Stem cells are the raw, main component of the body. They are the main cells that produce all other cells with special functions (muscle, cartilage, bone cells, etc.).
In the body or under suitable conditions in the laboratory, stem cells divide to produce more cells performing different functions.
These new cells either create new stem cells or become differentiated cells withspecialized functions, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells, or bone cells. No other cells than the stem cell in the body are capable of producing new cell types. The Healthcare sector has been using stem cells as a treatment method for a long time. Stem cell treatments for aesthetic purposes, which have been frequently preferred in the last 10 years, are extremely successful and demanded treatments. For aesthetic purposes, stem cell therapy is used for the following purposes;
To briefly describe what stem cell is, it repairs and provides treatment for problematic areas in the body with stem cells that are separated from the fats removed from the body. Stem cell therapy is used to correct facial wrinkles, blemishes (blemish treatment with stem cell), skin damage caused by the sun, and aging. Stem cell therapy is applied to remove fine wrinkles especially in the face, neck, and décolleté area, and to contribute to the skin tones.
Stem cells are the main source cells of the body that can be transformed into all other types of cells when necessary. Our body is constantly exposed to different traumas both internally and externally (sun exposure, traumas, viruses, enzymes, and aging). Our body can fight against these traumas and maintain its healthy and young appearance by rejuvenating itself thanks to these stem cells. There is a certain proportion of stem cells in the human body. While bone marrow was formerly known as the largest source of stem cells, some research has shown that adipose tissue contains 500-1000 times more stem cells than bone marrow. Hence, as plastic surgeons, we realize radiance and brightness in the skin where we make fat injections for filling purposes. Stem cells that are intensively found in the fats create radiance, brightness, and improvement in the skin quality and skin tones. Today, we can obtain pure stem cells by putting the fat cells through a special process that takes a very short time. Separating stem cells from fat and using them for treatment has made a great breakthrough in the medical world (such as knee treatment with stem cells).
The question of what stem cell is and where it is used is an issue that is updated every day with the technological developments today. Stem cells taken from the fat are most commonly used in orthopedics and plastic surgery. In orthopedics, stem cell therapy is frequently used when joint damages need to be recovered, for example in the knees. In addition, stem cell therapy is also an efficient treatment used by plastic surgeons for non-healing wounds. The areas where stem cells are used, especially in the field of aesthetic surgery, are explained below.
Where Is Stem Cell Therapy Used?
Because of aging, sunlight, and traumatic reasons (hot-cold weather, chemicals, etc.),the skin begins to lose its former elasticity, wrinkles and gets older. During the aging process of the skin, collagen and elastin fibers also begin to deteriorate and age. Skin blemishes occur in the face, especially with sun exposure. Stem cell with their repairing and treating function helps to renew collagen, elastin, and tissue structures that are disrupted and reducing the aging symptoms as much as possible. Facial stem cell therapy is used to correct loosening and wrinkles of the skin caused by connective tissue degeneration. Treatment of skin blemishes with stem cells can be applied in combination with other methods. Stem cell therapy is also useful in the treatment of many scars such as acne spots that occur in adolescence.
Hand is one of the first body parts which show signs of aging in men and women. Because of aging, melting of the fat tissue and loss of skin elasticity are seen on the back of the hand caused by degeneration in collagen elastin fibers. Prominence is seen on the vessels again with the melting of adipose tissue and thinning of subcutaneous tissue. Another sign of aging on the back of the hand is the increase of skin blemishes. In hand rejuvenation with stem cell or stem cell therapy for the back of the hand, “stem cell containing fat injection” also called “stem cell-rich fat injection” gives very successful results. While vascularization and loosening on the back of the hand caused by melting fat tissue can be recovered, improvement in the skin quality and recovery of skin blemishes are noticed with the effect of stem cells. Stem cell therapy for hands is among the most updated and successful hand rejuvenation treatments today.
Similar to the face; tissue loosening, wrinkles, and blemishes can be seen in the neck and décolleté areatogether with aging and structural characteristics."Stem cell therapy for neck and décolleté" gives successful results in order to improve the skin quality and increase the repair capacity of the skin in these areas.
Stem cell therapy for hair increases the proliferation offollicular hair cells. Proteins made of stem cells accelerate hair growth and increase its resistance against external conditions. Therefore, stem cell therapy reduces hair loss. In addition, stem cells stimulatethe anagen phase of hair and stimulate hair growth. Hair stem cell therapy is used for treatment to prevent hair loss, hair weakness, and dull appearance. Hair stem cell therapy can be applied to increase the durability of existing hair before hair loss occurs. With stem cell hair treatment, it is aimed to have healthy and thick hair.
Breast augmentation with stem cells is performed by removing excess fat in the abdomen, hips, and waist with liposuction and then separating stem cells from these fats. Pure fat cells, which are separated carefully, are mixed with the extracted stem cells and used for “breast augmentation with stem cell-enriched fat injection". With this technique, it is aimed to increase the permanence rate of the injected fats. Breast augmentation with stem cells (breast aesthetics with stem cells) can be used for breast reconstruction after breast cancer and mastectomy or breast augmentation for aesthetic purposes.
Because of aging, our body loses its ability to heal properlyand some chronic problems may occur especially in the kidney, liver, and digestive system. For sure, these aging symptoms will also be seen in our skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle tissue. The number and capacity of the cells called fibroblasts, which produce the main building blocks of the skin and participate in repairing activities, decrease with aging. While the damage to our skin with the sun and external factors increases over time, the number of "stem cells" that will protect us from the effects of aging and produce young cells with a repair function decreases over time.
As a result, the decreasein the number and function of stem cells not only changes our strength and vitality but also the youthful appearance of the skin on our face, neck, chest, and hands. Reducingthe function of fibroblasts will lead to decreasing collagen levels, wrinkles, and dry sagging skin.
The most important function of stem cell therapy is to restore the lacking elements of the body and repair the tissues in the applied region. In short, we can describe stem cell therapy as a youth vaccine in which the stem cell number is increased and aging symptoms are reduced in the body parts where aging signs and degeneration are seen (stem cell for the skin, stem cell for the knees, etc.)
It has been detected that adult stem cells are most commonly found in the fat tissue, which is a very important step for face rejuvenation procedures. Stem cells are found in fat tissue 500-1000 times more than in bone marrow. Stem cell extraction from the fat does not require general anesthesia, the procedure can be comfortably performed under sedation and local anesthesia. Stem cell extraction from bone marrow is a more difficult and relatively painful procedure compare to stem cell extraction from fat. During stem cell extraction from fat, regional shaping can be performed with liposuction in the same session, and benefits from these two procedures can be achieved at the same time.
"How does the fat stem cell therapy is performed" is a frequently asked question. Extracting stem cells from fat is an easy, painless, and comfortable procedure. For stem cell therapy, we prefer operating room conditions that ensure complete sterilization. No hospitalization is required after the procedure which is performed under sedation or local anesthesia. The required fat for stem cell injection is taken with special and very fine liposuction cannulas. The appropriate amount of fat is passed through a special process thattakes 1-2 hours to separate stem cells. The obtained pure stem cell solution is injected into the required areas itself or by mixing with the fat.
“Which One Is Better: PRP or Stem Cell” or “What Is the Difference of PRP and Stem Cell Therapy” are among the most frequently asked questions.
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma is the process of extracting platelets, which have the function of secreting many growth factors, from the blood and injecting them to the treatment area. PRP is recommended to be applied in multiple sessions. But stem cell therapy can be efficient even in a single session. A stem cell has much more effective in the injected area compared to a PRP application. It is recommended to apply PRP together with stem cell therapy in order to increase the effect of stem cells.
There is no age restriction for stem cell therapy. It is a procedure that can be preferred by men and women of all ages.
Since stem cell therapy is an autogenous procedure that is performed with one’s own tissue, it is not allergic or toxic. There is no problem with tissue compatibility, it is a very comfortable and reliable procedure when performed by experienced practitioners under sterile conditions. If performed under appropriate conditions, Stem cell therapy is a reliable aesthetic procedure in terms of the risk of experiencing anyside effects
Since stem cell therapy is an invasive procedure, we prefer operating room sterilization. For this reason, we perform stem cell therapy under operating room conditions at the hospital. It is important to extract the facts under sterile conditions and make stem cell injection under sterile conditions.
Fibrocell and Fat Stem Cell Therapy are two concepts that are frequently confused. Fibrocell includes a proliferation of a 1cm2 piece taken from the back of ear skin in the laboratory and giving it to the required parts of the skin after enough amount of cells is cultured after about 3-4 weeks (60 million – 100 million). Fibrocell is actually the procedure of “fibroblast culture”. If we compare both stem cell procedures:
It can be applied into more than one region (stem cell for face, stem cell for hand, stem cell for neck and décolleté, stem cell for hair) in a single session. A sufficient amount of fats are removed for the treatment area and injected in the same session.
Since stem cells are obtained from the person’s own fat tissue, they do not include allergic potential.
Stem cell therapy is not a painful procedure because it is performed under sedation and local anesthesia. Pain that might be seen after the procedure can be reduced with simple oral painkillers.
The pain you will feel after stem cell therapy is so mild that simple oral painkillers can reduce it.
Among the facial rejuvenation applications, the most permanent results are obtained after Stem Cell Therapy. After stem cells are injected, they will continue their activities. When stem cells are given together with fat, the permanence rate of the injected fat is over 50%.
One of the frequently asked questions is Stem Cell Cost or Stem Cell treatment prices. When evaluating stem cell cost, it would be appropriate to consider the efficiency of the procedure and whether it must be repeated at certain intervals. Price information on stem cell therapy cannot be given before the patient is examined. Because the number of application areas changes the cost of stem cell therapy. Another factor is the changing the price of stem cell therapy in the additional procedures that will be performed together (such as fat injection etc.). Please contact us for detailed information about stem cell therapy prices.
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Assoc. Prof. Tarık ÇavuşoğluPlastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery Specialist