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Can Science Slow Cell Aging

Do AntiAging Skin Care Treatments Work on the Cellular Level?

Or Are the Pace of Cell Aging and Death Inevitable?

Science finds ways to extend cell life spans and defeat the Hayflick Limit.

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Hello Jean,

Some time ago I read that part [or all] of the aging cause is due to the shortening of tail/tab-like things on our cellular reproductive apparatus. Apparently there are little tabs (on a tab-like tail) that break off the DNA stalk each time the cell reproduces itself, and as the tab-tail becomes shorter, the aging-look becomes more pronounced - the cells just can't replicate accurately.

If this aging explanation is true, then what interests me about this explanation, is the wonderment if all the anti-aging creams etc. actually do anti-age, i.e., actually prevent the tab break-offs, or do the cosmetics just cover up the effects - meaning perhaps that there is not yet a true anti-aging antidote, just a symptom reliever like an antihistamine for an allergy etc.

Any thoughts on all this?

My interest and hope for true age-reversal have been piqued recently by my own anti-aging experience.

Under doctor’s orders, for the past 6 weeks I applied Efudex to a very small pre-cancerous spot (2+ mm. dia.) on my right cheek.

After about a month of twice/day application, the area turned into a god-awful hideous scabby mess that expanded to about 1 1/2" in diameter (!), but now two weeks later the thing has healed and looks normal, perhaps a bit better than before.

So, I'm really puzzled and interested in the mechanism of this drug and the body response. Quite amazing indeed; perhaps a truly anti-aging situation, similar to a skin-peel?

I do truly marvel at the billion ± $ anti-aging industry, and those that subscribe.

Some of the ads and articles verge on the laughable.

So, in the end, I guess I'm one of those mild skeptics, with the added label of a hypocrite, as I still use my trusty Lubriderm Repair Lotion regularly, with excellent results for my abused skin of 70+ years.

I hope I’ve not said anything to offend.

Regards,

Joe

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Hi Joe, You raise some very interesting issues.

The tab tail cell thing you mention - the Hayflick Limit - is a theory that cells replicate x number of times, depending on cell type and atmospheric conditions. After their allotted replications, they inevitably die.

Science is finding various ways around the Hayflick Limit: Sirtuin research in part, but also other peptide work and even research on such "simple" ingredients as retinoids.

[BTW, the tab tail thing is technically called a telomere but I like your descriptive term better.]

Efudex works kind of the reverse of cell life-extending compounds.

It interferes with a cell's ability to reproduce.

Since cancerous and pre-cancerous cells grow more rapidly than normal cells, they absorb more of the active ingredient (fluorouracil) and die off.

It kills normal cells as well - just not as rapidly. So the key is stopping the treatment at the right point and limiting application to the cancerous area as much as possible.

Retin-A and retinoids, which exfoliate and stimulate new collagen, work against actinic keratoses (AK) in a much gentler way. Research has shown Retin-A used consistently over time resolves small AKs and prevents formation of new AK pre-cancers.

Here's what I wrote to another reader re proven collagen stimulation that you may find interesting.

I haven't taken offense at anything you said.

Au contraire - I find it interesting that articles are coming out in the popular press with information I've had on Ageless Beauty for a year or two.

I pride myself on good research and so far - knock wood - 99% of what I alert readers to becomes mainstream a few years later.

One thing I'm watching right now is MMPIs.

It's becoming an anti-aging catch phrase.

Of this one, I'm skeptical, yet people are flocking to the stores for Dr. Patricia Wexler's products. Other manufacturers are picking up on the trend.

So yes, I know there is hype and people are frequently misled into buying pretty useless stuff. I’ll let you know what I conclude after further research into MMPIs.

Regards,

Jean

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I'm very impressed, Jean, with your research links you provided. It's going to take me awhile to read it all, but my initial reaction is as I said, "impressed,"

Makes me realize what a neophyte I am in this field.

Thank you for the information. Glad to hear that my cells are not limited to "...only replicate x number of times."!

Joe

This article is for information only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.

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