Stem cells represent the new frontier of medicine and the concrete hope of curing diseases that seemed incurable until yesterday. It is common knowledge that a number of research institutes are concentrating all of their efforts precisely on stem cells, so as to fully understand their properties and treatment potential.

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Thus stem cells are those cells that have not “specialized” yet – that is, they have not yet differentiated for a specific, final function. This particular characteristic makes them extremely precious, since they can potentially “repair” damaged organs and tissues.

In the past decade human adipose tissue has been identified as a source of multipotent stem cells. Adipose tissue derived stem cells (ASCs) are characterised by immunosuppressive properties and low immunogenicity. The stem cells isolated from adipose tissue are abundant, easily extracted via lipo-aspiration, and they are capable of differentiation into numerous cell types. In fact, the stem cells from adipose tissue are found to be equivalent, if not superior to bone marrow stem cells, in terms of cell differentiation (maturation), angiogenesis (new vascular growth) and anti-inflammatory effects.  For these reasons, adipose-derived stem cells hold particular promise in the field of regenerative medicine. Large quantities of adipose-derived stem cells may be collected in a single procedure, without the need for cell culture expansion.

Stem cell injections are a way to reverse the skin’s aging process, by bringing young and fresh cells capable of regenerating all surrounding tissues. This technique is used to rejuvenate :

• the eye contour
• the mouth contour
• the face
• the neck
• the décolleté area
• the back of hands

Procedure:

• Micro-liposuction: 150ml adipose tissue collected
• The collected tissue is sent to the Swiss stem cell foundation laboratory in Zurich  via a dedicated courier
• The sample is processed to separate, purify and prepare the stem cells in a pre-defined solution, contained in syringes, ready for re-injection. They are sent back within 24hr in a sterile and temperature-controlled validated kit.
• The following day, the stem cells contained in the SVF are injected in the patient-donor’s subdermal tissue. The procedure lasts about 1 hour.

The cells can all be cryopreserved and stored in the cell bank of the Swiss stem cell foundation for a possible future use. They can be frozen in vials up to 30 years for future needs in cosmetic or medical treatments.