Former US movie star and bestseller author Suzanne Somers is known for trying novel body rejuvenation and regeneration therapies on herself. Hence she has been one of the most enthusiastic users of Hormonal Regeneration® (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, BHRT) for a number of years and has written many books on the subject. One of them, Breakthrough, was recently a major issue for Samantha, Carrie, and their friends in the Hollywood film Sex and the City 2.
According to recent media reports, Suzanne supposedly had a stem cell facelift. US media showed photos of her with a swollen face. However, when I asked her about this topic, she said that she is generally interested in this treatment because she promotes the gentle treatments of New Cosmetic Surgery, but she didn’t actually have a stem cell facelift. The media had manipulated photographs showing her because the stem cell facelift is currently a hot topic in Hollywood.
Just how does a stem cell-assisted facelift work without excising any supposedly excess tissue with a scalpel? Not everything that is advertised as a stem cell facelift truly deserves that name. Doctors have been performing “fat grafting” and autologous lipotransfers to restore lost volume to the face for several decades. Owing to the already high natural stem cell content of the fat, these procedures usually do bring about a certain improvement of skin quality. Only the use of concentrated stem cell suspensions or of stem cell-enriched autologous fat, however, enables sustainable facial rejuvenation.
Hence there are two kinds of stem cell facelifts, and we have been offering both in our Clinic DDr. Heinrich® since 2007 with great success: In faces that have become haggard with age, stem cell-enriched autologous fat is injected in order to rejuvenate the face and restore volume. This method, like the injection of autologous fat, causes temporary swellings and a lasting volume increase in the face.
Suzanne’s face looks young for her age and her cheeks are full because she takes bioidentical hormones (Hormonal Regeneration®) on a regular basis. If she wanted to undergo a stem cell facelift I’d just inject a stem cell suspension instead of stem cell-enriched fat. Hardly any volume is added with this procedure; nevertheless skin and tissue are rejuvenated through the regenerative power of the stem cells.
Stem cell-assisted facelifts offer women and men even outside Hollywood many advantages compared to standard facelifts with scalpels: All necessary steps from the liposuction to the implanting of the stem cells take place under gentle local anesthesia and there are no scars. Hence patients are fully mobile after the procedure and can be allowed to go home. In many cases the stem cell facelift has made facelifts with scalpels obsolete!
DDr. Heinrich, MD