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Regenerative Medicine: Helping the Body Heal
As we age or experience illness, physical trauma, and stressors, our ability to maintain optimal biological activity and recover from illness and injury declines. In addition to needing proper nutrition and energy, we also need to ensure that proper instructional signals reach our cells to perform their ideal functions and maintain healthy preservation.
These instructional messages and signals are supplied by our stem cells, the self-renewing cells found in almost all of the tissues of our body. These signals are varied and diverse, composed of mRNA, regulatory miRNA, proteins, signaling lipids, peptides, cytokines, immune modulators, and more. They leave the stem cell in small, bubble-like packages composed of lipid vesicles, often called “extracellular vesicles” (EVs), or exosomes. EVs are released from the stem cells for the purpose of general cellular maintenance or for special instructional functions in response to tissue stress or recovery.
EVs are extremely small (30-150 nanometers) and have the ability to focus on areas of need, delivering their cargo to their target cells to promote tissue regeneration, reduce excess inflammation, and repair or modulate cellular function. All living organisms use their special enhanced repertoire for early development and growth.
EVs derived from birth tissue sources (placenta, umbilical cord, chorion, etc) are currently being intensely studied for their ability to function as natural therapeutic agents, able to regenerate tissue function and form. Fully formed adults have a more limited capacity and repertoire of signaling molecules and may benefit from therapies that include birth tissue EVs. Additionally, EVs derived from birth tissue contain a rich source of structural components that are vital to the process of creating, restoring, and maintaining cellular function and form, including hyaluronic acid (HA), collagen, elastin, chondroitin, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and more.
EVs are actively under investigation and already in use in many areas of medicine, offering an exciting new modality to improve health and quality of life. In the field of dermatology, birth tissue and other sourced EVs have shown promise for improving tissue and skin regeneration, restoring tissue function, including hair growth, calming and alleviating joint and inflammatory skin conditions, and restoring tissue volume, shape, and form. They are fragile and require specially certified labs to manufacture products for clinical use.
Other categories of instructional signals include vitamins and peptides. Vitamins are organic compounds required in small quantities for the proper functioning of the body. They serve diverse and critical roles in metabolic processes, acting as coenzymes to help enzymes function, regulating cell and tissue growth, and providing antioxidant protection.
Peptides are short linear chains of 2-50 amino acids, the building blocks that make up all proteins. Proteins are made up of over 50 amino acids and are folded into a 3D shape. Peptides are naturally found in living animals and plants, as well as many foods, and have many diverse functions and play important roles in a variety of biological processes, including hormone signaling, immune function, and cell growth and repair. Examples of commonly known peptides include insulin, GLP1s, antioxidants, and growth hormones. Peptides and vitamins can be manufactured synthetically in specialized laboratories for therapeutic use.
At SkinHappy and Viva Carmel, we proudly partner with the highest quality, certified laboratories, and our providers are properly trained to deliver regenerative molecules designed for optimal health.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
The human lifespan is increasing… but is our “healthspan”?
Aging is normal and inevitable, and our hormones naturally decline with age. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are produced in lowered amounts, leading to menopause and andropause or hypogonadism, and accompanying uncomfortable symptoms. Declines can be even worse with complications like disease or chronic illness, certain medications, radiation therapy, and vitamin deficiencies.
Hormone therapy can help restore this balance, slow the natural aging process, and alleviate associated symptoms, making it an effective whole-body treatment for the signs of aging.
Synthetic hormones are not the same as bioidentical hormones. Pharmaceutical companies patent and sell altered, synthetic forms of hormones that attempt to mimic the effects of natural hormones in the body. Bioidentical hormones, on the other hand, are structurally identical to the natural hormone the body expects, making it easy for the body to process, and are safely and naturally derived from yams.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) can offer benefits such as symptom relief for menopause for women and andropause for men, including hot flashes and vaginal dryness, reduced libido, improved mood and energy, better sleep, enhanced cognitive function, including memory and focus, and positive impacts on skin and hair growth. It can also reduce the risk of certain diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, Alzheimer's, and some cancers. BHRT works by replacing hormones that have declined with age with structurally identical (bioidentical) natural hormones, with the intention of restoring balance and improving overall health.
Hormone replacement therapies can be provided through topical solutions, a patch, injection, or pellet implantation. Pellets have the best bioavailability and ensure a steady state of hormone release, not to mention increased convenience! Pellet therapies also ensure full regulatory compliance. At SkinHappy and Viva Carmel, our providers are expertly trained to deliver BHRT pellet implantation for optimal hormone balance and increased healthspan.
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Schedule your consultation today and let our expert providers determine the best treatment path for you.