The idea of tissue engineering, or regenerative therapy, have been a hot topic in past years, particularly in the engineering of organs and blood vessels. In our most recent guest lecture, we learned about the ways that tissue engineering, particularly that of vessels, is making it possible to treat different patients with these engineered organs and vessels rather than requiring the use of a vein, or waiting for a transplant.

The future of cosmetics could very possibly be influenced by this idea of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is a treatment that repairs and produces new tissues and organs using human stem cells. Stem cells, which are multipotent cells, are able to differentiate into different cell types, depending on what type of stem cell they are. For example, mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, tendons, ligaments, and dermis cells. This makes it possible, given the right conditions for differentiaton to use stem cells to reduce wrinkles, augment a nose or chin, or even reproduce hair, eliminating baldness. By investigating the differentiation process of different cells and learning about what causes the cells to differentiate, we can start to form hypotheses about these processes and outcomes! While the research has not been done yet, we know it is only a matter of time before these sorts of things will become the next generation of cosmetics!

Thus, given what we know, and what we learned about Prof. Niklason and her experience forming a vessel, we know it will take a while to work out the details of treatments such as these, but know that it is possible, especially if someone sticks to it! The future of cosmetics are in our hands now!

Source: https://www.cosmetic-medicine.jp/english/regene/index.html

Everyone’s skin is made up of several cell types, including but not limited to keratinocytes, melanocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and adipocytes, an these together make up the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Our skin is our body’s largest organ and our first line of defense from any unwanted debris/viruses/infections that come from the outside world. Injuries to the skin pose a risk to our immune health. however, some people see the skin more as an ornament, a sign of beauty, youth, and perfection. Thus, injuries that put this idea of beauty at risk become more than just a medical issue, they become a cosmetics issue.

In the event of severe injury where a skin transplant may be needed, there are challenges with both site shortage and scarring. Tissue engineering of skin is an attempt to reduce or maybe eliminate both of these issues.

The greatest demonstrated need for skin substitutes comes from patients who have burn injuries and those with chronic open wounds. Current technology has 3 different types of skin substitutes, epidermal layer, dermal supportive structure, and a combined epidermal and dermal layer. These substitutes can be both acellular or have a cellular component to improve the uptake and function.

Many of these substitutes are made up of natural materials, such as bovine collagen . For example, Apligraf makes a dermoepidermal substitute that is made up of a bovine collagen type I matrix which is then seeded with allogeneic keratinocytes and fibroblasts cultured from neonatal foreskins. Another company, Orcel, makes a similar bovine collagen sponge matrix, seeded with neonatal foreskin derived keratinocytes and fibroblasts, but this sponge matrix is non-porous and gel coated on its epidermal side.

However, there are some issues that need to be addressed to make this skin substitutes even better. For example, there are vascularization issues with skin grafts that are more than 1.00 mm in thickness, as the blood vessels cannot grow quick enough to adequately nourish the overlaying epidermal layer. By prevascularizing skin grafts, this could be avoided, and prevascularized grafts could also benefit patients who require grafts in poorly vascularized wound beds. In this figure, we see the improvements of skin substitutes and the ways the human body interacts. in A, the red staining shows Cytokeratin 19-positive basal human cells that are indicative of a epidermal homeostasis located only in the well-defined stratum basale, and stained in green are human dermal fibroblasts that are successfully recognized. In B, the white arrows point to supranuclear melanin caps that are able to protect DNA from harmful UV lights, and these formed in an animal transplantation assay of a skin substitute.

Having the options of cellular and acellular skin grafts are promising because they can be cellularized with native cells, reducing risk of rejection. Further, an issue is shortage of actual transplantable tissue. By continuing to successfully develop skin grafts, this shortage can be eliminated.

Finally, the nature of these skin substitutes coming from natural materials and utilizing other biomaterials (ie hydrogel coatings), we see the marriage across disciplines that is working hard to solve issues that we face on an everyday basis, and also finding ways to help victims of tragic events feel themselves again. This could continue to expand to help victims of crimes, such as acid attacks, that permanently damage their skin and ultimately their confidence. It can help victims of tragic accidents, such as fires, as well.

Who knew that there were so many different ways to make cosmetics? The newest technology we are going to be talking about is the use of bioglasses in anti-aging cosmetics that, for example, can reduce the redness of skin.

Vitryxx Bioactive Glass is a product by Schott, and is a bioglass powder that, when activated with water, the ions are released of their composition, giving a high bioavailability. The glass forms a mineral matrix on the particle surface, similar to that of hydroxyapatite. Another positive with this product is it’s high biocompatibility. It has been shown to be entirely compatible with all skin types, making these cosmetics that contain the bioactive glass flexible for all people.

Vitryxx bioactive glass is made up of four oxides: silicon oxide, sodium oxide, calcium oxide, and phosphor oxide, each of which are essential for the human body. The combination of these oxides form a glass that is biocompatible and skin-safe, resistant to heat and UV light, and builds up HA on its surface. This qualities lead to great results from cosmetics that contain the bioactive glass, such as improvements in anti-oxidative efficacy, reduction in skin redness, and improvement in skin appearance including wrinkle reduction. Compared to Hydrocortisone and Aloe, bioactive glass leads to a 15% decrease in redness over time and reduced impacts of UV-induced erythema.

The use of this glass, in particular, is used in array of cosmetics such as mascara, shaving cream, nail polish, deodorant and soaps. This is likely because of the high degree of skin compatibility.

Sources:

https://www.schott.com/d/epackaging/cf68e1ab-e258-4e1c-8a5b-1dce33abcd23/1.3/schott-vitryxx-bioactive-glass-powder-for-skin-care_eng.pdf

https://www.schott.com/epackaging/english/bioactive/products/cosmetics.html

In the spirit of getting (half) of my braces off earlier this week- I thought I’d talk about the use of ceramics in dental procedures (because beautiful teeth = cosmetics, right?)

Since the 1960’s, the go-to choice for all dental implants was titanium oxide. However, there were a few drawbacks to titanium. First, there were concerns that people would be allergic to the titanium screws, but what was found is that less than 1% of people have an allergy to pure titanium. Another concern was their dark color, rising concerns about esthetics. For that reason, there came the zirconia implants in 1987.

Zirconium oxide (zirconia) is a ceramic material that is white in color. Color is the key reason zirconia implants are preferred in many situations now. However, we still must consider the material properties and the ways the ceramic interacts with the body to determine if the ceramics square up to the titanium implants, which have a 97% long-term success rate.

In terms of interaction with bone, both zirconia and titanium share a very similar bone-implant contact (Manzano et al. 2014). This contact is the amount of bone in contact with the implant, which determines the stability of the implant. This value is similar in both materials, meaning ceramics are just as effective as titanium.

In terms of placement and the actual implant process, usually, a screw is placed first, and then allowed to heal under the gums before the fake tooth is actually placed. However, zirconia implants are generally not left to heal under the gums. This is because they are designed in a “one-piece” way, such that the abutment cannot be removed, but is fixed to the implanted screw. A consequence of this, is that the dental implant is not given sufficient time to stabilize via osseointegration, a process in which the implant fixates to the bone. This process is critical when the implant is not very stable to begin with, and is a process that generally takes 3-6 months. This could be a limiting factor on the success rates of the implant.

Another concern is that zirconia implants require cementing of the crown onto the implant. Dental cement, however, is not very biocompatible. In the event that dental cement gets lodged into the gums and tissues surrounding the implant, the cement can cause inflammation and bone loss, as well as cause the harboring of bacteria and ultimately cause failure of the implant.

Finally, zirconia, although a strong material, is susceptible to fractures, compared to titanium. This is because ceramics don’t have good flexture, as the material exists only in an elastic state, not plastic. Zirconia can sustain high amounts of compressive force, but not flexural forces. Thus, when the zirconia implants are adjusted, they can easily fracture. In the event that a fracture occurs, particularly in the top of the implant, the dentist would have to create an entire new implant, as they are a one-piece design. Further, any fracture could lead to the propagation of fractures all the way down the screw, making it required for the implant to be removed.

While ceramic implants seem like a wonderful option, they are not necessarily right for everyone. In fact, the nature of the one-piece ceramic implants make it impossible for ceramic implants to be used in full-mouth treatments. Even though both materials are very bioinert, titanium implants can avoid many long-term complications. Ceramics are not the most necessary for esthetic purposes, but can be used in situations where the patient strongly prefers ceramics, without causing any significant drawbacks.

https://www.beverlyhillsladentist.com/blog/are-zirconia-implants-better-than-titanium/

In the last year the United States has seen about 1.8 million cosmetic surgeries performed, from liposuction and nose reshaping to breast augmentation.  The most popular procedure was breast augmentation, making up about 16% of these total. There are a variety of implant types, from saline-filled to silicone, being the most common. While these breast implants are both common and popular, there is a serious complication that follows the silicone implants that is a result of the ways in which the implant and surrounding tissue interacts; capsular contracture (CC).

Capsular Contracture (CC) is a type of fibrotic response that is occurring in approximately 80% of silicone breast implantations, making a serious consequence of the surgery and therefore a problem that needs to be addressed. Silicone is a biomaterial that varies and in the time since it’s first use, has seen fibrotic responses and interactions between the body and the material. CC, in fact, is a fibrotic response that plays a role in a fashion much like a double edged sword. In one capacity, the fibrosis leads to the maintenance of the implant positioning, but on the other hand, it is associated with hardening, tightness, and deformity of the breast. The fibrosis is a result of the body reacting to the presence of a foreign material. In this process, myofibroblasts, macrophages, and other immune response cells respond to this foreign body, causing the formation of fibrotic tissues/scar tissues. This modulation occurs in the methods outline in Lecture 8. In 3 steps, there is 1) a host tissue event, 2) immune system modulation, and 3) constructive tissue remodeling. The host-tissue event is the implantation or injury. In the immune response, there is a temporary matrix formation, where neutrophils and macrophages respond and deposit proteins. Finally, stem cell recruitment, proliferation and differentiation begin to occur as the body wraps up the response.

In the article I read, CC was deemed a result of prolonged or accelerated inflammatory processes. This article suggested the development of a biofilm, particularly in the event of a subclinical infection of the foreign material, that can be associated with an increased likelihood of CC. This biofilm is made up of different chemoattractants and cytokines that trigger inflammation and disrupt the bodies homeostasis. This suggests that any infection truly disrupts the biocompatibility of silicone with the body.

Clearly, the body responds to foreign objects with an inflammatory response. The mechanisms that surround this are generally associated with how foreign the object is. For example, a stiff implant would be more likely to cause an inflammatory response compared to a soft material implant, because the soft implant, particularly in the breast, would be closer to natural. Thus, when creating these different implant options, the goal would be to optimize the ways the implant will integrate into the surrounding tissues. This is an area that is of interest not only in breast implants, but in any other biological implant. This is because one of the greatest drawbacks of any implantation is the chance of rejection. By making sure and modulating the response the body has to a foreign object, we can continue to improve implantation surgeries and make them pleasant and successful in more situations. After all, no one would want to get breast implants and then end up with completely deformed and scarred breasts.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3855100/

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/new-statistics-reveal-the-shape-of-plastic-surgery

Have you ever worried you’ll end up looking like the old evil queen in Snow White?

Well do I have news for you!! There are several different companies that are using nanoparticles as a mechanism to enhance the effectiveness of their anti-aging creams. The companies include LifeLine Stem Cell Skin Care, Marie Louise Cosmetics, and Elsom Research. Let’s talk about how these and other companies are using nanoparticles and why it’s a successful business venture.

Nanomedicine is “defined as the monitoring, repair, construction, and control of human biological systems at the molecular level using engineered nanodevices and nanostructures,” (Gupta et al 2013). The marriage of nanotechnology and dermatology occured because skin, the largest organ in the human body, has the ability to interact with nanoparticles to effectively deliver drugs and other small proteins into the skin. In class, we spoke about how different physical characteristics of nanoparticles influence the effectiveness of drug delivery. In the article I read, they discuss the ways polymer-based nanoparticles are used to encapsulate stem cell extracts (made up of peptids, amino acids, and enzymes) that increase elastin and collagen, and how the nanoparticle facilitates the effective delivery of these extracts.

With sizes ranging from 10-1000nm, nanoparticles are able to better control the release of drugs. Emulsions, for example, are better able penetrate hair and skin. For example, using polymer-based nanoparticles, there are several benefits for skin administration of products. Nanoparticles are rigid and stable, allowing them to maintain structure for an extended period of time. These particles, that are generally composed of an oily core with polymeric walls can be used to control release rates of the drug of interest, as the rate of diffusion is dependent on the composition of the polymeric shell.

The skin acts as our first line of defense to our external environments, and thus it is difficult for all substances to penetrate the skin successfully. With surfactants and other chemical enhancers, the skin may be penetrated, but also easily irritated. Thus, the addition of nanoparticles to topical medications and products, gives another method by which the skin barrier can be penetrated while also minimizing irritation. This could be particularly useful in treatments for skin aging, because causing irritation to the skin would likely be counterproductive to the goal of making the skin firmer and younger looking.

The incorporation of nanoparticles has also come in makeup, sunscreen, and perfumes in other forms. Each with different specifications of the nanoparticle to serve different purposes. For example, the perfume nanoparticles are designed to release the scent slowly, so that the fragrance lasts all day. The further use and incorporation has possible benefits to cosmetology and the way we use skin care products.

Next time you are worrying about your potential future wrinkles, remember that you could find anti-aging creams that are incredibly effective when they contain nanoparticles and stay looking like this instead!

References:

S. Gupta, R. Bansal, S. Gupta, N. Jindal, A. Jindal. “Nanocarriers and nanoparticles for skin care and dermatological treatments” 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3853888/ 

https://lifelineskincare.com/pages/the-science

My biomaterials blog is going to focus on biomaterials in cosmetics. America has grown infatuated with appearances and cosmetic surgeries and products have become increasingly popular. I hope to explore the different ways biomaterials play into the creating and use of different cosmetic products and to further evaluate the ways that culture influences these decisions to use cosmetics and provides a market for biomaterials to be used. I hope this blog can cover an array of things, whether it be elective cosmetic surgeries, or ways that cosmetics and biomaterials play into the healing processes of burn victims, or victims of other injuries that cause serious cosmetic damage. I am interested in cosmetics and the ways cosmetics are used both in our day to day lives, and the different ways that cosmetic surgeries and therapies have made it possible for individuals to really control their physical appearance and, with that, their confidence. Because appearance is something that gives and influences a first impression, I feel as though it is very important. Focusing on this topic will help me to learn more about culture and society, as well as the reasons different people use cosmetics and the ways in which cosmetics have further influenced society.

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