Medical practitioners say that today’s generation is more fortunate because advances in medicine and cosmetic dermatology have been so rapid that practically any threat to staying young can be addressed.
Lasers and stem-cell therapy are just two of the innovations we have seen in recent decades that are helping people stay young and beautiful.
Among the growing number of Filipino doctors who are keeping abreast of these trends is Dr. Francis Decangchon. A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas College of Medicine and a practitioner of cosmetic dermatology for years, Dr. Decangchon has branched out into regenerative or anti-aging medicine.
Radical measures
He explains that, during the 1950s and ’60s, those who wanted to stay young had to resort to radical measures that involved invasive, meaning surgical, procedures. Of late, however, the emphasis has shifted to minimally invasive, less invasive or, in some cases, non-invasive ways of defying age.
When women, for instance, reach their 30s and 40s, they start losing their natural supply of collagen and elastin. The skin begins to sag and lose its elasticity.
Fortunately, there’s a solution.
“Nowadays there are patients who, at 30 years old, can already start having lifting, so by the time they are in their 50s and 60s, banat pa ’yan,” says Dr. Decangchon. “Lasers are also used to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin.”
Hormone replacement
The Asian Center for Ageless Beauty is a clinic that offers regenerative medicine treatment.
“It’s the specialty of the 21st century,” says Dr. Decangchon. “Because when you start to age, the main thing you lose is hormonal supply. This happens not just during menopause in women, but also during andropause in men. So what we do is hormone replacement, but specifically, bio-identical hormones, meaning, you’re replacing something that is identical to what you’re losing.”
He explains: “Stem cells are actually present in three areas or regions of your body—your blood, your bone marrow and your fat. But fat has a thousand times more stem cells than the two others; and stem cells are very, very young cells that are pluri-potential, meaning, they have the tendency to grow to become a muscle cell, a joint cell, a fat cell, a heart muscle cell. They have that potential. Uso ’yan ngayon, kapag masakit ang joints mo, if you have osteoarthritis, it can go to that area and rejuvenate it. Ni-re-renew niya lahat.”
Recycling fat
Dr. Decangchon believes stem-cell treatment is controversial only because people don’t have enough understanding of it.
“Infusions of bio-identical hormones are safer because they are hormones/cells taken from other areas of your body and redirected to where they are needed.”
In liposuction, everybody thought that the fat extracted is simply thrown away. However, medical practitioners and cosmetic or regenerative surgeons like Dr. Decangchon say that “your fat can be used, number one, as fillers, instead of synthetic fillers. Hindi ka dapat matakot kasi taba mo rin ’yan. It’s all yours.”
He encourages people to take advantage of these medical advances.
The Asian Center for Ageless Beauty is at Rm. 2A La Breza Tower, 155 Mother Ignacia Avenue, Quezon City. Call 9902639, 0908-8762639, 0925-8762639, and 0917-7092639; e-mail [email protected], [email protected]; visit https://facebook.com/AgelessbyFMD; follow on @AgelessbyFMD; follow on Instagram @AgelessbyFMD
