Filipino doctor presents sheep placenta to fight aging skin
By Cheche Moral
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:15:00 03/13/2008

MANILA, Philippines—If someone had told you the elusive elixir of youth can be found in the sheep’s placenta, you probably wouldn’t have believed it.

But a pioneering cosmetic procedure that uses exactly that—ovine placenta—to delay facial skin aging had its global launch this week in Makati City.

Dr. Florencio Q. Lucero, a cosmetic surgeon who broke ground in stem-cell therapy in the country, introduced the sheep placenta-derived ActiStem Dermal, a liquid solution that aims to stimulate the body’s inactivate stem cells to regenerate skin.

Stem cells are the building blocks of human life. They make up the tissues of the body, and their ability to renew and replicate is responsible for, say, the healing of wounds.

As one ages, however, the body’s capacity to regenerate slows down. But Lucero said reactivating dormant cells via this sheep-derived protein complex can again increase the body’s collagen and elastin production.

Collagen is the component that gives skin its plumpness, elastin its elasticity.

In 2006, Lucero introduced in the country the adipose- or fat-derived stem-cell transplant, aimed at patients with degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. It was developed with Dr. Bill Paspaliaris of StemTech Ltd. Hong Kong, who provided him with the stem cell technology.

“You activate the cell from the inside to better regenerate. So why not apply it on the skin? It’s the same principle,” Lucero said. He also partnered with Paspaliaris’ firm to develop ActiStem Dermal.

“It’s the first of its kind in the world, and we’re the first to use it,” Lucero said, adding, “Well, they have a similar one in Korea, but how they make it is different.” ActiStem Dermal is awaiting approval in Singapore.

Not stem cell

As with the adipose-derived stem cell therapy, which uses cells from fat suctioned from the patient’s own body and not from human embryos, Lucero said he foresees no moral or ethical issues arising from the use of ActiStem Dermal.

In some countries like Russia, the use of stem cell from human embryos in beauty procedures has raised moral and religious questions.

“You have to understand that [ActiStem Dermal] is not stem cell,” he stressed. “It’s a protein extract from the sheep’s placenta... Sheep [is used because it] is closer to the immunological profile of humans compared to cows, which are used in other so-called stem cell therapy products.” The use of ovine (sheep) placenta was developed in Australia.

According to Dr. Francisca Roa, the dermatologist who conducted the clinical tests for the product, there was “slight to moderate improvement” in the skin’s fine lines, firmness and radiance in the test subjects six weeks after the procedure.

A biopsy of the subjects’ skin samples revealed that 80 percent showed increased collagen production, and 40 percent increased their elastin. Elastin has lesser regenerating qualities compared to collagen, Roa explained. Collagen production decreases by 1 percent each year after the age of 40, she added.

The launch at Ascott Makati was attended by former beauty queens, now in their 40s and 50s, including two Miss Universes. Peachy Veneracion, 48, a former Mutya ng Pilipinas, is the face of ActiStem Dermal.

Non-invasive

A session of ActiStem Dermal costs P25,000, with results lasting up to six months.

It may be administered in three different ways: with a mesogun, the same gadget used in mesotherapy, which mimics the motion of a sewing machine to deliver the drug onto the skin; with a dermal roller, a paint roller-like device with micro needles that creates minute channels on the skin for better drug absorption; or via microinjections, which uses tiny needles.

The procedure is non-invasive, meaning no surgery is involved. It can take from 15-60 minutes to perform. As no downtime is required, a patient can resume with her/his normal activities immediately after a session.

According to Dr. Roa, the test subjects reported minimal itchiness and irritation immediately after the procedure, but these disappeared within minutes. Patients with high sensitivity and low-pain threshold may require some topical anesthesia, particularly with microinjection.

An increase in uric acid, the liver enzyme SGPT and muscle enzyme SGOT were observed in some of the 30 test subjects—28 women and two men, aged 40-65. But they were “within comfortable levels,” making the drug safe for use for patients without pre-existing conditions like diabetes, liver disease, allergies or infections.

As if to make a point, Tinette Lucero, the doctor’s wife, said she has undergone the same procedure. “Whatever my husband uses on me, I assure you it must be safe.”


SOURCE: Inquirer.Net