MedEsthetics—business education for medical practitioners—provides the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures, treatment trends, product and equipment reviews, legal issues and medical aesthetics industry news.
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���We can now construct computer simulations to help us ���nd out which substances have to be added to different drugs to open up the skin,��� said Lars Norl��n, associate professor at Karolinska Institutet���s Dermatology and Venereology Unit in a press statement released by the Institutet in April. ���We hope to one day be able to administer regular drugs like insulin and antibiotics this way.��� The study, published in the May issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, also highlights the potential for developing more effective antiaging topical formulations. A second breakthrough came in July 2012 when Chad Mirkin, director of Northwestern���s International Institute for Nanotechnology, reported using nucleic acid nanoparticles and topical moisturizers to penetrate the stratum corneum and deliver gene regulation technology directly to cells. The technology is detailed in ���Topical Delivery of siRNA-based Spherical Nucleic Acid Nanoparticle Conjugates for Gene Regulation,��� an article appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (July 24, 2012). This was the ���rst published investigation demonstrating the ability of nanoparticles to carry therapeutic payloads deep into the dermis. In this case the nanostructures were designed to target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a biomarker associated with a number of skin cancers, but similar nanostructures could just as easily target biomarkers associated with wrinkles in aging skin. These stem cells grow readily in a laboratory setting and can be used to produce biological compounds. Cutting-edge discoveries like these indicate where skincare may be headed, but where are we today? What is the state of the art when it comes to today���s products and their purported use of stem cells, growth factors, DNA guided formulations and nano delivery systems? We spoke with four industry insiders and combed the literature to discover the top trends of 2012 and the facts behind the headlines. Trend 1: Stem Cell Technology Marketing materials for skincare products would have us believe that stem cells from plants as diverse as ancient Swiss apples and reishi mushrooms hold the answer to younger-looking skin. Most scientists aren���t buying it. First of all, plant stem cells are very different from human stem cells. Their meristem system produces undifferentiated cells that can go on to become any part of the plant. These stem cells grow readily in a laboratory setting 34 MARCH/APRIL 2013 | MedEsthetics and can be used to produce biological compounds with unique properties. It is these compounds, not the plant stem cells, that are being used in skincare products. ���Some major companies are working in this area and showing some interesting results,��� says Rahul Mehta, PhD, vice president of research and development, SkinMedica (skinmedica.com). ���Some plant stem cell extracts are high in antioxidants and may be useful in improving certain skin conditions, but they are source dependent, and we need to see a lot more evidence.��� What about human skin cells? It turns out they cannot be used in skincare products either. ���No living material can be,��� explains Simon Craw, PhD, executive vice president, business development, International Stem Cell Corporation, parent company of Lifeline Skin Care (lifelineskincare.com). ���What we use are the proteins, peptides and enzymes extracted from human stem cells. These molecules stimulate your own skin cells by sending messages, for example, telling them to produce more collagen and elastin. In essence, they stimulate your body���s own skin cells to act like younger versions of themselves.��� Lifeline Skin Care begins with pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized eggs and uses a patent-pending process to obtain the stem cell extract used in its products. ���Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to become any kind of cell, from those making up the cornea to those forming toenails. Lots of skincare products say they include stem cells, but it���s important to ask about the �� ISTOCKPHOTO.COM ANTIAGING SKIN CARE