What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is a science that focuses on replacing, rebooting, engineering, or regenerating human cells, tissues, or organs that were damaged due to disease, injury, or age. One form of this science is already in use: stem cell therapy, where specialized stem cells are grown in a lab to help your body repair or replace its damaged cells. They are instructed to behave as specific types of cells, like those in your heart, blood, or nerves.
Although this is a multidisciplinary research effort across many fields of medicine, cosmetic surgeons have played a key role in moving new therapies forward through those advancements.
There are three levels of regeneration in humans:
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Molecular – DNA, fats, carbohydrates.
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Cellular – Neurons, axons.
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Tissue – Blood, skin, bone, muscle.
What Is It Used For?
While a big part of the research behind this field lies in restoring damaged organs and finding future solutions to severe diseases, another strong area is cosmetic medicine. Some ongoing studies focus on using these engineered cells to treat the skin of burn victims. Parallel to this is the cosmetic field, where the primary focus is on skin regeneration to gain a youthful appearance.
Regenerative medicine uses non-invasive procedures that allow the body to heal or regenerate aging cells, tissues, and organs. Stem cells have piqued attention among these treatments due to their therapeutic potential in wrinkles and scar reduction, antiaging, and rejuvenation treatment. Instead of treating them with surgical procedures, the goal is to utilize the body's cells to promote their natural regeneration.
Some other therapies to treat conditions currently under ongoing research include:
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Cardiovascular and brain injury tissue repair
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Type 1 diabetes
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Immune system improvement
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Organ transplants
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Cell therapy
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Skin wounds
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Certain cancers
Regenerative Medicine In Cosmetic Procedures
In cosmetic treatment, regenerative medicine aims to rejuvenate the patient's body to appear more youthful. Some common cosmetic concerns that this field of medicine is trying to treat include facial wrinkles, loss of the skin's elasticity, deepening necklines, and hair loss.
Two of the most renowned regenerative treatments in cosmetic surgery are:
Fat Grafting
Fat grafting is a surgical treatment that restores fat tissues that create natural curves by transferring a patient's adipose, or fat, tissue from one body area to another. It is a reconstructive and aesthetic surgery used to help people alleviate the symptoms of sickness, trauma, congenital anomalies, cancer, and aging.
Surgical regenerative medicine has made advancements to fat grafting techniques to transfer the fat tissues in a minimally invasive way. This method is revolutionizing various reconstructive procedures.
Platelet-rich Plasma
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a mix of two elements : plasma (the liquid component of blood) and platelets (a blood cell that is key in the healing process of the body). The solution is created from a sample of the patient's blood and then is injected into the target area to increase and accelerate the healing process.
This method is commonly used to treat male alopecia – hair loss and pattern baldness. PRP injections prevent hair loss, promote new hair growth, and stimulate it after hair transplants.
Regenerative Medicine Doctor in Dallas, TX | Advanced Regeneration
Regenerative medicine is a novel and promising field of restorative and cosmetic medicine that continues advancing day by day. At Advanced Regeneration, we offer a vast spectrum of services to provide pain relief treatments and help our patients feel confident about their looks and how their bodies function. Our team of professionals will listen to your needs and help you make the right decision for you and your well-being. Request an appointment online or call (469) 708-0005 today!