November 2009

SKIN is our largest organ and is the outer covering of the body. In humans, it is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of mesodermal tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Because it interfaces with the environment, skin plays a key role in protecting the body against pathogens and excessive water loss. Its other functions are insulation, temperature regulation, sensation, synthesis of vitamin D, and the protection of vitamin B folates.

HAIR is actually a modified type of skin. Hair is a form of protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class. The main component of hair fiber is keratin.

RSCI is expanding into stem cell treatments for “skin and hair disorders.” Why?

· Due to huge demand, in January 2010, RSCI will be referring patients for stem cell treatments for the following additional conditions – balding (including Alopecia), burns, breast reconstruction and augmentation.

· It goes to show that Repair Stem Cells CAN do anything.

· For the first time, RSCI is proud and excited to recommend USA based treatment centers. These so-called “cosmetic surgery” procedures are not regulated by the FDA. Ergo, US based treatment centers are legally able to treat patients looking for treatment for breast reconstruction and augmentations and hair loss due to chemo, alopecia, etc. We are very excited as all of these procedures are legal in the US!!!

BREASTS AND FEMALE IDENTITY

When we think of breast surgery, we often consider only procedures utilized to augment women’s breasts for purely aesthetic purposes. More and more, stem cell treatments for breast reconstruction are employed for victims of cancer - lumpectomies and mastectomies. Repair Stem Cell treatments now provide a safe, scar-free, completely natural option for women. The breast tissue is undamaged by treatment, there are no artificial implants and the sanctity of the woman’s identity as manifested in her breasts remains intact.

THE FEMALE IDENTITY

A woman’s breast is such a strong indicator that it takes on the modesty that is required for those other parts. So, as early as possible, girls (unlike the boys with the same level of breast development) are not allowed to bare their chest in public. Even a grown woman with “no breast” will not bare her chest in public, because her chest has added significance. This significance is due in part to the effect that female breasts seem to have on a man’s physiology and to the additional role that a woman’s breasts serve: to provide nourishment to a baby. The ability of a woman to nourish a child with her body or to bring forth a child from within her body is one of the things that make her a remarkable and special creation.

With the significance that breasts seem to have on a woman’s perception of her femaleness, what happens to a woman’s concept of herself when one or both of the breasts are gone, because of a disease like cancer?

STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION

Stem Cell Research Provides Help for Breast Reconstruction

Irene MacKenzie had a lumpectomy for her early stage breast cancer leaving her with a hollow in her breast. The lumpectomy took care of the cancer, but what about her breast? Well, Irene was the first person in Britain to reap the benefits of Stem Cell research using Adult Stem Cells for breast reconstruction. After the lumpectomy, Irene didn’t feel good about the way her breast looked. She looked for options.

Process of Stem Cells for the Breast

1. Approximately one pint of fat extracted via liposuction from her stomach.

2. Half the fat was put aside. Adult Stem Cells were extracted from the other half of fat.

3. The Adult Stem Cells were then mixed with the first half of fat.

4. The Stem Cell mix was injected into the hollow in her breast.

5. 3 months later- the stem cell therapy treated breast looked and felt like a normal breast

Up until now, the only option has been to fill the hollow with the liposuctioned fat (without adding the Adult Stem Cells). The Adult Stem Cells create new blood vessels thus giving the newly added fat some blood supply so it does not die.

11 Breast Patients Treated With Stem Cell Therapy So Far

The Dr. in England says that they have treated 11 patients so far in this stem cell clinical trial. She is very pleased with the results so far.

This stem-cell enriched fat also seems to restore the softness of the breast tissues. It almost uncrumples the skin, undoing some of the radiotherapy damage, and women are reporting that their pain has eased, too – possibly because it makes the skin more supple.

I feel this technique will have a significant impact on breast reconstruction. Patients don’t need a big operation and there are no scars.

I recently covered a similar story approximately a month ago about this breast reconstruction in Britain although that story focused more on how this exact same procedure could be used for breast enlargement. Doctors have been doing this in Japan for over 6 years now with an 80% satisfaction rate.

Similar Stem Cell Research for Face Lifts

This same technique of getting Adult Stem Cells from the fat and then injecting them into the face as an alternative to a facelift is also being used. To find out if you are a candidate for stem cell treatment click here!

HOW DO STEM CELLS TREAT BREAST TISSUE?

“Some doctors in Thailand are using stem cell enriched fat for breast reconstruction procedures. Stem cells seem to help grow new blood vessels in the fat creating new living cells inside the breast. Researchers are saying that this breast tissue is more normal to the touch and can help to repair the breast dents found after lumpectomies and other procedures. It does take longer than implants to get good results but they are hopeful that eventually, using the person’s own stem cells may be the best solution.”

MASTECTOMY MADNESS

This article has been circulating around the internet for years. Although the original source is lost and may even have been fabricated, the information within is as undeniable as it is appalling!

Proposed Mastectomy Law Change (written by a surgeon);

I’ll never forget the look in my patients’ eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.

So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn’t grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet ‘Thank you’ they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman’s breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let’s give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery…

breast reconstruction

NATURAL BREAST ENHANCEMENT

Stem cell therapy ‘could offer women natural breast enhancement from stomach fat’. Women could be offered natural breast enhancements under a stem cell therapy now being developed. The treatment implants stem cells taken from spare fat on the stomach or thighs and implanted into a woman’s chest. At present, its focus is on providing breast cancer sufferers who have undergone full or partial mastectomies with an alternative to implants. But if successful, it could also vastly improve the outcome of cosmetic breast enhancements. To find out if you are a candidate for stem cell treatment click here!

BREAST AUGMENTATION

Stem Cell Research Used For Breasts!

Stem Cell research is now being used not only to help improve a sick patient's quality of life, but also used for cosmetic purposes. Breast augmentation or breast enlargement is the latest use of adult stem cells- using a person's own stem cells. In the U.K., Lucy Mead, 23, became the first woman in the U.K. to use stem cell treatment for breast augmentation.

Before And After Pictures of Stem Cell Breast Augmentation

Breasts Before Adult Stem Cell Treatment After Stem Cell Research Used For Breast Enlargement

A First Person Perspective- Stem Cells For Breasts

Lucy, describes the stem cell treatment for her breasts in her own words in this stem cell news article:

The title of the article is aptly named : The stem cell boob job: It takes fat from your thighs to boost your bust - but does it work? Here is more from Lucy on the results of the stem cell therapy for her breasts using stem cells taken from her own fat:

There wasn’t any bruising on my breasts. They’re noticeably bigger, lifted and more rounded giving a lovely shape in my clothes and they’re the same size as each other now, too. My clothes definitely feel looser already over my thighs and hips even though it’ll be another few days before all the swelling’s gone down. Friends tell me my breasts look amazing and, best of all, I know they’ll be with me for good now without fear of any of the complications you can get with implants such as rejection, calcification or even having to have them replaced in a decade’s time.

The treating doctor said: Stem cells have drawn a lot of controversy in recent years, mainly in relation to embryos. But they are causing a lot of excitement in the medical industry as there are dozens of uses for them, such as repairing and replacing cells damaged by heart attacks. The Stem Cell Enriched Breast Augmentation is the first time stem cells have been used in purely cosmetic surgery. It's safe, effective and cost effective. It’s a very natural, organic way of improving the shape and size of the breasts

More on the stem cell procedure:

He explained that the procedure would be carried out under local anaesthetic and would involve removing fat from my hips and thighs – where I naturally carry excess fat. Half of this would then be put through a special machine that extract and condense the stem cells. They would then be mixed with the remaining fat and injected into my breasts.

Unlike previous methods of fat transfer which may only last a few months because the fat cells are often absorbed into the blood stream or simply die, the stem cells used in this new process generate their own blood supply once inside the breasts and successfully integrate the fat with the surrounding tissue. The results are totally natural, permanent and instant. Not only is it now being used for cosmetic purposes, but also for women who have had a lumpectomy and want breast reconstruction

Also, it is now being used cosmetically as a safer, less invasive stem cell facelift.

The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is...

While these are not life-threatening diseases or conditions, it simply further proves that using your own adult stem cells is a safe proposition- so patients with heart disease, multiple sclerosis, etc. have nothing to fear from stem cell therapy. To find out if you are a candidate for stem cell treatment click here!

HAIR LOSS, BALDING & ALOPECIA

(& RECOVERY)

Hair loss – baldness – alopecia:

The state of lacking hair where it often grows, especially on the head. Varieties of alopecia:

· androgenic alopecia - male and female pattern alopecia

· alopecia areata - loss of some of the hair from the head

· alopecia totalis - loss of all head hair

· alopecia universalis - loss of all hair from the head and the body

Chemotherapy and hair loss:

Chemotherapy kills cells that divide rapidly, including cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles. The most common side effects of chemotherapy are myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract) and alopecia (hair loss).

bald mouse grows hair with stem cells

HAIRY MICE

There are articles going back to 2004 (like this one) showing the successful use of stem cells to generate hair. For those of you that prefer to sport a bald or tightly shaved dome, good for you!

Stem Cells: A hair club for mice?

It was a great day for follicularly challenged rodents: With the help of lab-grown stem cells, some totally bald mice sprouted luxuriant new tufts of fur. Scientists had seen hints that some blank-slate stem cells normally live inside hair follicles to regenerate hair and skin. So Elaine Fuchs and her colleagues at Rockefeller University in New York took a single stem cell from a furry mouse’s hair follicle and grew it into millions of cells in a dish. After grafting the cells onto genetically hairless mice, they soon saw new skin, oil glands, and impressive patches of fuzzy fur.

The report in the journal Cell, is the best demonstration yet that a single adult stem cell can regenerate all the structures in a solid tissue, raising hopes for made-to-order replacement body parts.

BALDNESS IN CHILDREN - STEM CELL STUDY

In a new stem cell research study presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting last week, a dermatologist presented a new clinical research study in which children with Alopecia Areata were treated for baldness with their own Adult Stem Cells.

REPAIR STEM CELLS FOR ALOPECIA AREATA

Dr. Marwa Fawzi, a dermatologist at the University of Cairo, treated 8 children who were suffering from Alopecia Areata and thus were balding. Alopecia Areata is a condition that causes hair loss and can happen at any age. People (children and adults alike) with this condition are often teased and shunned and many have low self esteem.

STEM CELL TREATMENT PROCESS

1. Small amounts of skin were removed from the scalps of the children

2. The hair follicle stem cells that stimulate hair growth were isolated and then multiplied in a lab

3. After one month, the children's own Adult Stem Cells were injected back into their scalps where the baldness was occurring.

KIDS WITH HAIR LOSS GET HELP FROM THEIR OWN STEM CELLS

By Rob Waters, July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Children with alopecia areata, a condition that causes extensive, sometimes complete hair loss, grew hair after being injected with stem cells drawn from their own scalp in a small study.

Most of the five girls and three boys who had widespread baldness showed regrowth of as much as half of their hair in a preliminary study from Marwa Fawzi, a dermatologist at the University of Cairo Faculty of Medicine. Before the experimental treatment, some of the children had splotches of hair and baldness; others were almost totally bald.

6 months after the stem cell treatment, 5 of the 8 children had at least a 50% increase in the amount of hair on their heads.
2 of the children had a small increase in the amount of hair and 1 child had no change. Not bad for a simple procedure with no side effects or down side.

She also took new skin samples and examined the hair follicles themselves and could see that the injected stem cells had migrated into the follicles. There, the stem cells stimulated the follicles to transition from a dormant phase to a hair-generating phase, Fawzi said.

In a poster that she presented at the meeting, she showed photographs of an 8-year-old boy named Mahmoud who was almost completely bald before the treatment and had a nearly full head of hair afterward.

Mahmoud was socially isolated before and always wore a hat to hide his baldness, she said. He now calls her almost every day to talk and thank her for the treatment.

A similar stem cell research study for Alopecia Areata in adults is also going on in the United States now too. Repair Stem Cells- improving more lives each day. To find out if you are a candidate for stem cell treatment click here!

ALOPECIA UNIVERSALIS REVERSED

Alopecia Universalis can be reversed with both autologous (derived from within the patient’s body) AND allogenic (derived from outside the patient’s body) Repair Stem Cell treatments! Here are two case studies:

COMPLETE REMISSION OF ALOPECIA UNIVERSALIS AFTER ALLOGENIC HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Hair growth. The left panel shows hair growth prior to the patient having been diagnosed with CML; the right panel shows hair growth 3 months after HSCT. Hair growth after transplantation includes the top of the head, as well as the beard and eyebrows.

This case report is on a 40-year-old male patient with chronicmyeloid leukemia (CML) receiving an allogeneic hematopoieticstem cell transplantation (HSCT) in first chronic phase froman HLA-identical sibling brother. He suffered from alopeciauniversalis occurring 11 years previously. The alopecia involvedall body hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. Between day40 and day 55 after transplantation, hair started to grow onthe chin, eyelashes, and on the top of his head. Immunosuppressionwas stopped at 6 months because of cytogenetic relapse and incompletedonor chimerism with some renewed hair loss. He returned tofull donor chimerism with mild chronic graft-versus-host diseaseand continued hair growth. With 2 years of follow-up he hasremained in continuous remission. Chimerism analyses of hairfollicles did not show any donor alleles. Alopecia universalisis probably a chronic autoimmune disorder, curable with replacementof the immune system with an allogeneic HSCT. (Blood. 2005;105:426-427)

In conclusion, complete recovery of alopecia universalis afterallogeneic HSCT adds evidence to the autoimmune disease hypothesisof alopecia. Moreover, this case shows alopecia universalisto be a reversible condition.

ALOPECIA UNIVERSALIS COMPLETELY RESOLVED FOLLOWING AUTOLOGOUS BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

A 48-year-old man was referred to our service in August 1997with a follicular lymphoma (Ann Arbor stage IIIB), diagnosedin July 1995, that was refractory to chemotherapy. He had beenextensively pretreated with different chemotherapy regimenssuch as BACOP (bleomycin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine,and prednisone), MINE (ifosfamide, mitoxantrone, and etoposide), andDHAP (dexamethasone, cytarabine, and cisplatin). He also reporteda long-lasting history of AU since age 19 years (Figure 1).He had been treated with topical and systemic corticosteroids andminoxidil without success. He has never presented any hair regrowthduring chemotherapy-free intervals following chemotherapy cyclesfor his lymphoma. In our service he received salvage chemotherapywith paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide (3 courses) and presenteda partial response. In November 1997 he received high-dose chemotherapyand ASCT as consolidation. The conditioning regimen consistedof CBV (1.5 g/m² of cyclophosphamide and 500 mg/m² of etoposideon November 13-16 and 300 mg/m² of carmustine on November 13),and the stem cell graft was infused on November 20. His clinical coursewas complicated by neutropenic sepsis, severe mucositis, gastrointestinal bleeding,and generalized maculopapular rash (antibiotic hypersensitivity). Thepatient recovered from all complications and was dischargedon December 19. On follow-up visits he showed gradual hair growthand by January 1998 presented complete recovery of his scalphair (Figure 2) and partial recovery of his beard, eyebrows,eyelashes, and pubic hair.

Since then he presented no recurrencesof AU up to 3 years after ASCT.

Figure 2. Hair regrowth 3 months (A) and 36 months (B) following autologous stem cell transplantation.

To find out if you are a candidate for stem cell treatment click here!

I WANT TO LEARN MORE!

Repair Stem Cell Institute

RSCI is a worldwide public service organization negotiating access to high-quality stem cell treatment care through education, empowerment and advocacy. RSCI offers professional case management services to individuals needing access to expert and reliable stem cell treatments for chronic and disabling disease at no cost to the patient. Treatment information, stem cells 101, diseases treated and more.

Don Margolis Blog

Hundreds of Repair Stem Cell success stories. Search by disease or by category.

The Stem Cell Blog

With over 800 articles, The Stem Cell Blog is a good place to get started on all things stem cells; science, news, celebrities, religion, politics and treatments. Email me at dsgrano@gmail.com for assistance. I get about two dozen emails per day from people asking where to get treated, what is the current status of treatment for their disease, etc.

HEAR YE, HEAR YE! THE FUTURE IS HERE!

Repair Stem Cells for a variety of hearing disorders will be available in the USA in January. Of all the treatments that RSCI recommends to patients; treatments for hearing disorders will be the least expensive. To find out more, email donmargolis@gmail.com with the word “HEARING” in the subject line. Please include your name and the country in which you currently reside in the message.

SUPER STEMMYS – DORIS AND THE SUPERCELLS

Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells is the first ever children’s story on stem cells.

A stem cell named Doris and her stem cell friends must all join forces and work together to repair an ailing heart and defeat Morbidus the Vile.

100% of the proceeds from sales of

Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells

go to the Repair Stem Cell Institute (RSCI) to help patients.

RSCI is the only public service institute in the world dedicated to help patients connect with the top 2% of the world’s stem cell treatment centers. Patients looking to shed the debilitating symptoms of once-untreatable diseases no longer have to wait.