Creams, supplements, injections, and “magic” anti-aging formulas abound in the beauty industry. Many skin products boast the ability to reverse the tell tale signs of aging with extracts and other foreign ingredients, but the so-called “cure” for aging has yet to surface. This is mostly because it is nearly impossible to substitute damaged skin cells with healthy ones. As we age, our dying cells replicate faster than our body can regenerate healthy ones, and over time we come to experience wrinkles, sagging skin, and crow’s feet—some of the biggest drawbacks to getting older!
A truly remarkable addition to the beauty and skincare industry as of late however, is research done on plant stem cells. More specifically, plant stem cells derived from apples picked off of Uttwiler Spatlauber trees that once grew bountifully in Switzerland in the 18th century. Plant stem cells differ from human stem cells in that they can divide multiple times, which allows them to continuously regenerate entirely new plants. Essentially, they perform the same functions as human stem cells, only they are better able to restore skin damage caused by ultra violet rays, and stimulate cell growth.
Since using plant stem cells on the skin is more of a recent development, consumers can be a little bit weary of using products with plant stem cells listed on product labels. However, research so far has shown that using a product with plant stem cells on the skin reduced the lining of crow’s feet by eight percent after just two weeks, and up to fifteen percent after four. It might not be the “miracle” cure we are all hoping for, but those results sound pretty promising to me!
References:
http://www.insidecosmeceuticals.com/articles/2009/08/plant-stem-cells–a-cure-for-aging.aspx
