Premature Aging Risks and Smoking

By on January 29th, 2009

Quitting smoking is never easy. Some smokers find it extremely difficult or impossible to quit, even though the accumulated benefits of smoking are many. Even if you are unable to stop smoking at this time, you need to face up to some basic smoking facts - smoking causes premature aging, affecting the skin in numerous forms. Become aware of the effects of smoking on your skin in order to slow the signs of premature aging. More

Pregnancy and Stretch Marks

By on January 19th, 2009

No one wants to have stretch marks, but when you’re pregnant you know that, along with nausea, backaches, fatigue and frequent urination, stretch marks are a very likely. In truth, between 75 and 90 percent of all pregnant women (90 percent of white women) get stretch marks during pregnancy. More

Stretch Mark Removal

By on January 13th, 2009

After pregnancy, stretch marks will not fade instantantly. They may last for a very long time, and you will not eliminate them before at least 6 months after you have your baby. More

Fibroblasts and Skin Health

By on January 7th, 2009

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is part of an extensive range of crucial biological activities with differential actions in various cell types. The activity of FGF is modulated by glycosaminoglycans, located both in the extracellular matrix and on the cell surface.

These molecules are crucial in injury healing. Such a dynamic process is interactive and depends on the proper regulation of fibroblasts.

Without control of these processes, excessive scar tissue develops. As a result of impaired healing, keloids and hypertrophic scars often become a problem. These are both serious health conditions that affect people’s quality of life, due to high treatment costs and frequent unsatisfactory results.

A Fibroblast is a kind of cell that promotes the production of keratinocytes and the synthesis of collagens, and glycoproteins located in the extracellular matrix. The production of fibroblasts improves the epidermal morphology.

Keratinocytes originate in the basal layer from the mitosis of keratinocyte stem cells. They are pushed up through the cells of the epidermis, undergoing gradual specialization until they reach the stratum corneum where they form a layer of enucleated, flattened, strongly keratinized cells named squamous cells. This layer forms an efficient barrier to the entry of foreign matter and infectious agents in the body and reduces moisture loss.

The Healing Process and Keratinized Cells

Typically occurring during the process of scar removal keratinocytes are eliminated and restored continuously from the stratum corneum. The time of transit from the basal layer to the shedding stage is approximately one month, although this can be sped up in conditions of keratinocyte hyperproliferation, like psoriasis.

The simplest definition of a stem cell in an adult organism is any cell with a high capacity for self-renewal that extends throughout adult life. In addition, stem cells are usually considered to possess the potential to originate differentiated progeny.

According to these characteristics, the skin has long been recognized as possessing a resident stem cell population. The tissue consists of a stratified squamous epithelium (interfollicular epidermis; IFE) with associated capillary follicles and glandular structures (the sebaceous glands and sweat glands).

The IFE supports continuous renovation and there is a never failing need to replace the devitalized, ultimately differentiated cells of the outermost cornified layers through the production of cells in the basal layer.

It is now well known that stem cells within the epidermis are multipotent and capable of producing daughter cells that differentiate along multiple lineages. Stem cells inside the hair follicle bulge can create progeny that differentiate not only in all the capillary follicle descendants, but also in sebocytes and the interfollicular epidermis.

Following exposure to appropriate mesenchymal signals, cells of the interfollicular epidermis are capable of giving rise to hair or sebaceous descendants. There is, nevertheless, evidence for the existence of distinct stem cell groups within the IFE and sebaceous gland. These observations can be reconciled by afirming that there are separate stem cell populations within the hair, sebaceous gland and IFE.

Each of these has the capacity to generate daughters that differentiate along any of the skin lineages. In steady conditions, however, the stem cells usually give rise to a more restricted repertoire in response to signals from the local microenvironment.

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- Grace Empson