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BACKGROUND A wide variety of minimally invasive treatments are available for skin aging. Recently, carbon dioxide therapy (CDT) or carboxytherapy was used in many cosmetic indications including facial rejuvenation. OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of CDT alone versus combined CDT and fractional CO2 laser in management of facial aging. METHODS Twenty-Five female patients with bilateral and symmetrical facial aging were included in the study. The right (Rt) hemiface received 8 sessions of CDT whereas the left (Lt) side was treated with combined technique (6 sessions of CDT and 2 sessions of fractional CO2 in between. Clinical and objective evaluation using 3D skin analysis, histological, and morphometric analysis were performed. RESULTS Clinical evaluation demonstrated that all patients (100%) were satisfied with no significant difference between both sides of the face (P > .05). Regarding texture and pigmentation improvement, the Lt side (combined) showed significant improvement compared to the Rt side (P .05) in the 3D percent of wrinkles improvement between both sides. The Lt side showed more significant increase in epidermal thickness after treatment when compared to the Rt side (P

BACKGROUND Postacne scars are still a challenge in its management. Microneedling is a popular minimally invasive technique in treatment of such scars. However, the addition of topical stem cell products after microneedling is considered a new treatment regimen for these scars. OBJECTIVE To compare efficacy of amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned media (AF-MSC-CM) and microneedling vs microneedling alone in management of atrophic acne scars. METHODS Ten cases with atrophic postacne scars received five sessions of microneedling, with 2-week interval on both sides of the face. Then, AF-MSC-CM was topically applied to right side of the face after microneedling. Clinical examination with histopathological and computerized histometric analysis was done 1 month after the sessions. RESULTS There was significant increase in the improvement percentage of acne scars on right side (dermaroller and AF-MSC-CM) vs left side of face (dermaroller; P

Skin or hair loss (alopecia) may occur due to a wide variety of causes ranging from trauma to pathological processes including acquired or congenital causes. It would be ideal to replace them with immunologically compatible cells to avoid potentially exacerbating the condition. Deriving the replacement cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) allows for sufficient scale up and using hiPSCs as the choice of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) will ensure immunocompatibility. Here we offer a protocol for differentiating hiPSCs into keratinocyte progenitor cells (KPC) and keratinocytes employing all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and L-ascorbic acid, (L-AA), bone morphogenic protein-4 (BMP4), and epidermal growth factor (EGF). We observed that the hiPSC-derived KPCs express the same panel of markers as primary hair follicle bulge stem cells (HFBSCs), including CD200, integrin α-6 (ITGA6), integrin β-1 (ITGB1), the transcription factor P63, keratin 15 (KRT15), and keratin 19 (KRT19). If permitted to differentiate further, the hiPSC-derived KPC lose CD200 expression and rather come to express keratin 14 (KRT14) indicating emergence of more mature terminally-differentiated keratinocytes. The HFBSCs are transplantable for hair follicle (HF) restoration, and the keratinocytes may be transplantable for therapy for large burns or ulcers. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Reprogramming of normal human skin fibroblasts into normal hiPSCs using episomal DNA cocktail Basic Protocol 2: Differentiation of hiPSCs into KPCs and keratinocytes Alternate Protocol 2: EBS formation protocol using AggreWell™ plates (Antonchuk, 2013) Support Protocol 1: Passage hiPSC-KPC Support Protocol 2: Immunocytochemistry (ICC) Support Protocol 3: Immunofluorescence staining of cells for flow cytometry (FC).

BACKGROUND Striae distensae (SD) is a very common skin problem. Although a lot of treatment modalities have been proposed, few of them are effective. Recently, carbon dioxide therapy (CDT) or carboxytherapy was used in many indications of cosmetic dermatology such as SD. OBJECTIVES To objectively evaluate the use and effectiveness of CDT for treatment of SD. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty patients were subjected to 8 sessions of CDT injection at 2-week intervals using carboxy-gun. Patients were photographed, and skin specimens were obtained from the treated area before and after 4 months of treatment. Using a computerized 3D camera, skin topography was objectively analyzed before and after treatment. Evaluation of collagen and elastic fibers by special histopathological staining, in addition to histometric analysis, was also done to evaluate treatment efficacy. RESULTS Clinically, SD was statistically significantly improved after CDT injection compared with baseline (mean percentage of improvement of length and width, 59.8 ± 15.9; P

BACKGROUND The use of stem cells derived growth factors is representing a novel treatment modality in facial rejuvenation. Nowadays, skin needling is considered a very famous treatment of skin aging. However, the addition of such derived products, augments its therapeutic efficacy in the management and delay of skin aging. OBJECTIVE Comparing the effect of amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cell derived conditioned media (AF-MSC-CM) combined with skin needling versus the needling alone in the management of facial aging. METHODS Both sides of the face of ten volunteers, suffering from facial aging, were treated with five sessions of skin needling, 2 weeks apart. After skin microneedling, AF-MSC-CM was added topically to the right side only. Clinical, histological, and morphometrical assessment of the treated skin was done at 1 month after the last session. RESULTS The percentage of improvement of aged skin increased significantly on the combined treated side (AF-MSC-CM and dermaroller [DR]), when compared with the other side (DR only) (P