Researchers at UT’s MD Anderson Cancer Center are testing mRNA therapy on mice as a new alternative to Botox.
Last year, “feeling refreshed/look younger after aging from pandemic stress” was the top motivation for patients to visit a plastic surgeon. We’ve created a society that despises becoming older. You can’t unsee a fine line or wrinkle once you’ve noticed one, and you eventually start to feel self-conscious and wonder if other people notice it as well (even if they probably don’t care). This is unquestionably the reason Botox was the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure last year (and for a number of years prior, as well).
Even though Botox is a nonsurgical cosmetic procedure, some individuals find it unsettling because of the way it may make your face look frozen. It’s actually rather simple to detect who has or doesn’t have Botox if you know what to look for in the way of telltale indications. Nevertheless, what if there were a better method that didn’t use a frozen face at all to get rid of wrinkles on your forehead or lessen the appearance of crow’s feet on your outer eyelids? MRNA therapy may be the next big thing in cosmetic surgery, according to recent research led by the University of Texas.
mRNA To Boost Collagen and Smooth Wrinkles Could Reverse Skin Aging
Researchers at UT’s MD Anderson Cancer Center subjected two groups of bald mice to two months’ worth of UV radiation in an experiment to cause wrinkles (pdf below). mRNA injections were given to one group while not to the other. The group of mice receiving the mRNA injections had the same number of natural wrinkles at the halfway point as a third group of mice receiving no UV exposure at all.
Although research has shown that mRNA in medicine is difficult to aim toward a specific disease, mRNA was used in this case to increase collagen formation in the skin cells.
“mRNA therapies have the potential to address a number of health issues, from protein loss as we age to hereditary disorders where beneficial genes or proteins are missing,” said corresponding author Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D. “There is even the potential for delivering tumor-suppressing mRNA as a cancer therapy, so finding a new avenue to deliver mRNA is exciting. There is still work to be done to bring this to the clinic, but these early results are promising.”
There is even the potential for delivering tumor-suppressing mRNA as a cancer therapy.
Similar assertions that aging could soon be reversed have recently been made. Rick Klausner, the founder and chief scientist of Altos Laboratories, and his biotech business are committed to “medical rejuvenation” through resetting the expression of DNA. Certainly, it might make your cells appear younger, but studies have shown that it might also suddenly transform cells, possibly even resulting in cancer.
While reprogramming genetic expression may offer hope for major health issues, some people are dubious about the method and the process’s overall morality. One embryologist attacked Altos Labs in an interview with MIT Tech, calling it an “alchemy project” and said the creator had consumed “some Kool-Aid.” Additionally, their method actually turns adult cells back into embryonic stages, which could seriously skew our understanding of linear aging, consent, and the basic truth of evolution.
Anti-Aging Treatments Like Botox Are Booming
These ground-breaking discoveries occur at a fascinating point in the history of cosmetics. The usage of Botox as a wrinkle treatment is increasing, whether it’s due to the Zoom effect or simply because social media use in general puts more pressure on young women to look faultless forever. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of patients between the ages of 20 and 29 who have received Botox injections has climbed by about 30% in the last ten years.
Even a specialized word exists for it: preventative botox. Several plastic surgeons caution that it may speed up the aging process. Some claim that receiving Botox injections in your 20s and 30s will stop the development of deep static wrinkle lines, possibly even eliminate wrinkles altogether, and spare the patient from paying higher Botox prices later in life.
The beauty standard is Botox. Without a doubt. It’s really difficult to discover any famous people (men included) who don’t occasionally use the toxin, with the exception of a loud minority. In contrast to Kate Winslet, who publicly stated that she did not “want to freeze the expression” on her face, Julianne Moore once claimed that Botox actually makes you appear like you got “work done” rather than make you look “younger.” Jennifer Aniston went so far as to declare that she supports “no-tox,” rejecting the necessity of injections because, as she put it, “It absolutely distorts people’s faces, and you end up actually having the opposite effect. You look older, in my opinion when you can’t move and don’t let your natural expressions have their way.”
We Should Still Be Wary of mRNA Technology
Although mRNA technology has been discussed for many years in the scientific community, Covid-19 vaccinations have brought this treatment to the attention of the general people. mRNA (messenger RNA), according to the company that created the Covid vaccination, is a molecule that essentially includes a recipe for telling your cells to manufacture a protein. It enters your cells protected by a protective bubble made of lipid nanoparticles, and after reading the recipe, your cells develop an immunological reaction. mRNA technology has been used to rewrite your cell’s functionality so that you make proteins that are supposed to prevent disease rather than infecting your body with a virus (as normal vaccinations do).
Yet, not everyone is excited about the widespread adoption of mRNA. Dr. Robert Malone, the doctor who claims to have developed the mRNA vaccine platform, is so outspoken in his criticism of Covid-19 genetic vaccines that he has been silenced by social networking sites and mocked by the media for his appearance on The Joe Rogan Podcast.
Before the current discovery that mRNA treatments may function better than botox, the two treatments had their own special relationship. Surprisingly, studies have shown that the Covid mRNA vaccinations have accelerated the fading of Botox injections.
According to the study, Botox users had to arrange their next treatment about 22 days sooner than usual. This means that wrinkles can become more obvious much earlier, rather than persisting for around four to six months. Despite the fact that the study did not explain why mRNA therapy would shorten the potential Botox duration, others believe it is because the immune response that mRNA is intended to trigger could be triggered by any number of injected foreign substances.
Closing Thoughts
Aging is not a curse; it is an inevitable aspect of life. We’ve come a long way with topical skincare products that force active compounds like retinoids or peptides into our skin, but for certain customers, the slow-burning effects of a decent skincare regimen aren’t necessarily quick or powerful enough. Consuming meals high in collagen, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and trying out various facial treatments, acupuncture methods, red light therapy, and other procedures can all help to enhance skin appearance.
According to study author Professor Daniel Belsky and the rest of the researchers at Columbia University in New York, eating less can slow down aging.
Future anti-aging medicines may or may not be effective or readily available, therefore nothing can be predicted with certainty. For all we know, these treatments might only be made available to the ultra-wealthy elites in our lifetimes. Thus, avoid putting all of your eggs in one basket and neglecting to take care of yourself. Also, don’t be afraid of becoming older!
Read the study given below:
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