What is regenerative medicine and what can it be used for in aesthetics?

There’s a buzzword in skin right now, and that word is: “regenerative”. Described as the “injectables of the future”, these biostimulating treatments are grabbing headlines and promising enhanced results.

But what is regenerative medicine and what can it be used for in aesthetics? Regenerative medicine or treatments refer to a cohort of procedures using ground-breaking bio-technology to harness the power of molecules that help transform the skin from within by stimulating your body's natural rejuvenation mechanisms.

To understand this better, it’s worth revisiting what happens to our skin as we age.

What happens to our skin as we age?

The ageing process causes our skin quality to decline. Collagen and elastin levels start to drop, something that particularly impacts women during menopause, resulting in skin that has less firmness, plumpness and elasticity. Hyaluronic acid levels deplete, making our skin thinner and less hydrated, and lines and wrinkles appear. Our skin tone and texture may also be impacted by age spots and sun damage, making our complexion appear lacklustre and dull. We also lose volume and structure from our underlying support systems, causing our skin to sag and our features to lack the contour and definition they had in youth. 

Treatments like dermal fillers are focused on replacing this lost volume and structure, while botulinum toxin targets the muscle movement that causes lines to form. These are both valuable tools I use in my clinic to improve skin health. However, as a skin-first practitioner, I believe nothing is more impactful than having radiant, healthy-looking skin. 

How can regenerative treatments improve my skin health? 

Although it is the buzzword of the moment, due in part to some exciting new treatments, “regenerative medicine” is nothing new. It has been around for many years and has its foundations in wound healing, utilising cutting-edge science to hack human healing mechanisms. 

But it has now been propelled to the forefront in aesthetics with the emergence of two exciting new treatments: polynucleotides and exosomes. These, alongside so-called injectable moisturisers or skin boosters like Profhilo, promise to take injectable skin health treatments to the next level. 

Here, we explain what they all do and what the differences are. 

What’s the difference between skin boosters, polynucleotides and exosomes?

With so many treatments available, it can be a bit confusing if you’re not an expert. While skin boosters, polynucleotides and exosomes can all help reverse the signs of ageing, they all work in different ways.

What are skin boosters? 

Skinboosters, also known as ‘injectable moisturiser’, include treatments like Profhilo. They have become incredibly popular in recent years and for good reason. They can transform creepy, ageing skin on the face, neck, hands and even the knees, making it appear smoother, fresher, and healthier looking. 

They are usually hyaluronic acid-based, although they are not the same as dermal fillers, and are a tried and tested treatment, one which we love here at The Secret Garden, Winchester. 

While fillers replace lost volume, Profhilo provides long-lasting hydration at the same time as stimulating collagen and elastin production. It’s a popular choice with our patients looking to regain lost skin elasticity and firmness. 

What are polynucleotides?

Also described as “biostimulators”, polynucleotides are the new kid on the block when it comes to injectable treatments, and everyone is talking about them. 

Polynucleotides are what’s known as “biopolymers” – molecules made from fragments of fish DNA. They are injected into the skin much more superficially than fillers to regenerate the health of your skin tissue to improve lines, wrinkles, sun damage, redness, acne and other skin concerns, minimise pores and enhance the extracellular matrix. They are also particularly good for treating the eye area and targeting dark circles, described as an “injectable eye cream”, and for targeting scars, including acne scars, as they accelerate the healing process, repairing damaged or injured skin and encourage blood flow to the area. 

They do this by targeting the fibroblasts and effectively instructing them to create a whole host of regenerative effects, including collagen synthesis. They also increase the number of fibroblasts, provide deep hydration, and scavenge free radicals, which are responsible for accelerating the ageing process.

They can be used in combination with dermal fillers or other aesthetic device-based treatments to enhance results or as a standalone treatment. 

As well as the face, there are also polynucleotide products designed for the hair and body, including the intimate area for vaginal rejuvenation. 

What are exosomes?

Exosomes are nano-sized inter-cellular messengers or ‘extracellular vesicles’ which are produced by almost every cell in the body.  They have a lot of different and exciting applications, many of which we are only just touching the surface of. 

For skin rejuvenation, their potential lies in their ability to repair tissue and regenerate damaged cells.

You may have heard about exosome facials, which have been trending ever since Kim Kardashian posted about having one. Most practitioners deliver exosomes using micro-needling, which involves creating lots of little microchannels into the skin to enable penetration of the molecule. 

Exosomes can be used on their own or in combination with other treatments to promote healing and stimulate collagen production and cell renewal. This enables them to address everything from fine lines and wrinkles to scars, sagging skin, sun damage and uneven texture and tone. 

Regenerative medicine is a really exciting but developing area of aesthetics. At the moment, we don’t know, outside of skin boosters, which are tried and tested, how impactful these new innovations are going to be and what their place is. With so much talk about them, they are definitely something to watch and may be an invaluable stepping stone before having filler or, in some cases, negate the need for filler at all, especially when combined with good skincare and energy-based treatment.