Steps forward in turning age backwards.

1. wellness
Can We
Turn Back
Time?
plastic surgery
wellness
STEPS FORWARD IN TURNING
AGING BACKWARDS
atnt
By Jeffrey H. Spiegel, M.D.
Contributing Editor & Advisor
Speaking about aging, Mark Twain noted that, “It is does our appearance change, but so do our
sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do abilities. Youthful vigor is replaced by slower
it.” That is, aging is inevitable. As far as we know, movement with less strength and energy.
time moves in only one direction; and as the years The great question is “why?” Why should
pass, our bodies show the wear. our bodies, with their incredible ability to heal,
My practice focuses on cosmetic facial eventually stop maintaining themselves and begin to
surgery. With time, skin loses its elasticity, areas of deteriorate? Perhaps “why” is a philosophical
fullness become hollow, and gravity takes its toll on question that we can never answer, but “how” is
a less resilient face, resulting in signs of aging. I now closer to our reach.
THE TIMER OF AGING
At the end of each chromosome within At the end of each chromosome within our
our cells is a structure called telomere. cells is a structure called a telomere. These
telomeres are segments of DNA that are
The telomere segment acts as a timer incompletely replicated each time the cell divides.
for aging. After around 50 replications, the telomeres at the
end of the chromosomes become so short that cell
division ceases. This creates a phenomenon known
fight these changes with injectable fillers that restore as “senescence.” In other words, the telomere
volume, muscle relaxing chemicals that reduce the segment acts as a timer for aging. A longer
stress on less elastic skin, lotions that attempt to telomere would allow for more cell divisions before
restore moisture to drying skin, and surgical senescence, and ideally we would like to be able to
procedures that attempt to move sagging tissues to lengthen the telomere as we age to continue in a
their original youthful position. Of course, not only youthful state. The discovery of telomerase is
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2. important enough that in 2009 the enzyme, their telomeres do not shrinking brains, and infertility.
wellness
Nobel Prize in medicine was shorten which may be an The investigators then
awarded to three scientists for important reason why they reintroduced telomerase to the
their description of how continually grow and divide. Of cells of the prematurely aged
chromosomes are protected by course, telomerase is not the only mice, through the administration
telomeres and the enzyme reason why a cancer cell is of a series of medications that
telomerase. dangerous; and telomerase is reactivated the enzyme. What
What evidence is there likely not the only thing we need happened? The mice got
that longer telomeres are a sign of to prevent aging. younger. The signs of aging went
youth? Well, population studies However, it may be an away, vigor improved, and the
have shown that older people important part. Recently, animals regained the
tend to have shorter telomeres. scientists in Boston conducted an characteristics of youth.
Children with progeria, a terrible interesting experiment. Mice Importantly, none of the animals
were reported to develop cancer.
So what would happen if we activated telomerase CHROMOSOMAL
in all human cells? Nobody knows. Ideally, cells LENGTHENING
So, is this the secret? Do
would resume division, and the body would correct we all need chromosomal
all the deterioration of aging. lengthening by adding on to our
telomeres? It is possible that this
is an important part. However,
disease which causes rapid were genetically modified to lack
not everything that is effective in
premature aging, have cells with telomerase. Typically, mice make
mice works the same way in
very short telomeres on their this enzyme throughout their
humans. For one thing, mice
chromosomes. Also, cancer cells, lives. Now, mice do get older and
produce telomerase their entire
which do not stop growing, have show signs of aging despite this!
lives, while humans do not. This
the ability to continually lengthen Nonetheless, without the
already implies that cellular
their telomeres. They do this telomerase the mice aged rapidly
physiology between our two
with an enzyme called telomerase. and began to show typical signs of
species may be significantly
When cancer cells produce this aging including weakened organs,
different. Additionally, not
everbody has shorter telomers
with aging. A Swedish population
study discovered that some
people actually had lengthening
telomeres! Nonetheless, it is a
promising discovery.
All cells in the human
body could produce telomerase,
but only some do. Those include
cells that need to replicate more
than 50 times during a person’s
lifetime, such as sperm cells and
cells of the immune system.
And, as mentioned, cancer cells
have the ability to produce
telomerase. So what would
happen if we activated telomerase
in all human cells? Nobody
knows. Ideally, cells would
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3. resume division, and the body many products tout their and are the cause of aging. And,
wellness
would correct all the deterioration antioxidant abilities. Compounds yet another stresses that it is
of aging. Hopefully, cells with a such as grape-seed extract and changes in hormone levels that
prediliction towards becoming pomegranate juice have been cause aging.
malignant would not then marketed as effective antioxidants One last interesting
transform into life-shortening that keep you young by clearing finding relates to the effect of
carcinomas. Unfortunately, the free-radicals. calorie restriction on aging. It has
answer is unknown, and the risks
of the experiment are high.
It has been shown that animals that are fed a
TELOMERASE THEORY
The telomerase theory of low calorie diet (lower than would be
aging is part of the planned comfortable) live longer than those that are
obsolescence concept of aging,
which states that cells have a
overfed. It is theorized that the overfed cells
preprogrammed life span. divide faster and thus reach their 50 division
Certainly the telomere “timer” limit more rapidly.
would support this theory.
According to this theory our
activities during our lifetime (e.g.
smoking, poor diet) can influence Other theories suggest that been shown that animals that
how quickly the telomere is proteins and DNA within our are fed a low calorie diet (lower
shortened and affect aging. cells become cross linked by than would be comfortable) live
However, several other glucose molecules, thus gumming longer than those that are
theories of aging have been up the works and causing aging. overfed. It is theorized that the
proposed. Another relates to a Another suggested that overfed cells divide faster and
cell’s ability to remove toxins. As mitochondria within cells lose thus reach their 50 division
we age, the cellular membrane some of their function over time limit more rapidly.
changes and becomes less able to
clear materials from the cell. A
chemical called Lipofuscin then
accumulates within the cell, and
this material is seen in higher than
normal quantities in the brain
cells of patients with Alzheimer’s
disease. Perhaps it is this that
contributes to aging?
Free radicals are another
popular culprit. Antiaging creams
that target free-radicals are widely
popularized as being effective.
Free radicals are negatively
charged molecules that are
harmful to cells. They damage
the cell membrane and impede its
ability to function correctly in
clearing toxins. Antioxidants bind
the free-radicals and render them
less dangerous. This explains why
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4. The careful reader will
wellness
note that many of these
theories overlap. Further,
some limitation in the
effectiveness of cellular
replication is a final common
pathway. The recent discovery
that restoration of telomerase
can restore signs of youth in an
aged complex animal, such as
a mouse, is remarkable
regardless of whether
telomeres are the primary
cause of aging. Clearly, they
do have an important role.
Skin care, surgical
interventions, and
periodic volume
enhancement are still
the best available
treatments for looking
youthful.
WHAT’S NEXT?
So, what should one do next?
Unfortunately, nothing has
changed for us yet. Scientists
have a long way to go before a
true youth-giving elixir is
available; and the risks of such
a treatment will be high. At About the Author
the current time, the best we Jeffrey H. Spiegel, M.D., is Chief of the
can do is to eat right, stay fit, Division of Facial Plastic and
hope we have long telomeres, Reconstructive Surgery at the Boston
and fight the signs of aging. Medical Center and holds academic
Skin care, surgical appointments in the Departments of
interventions, and periodic Otolaryngology and Head and Neck
volume enhancement are still Surgery and Plastic Surgery at the Boston
the best available treatments University School of Medicine. For more
for looking youthful. information, visit Dr. Spiegel’s website and
blog: www.drspiegel.com.
4 january ● february 2011 | www.aesthetictrends.com