South Florida is a mecca for anti-aging research. I recently attended a regenerative medicine conference at West Palm Beach’s beautiful Kravis Center.
Last week, I received a special invitation to attend a conference called “The Young Blood Project” at the Kravis Center here in West Palm Beach, Florida.
It was an event featuring my friend and colleague Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of anti-aging.
The highlight of the conference was the latest research about the anti-aging benefits of blood and the regenerative power of stem cells.
Now, I’ve been using stem cell therapy in my clinic for years. I consider it the best defense you have against ANY disease.
I use stem cells to treat patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, cancer, joint pain, arthritis and diabetes.
And I even use them to reverse the signs of aging on your face using a technique called the Vampire facelift.
Some people call it the “Dracula facial.” It may sound scary. But this amazing treatment harnesses your body’s own blood and healing powers to repair and renew your skin.
The technical term is microneedling. But what takes this skin therapy to a whole new level is platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
Microneedling with PRP softens wrinkles and minimizes pores. It reduces discoloration. And it leaves you with brighter, tighter, more youthful skin.
We recently discovered it’s especially good for old acne scars. By your 40s, almost everyone has a few of these. And some women have extensive pits and pocks left over from their acne years.
If you go to a plastic surgeon or a skin doctor for these scars, they’ll try to sell you on surgery or some invasive and painful procedure like a chemical peel.
But there is a better way…
During microneedling, I use a medical device studded with 12 or more very fine needles that vibrate. The device looks like a pen. When I place it against your skin, it delivers hundreds of micro punctures per second. It penetrates up to 2 mm into your skin.
But don’t worry. Microneedling with PRP is not painful. And it doesn’t leave behind any bruising, swelling or bleeding the way chemical peels, laser therapy or microdermabrasion can.
This process helps break down old scar tissue. At the same time, the tiny needles break some of the blood vessels directly below the surface of the skin. As the blood clots, it creates the right conditions for collagen and elastin to form.
Collagen and elastin are the foundation of youthful skin — keeping it stable, strong and firm.
With PRP I take a small amount of your blood and run it through a centrifuge. The machine separates out red blood cells. It leaves behind plasma with a high concentration of platelets.
A small amount of the plasma is set aside and then applied to your skin before your microneedling treatment. You probably know platelets as blood-clotters. But they’re also your body’s first responders whenever there’s an injury.
Platelets attract stem cells to the damaged area. Once they get there, the stem cells multiply rapidly to grow new, healthy tissue.
And with PRP you heal quicker with less irritation and better results. It stimulates the growth of new collagen and revitalizes skin tissue.1
In one study of 30 men and women with acne scars, doctors gave patients PRP with microneedling. After four treatments, 23 patients had excellent or very good results in improving scarring.2
If you want to know more about this exclusive skin treatment you can reach out to my clinic staff here at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine. You can call 561-784-7852, visit the website at www.searsinstitute.com, or even stop by if you’re in the South Florida area.
In the meantime, there are other ways you can rebuild collagen at home to help erase acne scars for smoother, younger-looking skin.
Rebuild Younger-Looking Skin at Home
- Bamboo extract. Bamboo is the richest source of the mineral silica, one of the most important components in making collagen. In one study, patients were given silica both orally and topically for 90 days. At the end of the study, the participants’ skin showed significant improvement in thickness and elasticity.3 I recommend taking 50 mg of bamboo extract daily.
- Coffea arabica seed oil. Research shows oil from green coffee seeds can improve the strength, resilience and elasticity of your skin. When it was tested on human skin samples, elastin production increased 1.5-fold. And collagen production went up nearly 2-fold.Look for oil that’s been cold pressed from green beans. It ensures that heat processing will not destroy the oil’s high concentration of essential fatty acids, vitamin E and antioxidants.You can blend Coffea arabica seed oil with other oils to make a daily moisturizing serum for your whole face. Mix just eight tablespoons of rosehip oil with one teaspoon of Coffea arabica seed oil and store it in dark dropper bottles. A little goes a long way. You just need a drop or two for your face.
- Vitamin C. The older you get, the less collagen you produce. Researchers found that vitamin C boosts collagen production whether you’re a newborn or at age 93.4 I recommend getting 3,000 mg per day of vitamin C. That will give you enough to produce collagen to repair and rebuild your skin. You can also apply vitamin C serum right on your skin.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Redaelli A., Romano D., Marcianó A. “Face and neck revitalization with platelet-rich plasma (PRP): clinical outcome in a series of 23 consecutively treated patients.” J Drugs Dermatol.2010 May.
2. Chawla S. “Split Face Comparative Study of Microneedling with PRP Versus Microneedling with Vitamin C in Treating Atrophic Post Acne Scars.” J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2014 Oct-Dec.
3. Lassus A. “Colloidal silicic acid for oral and topical treatment of aged skin, fragile hair and brittle nails in females.” J Int Med Res. 1993 Jul-Aug.
4. Phillips CL., et al. “Effects of Ascorbic Acid on Proliferation and Collagen Synthesis in Relation to the Donor Age of Human Dermal Fibroblasts.” J Invest Dermatol. 1994 Aug.