Anti ageing is big business nowadays and people are desperate for new solutions to halt the decrease in skin elasticity. We've all heard of the vampire facelift which extracts stem cells and fat from the body and injects it into the face (I'm simplifying here), well now there's a new kid on the block, and it's slightly less invasive.
Personal Cell Sciences have created the 'U Autologous' line, a range of anti ageing skincare with one unique ingredient- EXTRACTS FROM YOUR STEM CELLS. Seriously.
How the stem cells go from cream to product is complicated- first mini liposuction is performed under local anesthetic where fatty tissue is removed. Only a small amount is taken- think around 55ml for a guideline. Next the fat gets sent to a laboratory where is gets filtered and stem cells are extracted. Most of these cells are frozen and stored (you might want them one day!), but a few are cultured with a special formula to create Autokine-CM, a special growth protein unique to your stem cell. This gets blended with peptides and antioxidants and then this formula gets turned into the eye cream, serum and moisturiser.
The creation of your personal U Autologous range takes around 4-5 weeks as the cells that are extracted need to be grown.
The idea is that by using a growth factor that derives from your own body you'll have quicker better results that work with your natural processing systems. The creams are designed to improve collagen and elastin production and improve overall signs of ageing. It's important to clarify that the product uses autokines derived from stem cells, and that it isn't a stem cell product, as I feel this can be lost in translation.
U-Autologous provided a number of case studies for me to look at and they were all pretty impressive, with a minimum of 25.6% change in skin texture over a period of 8 weeks. The tests they performed were clinical grade, where the skin gets measured by mini biopsies and an independent assessor judges and looks at the results- all with the same lighting and same camera angles from week to week. The analysis was actually finally performed by a computer to limit any human error and the outcome appears to be pretty amazing, as the before/afters look incredible.
Something this high tech doesn't come cheap; the 3 piece monthly set of Serum, Moisturizer, and Eye Cream will set you back around £1200 /$1500. Once you have had your first months trial you can then purchase items separately.
This isn't a simple or easy solution- it will require an outlay of cash, and a mini surgical procedure (provided by an approved U-Autologous doctor), but if you're thinking of facelift and not quite ready for that, this could be a good halfway house. I love the idea of a world where we get healed by our own bodies, and this seems like a step on that road. I do wish that this procedure was FDA approved, not just under the Cosmetics Act as once you start involving surgery I think it's important to be regulated.
Learn more about Personal Cell Sciences and the U-Autologous range here.
PS. If you needed a little more clarity on the name, Autologous means; Derived or transferred from the same individual's body', hence the phrase U-Autologous they are going for.
