Key points from article :
A new study regenerated sun-damaged skin through stem cell treatment.
Done by injecting patient's own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
20 patients, average age of 56, living in northeast Brazil, participated.
For each patient, abdomen fat cells was processed to create patient-specific MSCs.
Then cultured stem cells were injected under facial skin, in front of the ear.
3-4 months post-facelift surgery, overall skin structure improved.
It showed "partial or extensive reversal" of sun-damage to skin's stretchy elastin network.
In the deeper skin layer, normal elastin fiber network replaced damaged ones.
Findings suggest stem cells triggered cellular and molecular level pathways skin repair, regeneration.
Researchers conclude that stem-cells can lead to regeneration of sun-aged skin.
Researchers from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Verona University.
Published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
