STEM-CELL THERAPY

In South Korea, stem cells from bone marrow or fat, and blood platelets, are used as injectables for youthfullooking skin.

What:

Use your stem cells to generate new cells for brighter, rmer and younger-looking skin with improved elasticity and diminished ne lines and wrinkles.

How:

There are two ways: Extract the cells from the bone marrow, or from abdominal and thigh fat, using syringes. The materials are processed and puried to separate the stem cells from the other stuff. Sometimes, the stem cells may be further cultured to increase their numbers. The concentrate is then injected into the targeted area.

In Korea, fat-derived stem cells are injected on the same day, while bone marrow-derived ones are injected after a four-week culture, says Dr Kim Byung Gun, a plastic surgeon and director of BK Plastic Surgery Hospital in Seoul.

Local doctors say:

Stemcell therapy is not available in Singapore except in clinical trials approved by the Ministry of Health (MOH). It is not offered for aesthetic purposes. • In its stead, Dr Low Chai Ling, medical director of The Sloane Clinic, recommends treatments using the fractional CO2 laser. Compared with other lasers, it reaches deeper into the skin where the collagen bres are, to immediately tighten skin, and boost collagen production over the next few months. Its depth also enables more effective treatment of deep-set wrinkles and scars.