Indications
Stem cells are a valuable new therapeutic tool unlike the drugs we used to date. Nature has its own forces to heal itself, but as organisms become more complex, this potential is weakened. However, stem cells are multipotent stem cells, which have the ability to transform into any type of cells, depending on the tissue in which they are found or placed.
How do they repair the damage to the body?
In order to act effectively they must mobilize from their storage locations and reach the point of damage. After discovering their properties, specific methods of isolation and administration are used to treat various diseases.
How are they collected?
Recently stem cells can be obtained by liposuction from adipose tissue. They can be used directly or can be maintained and used in the future. The doctor may store the stem cells from the fat that is removed during a liposuction or during another procedure (eg abdominal, breast reduction, brachytherapy, etc.). Complete laboratory isolation of stem cells from fat takes at least three and a half hours. Stem cells with proven safe uses are also obtained from placenta blood during childbirth, neonatal teeth and bone marrow.
Stem cells and plastic surgery
Today we know that our body fat is one of the rich sources of stem cells. An important application of these is to repair or increase breast size. This method has been applied with very good results in women who have undergone mastectomy. Another application of stem cells is related to the treatment of hair loss and hair regeneration by the method of mesotherapy. So new hairs are healthier and stronger.
Stem cells and face renewal
Stem cells can be used in the form of facial injections to smooth wrinkles, to regenerate and shine the skin, and to repair acne scars. Injections are done locally on wrinkles and throughout the face and have no side effects. In the same method, in some cases, fat is injected at the same time. The fat gives immediate results by filling the wrinkles, while the stem cells begin to produce physiological components of the skin. Fat is absorbed after a while, and the activity of the stem cells continues for about 12 years. This is of course very important, considering that hyaluronic acid injections last for 6-9 months.
What diseases are used?
They are mainly used for the treatment of blood diseases, malignancies and non-tumors, childhood tumors, immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus. At older ages they are used to treat ischemic heart disease, osteoarthritis, fractures, and cartilage and tendons. They can also be used to treat chronic ulcers (eg diabetic ulcers) and sores. The treatment of cerebral palsy in children is the subject of a large international clinical trial involving children up to 3 years old who have kept their stem cells at birth. Cerebral Palsy. Administration of autologous stem cells in the first years of life, according to research results, greatly improves the speech, communication and mobility of these children. In recent years, stem cells in the treatment of juvenile diabetes have been the subject of intensive research. Diabetes is increasing rapidly in the civilized world and a number of productive people are suffering the consequences of its complications. Many patients with multiple sclerosis using bone marrow stem cells showed a significant improvement in their clinical appearance and a decrease in the frequency of impulses. Newer studies using fat stem cells have shown the same results.
Are Stem Cells Effective?
Today, bone marrow has in many cases been replaced by fat stem cells, and this may be the most important source in the future. Fat stem cells are obtained by liposuction, are numerous in number and do not require proliferation. Due to the large amount they can be partially cryopreserved and used more often without the need for liposuction again.
What are the benefits of stem cell therapies?
The important advantage of autologous cell therapies is the safety and the lack of side effects. These are not drugs, but the exploitation of the body's own forces.