarily used in the treatment of leukemia (blood cancer), developments now show that they can be used due to their regenerative potential for a variety of therapeutic and cosmetic treatments. The mechanisms through which the regeneration takes place is the subject of numerous scientific studies worldwide.
The regenerative stem cell therapy offers a comprehensive approach to regeneration and rejuvenation of the whole body. It is as such in cosmetic medicine also increasingly replacing “symptom treatments” with a scalpel and artificial fillers. Depending on the goals of the therapy, advisable can be a combination of Hormonal Regeneration® (BHRT), whereby the bio-identical hormones to compensate for age-related hormone deficiencies are administered. Existing signs of aging are as such carefully made to disappear or subside: the body is again stronger and enduring, the libido increases, and the skin gains freshness and firmness.
What all therapies that use stem cells from autologous fat have in common is that the stem cells entailed in the adipose tissue of the previously suctioned fat are extracted and subsequently administered to the body. Autologous stem cells open up their regenerative power in those places in the body, where they are needed. Organs and tissues are apparently regenerated and rejuvenated, and the stem cells can be even used as the basis of therapies for many degenerative and chronic diseases. Although many of these therapies are of course still subject to clinical research, one can nevertheless more or less say: here lies a great future!
In comparison to aesthetic treatments, in the course of regenerative stem cell therapies, smaller amounts of fat are initially suctioned away. The stem cells isolated through a complex laboratory procedure are successively administered to the body. Depending on the indication, they are either injected systemically or locally in a concerned organ or tissue. The surgery – including liposuction – is executed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia. By the intravenous administration, the stem cells find their way to the construction sites in the body, where their regenerative and healing effect is needed.
The therapeutic effect of stem cell therapy usually occurs several weeks after application. The rejuvenating and regenerative effect of stem cells leads to noticeable improvements in appearance, vitality and body functions that can even take on the character of a general rejuvenation.
Modern medicine may have found what Cortez and Ponca de Leon searched for in vain – the regenerative stem cell therapies have brought us a decisive step closer to the dream of the Fountain of Youth!
DDr. Heinrich, MD