Most people greatly value having clean skin and a good skin texture. Because of this, different kinds of formulations and procedures have arisen to repair damaged skin and maintain the glow that most of us can only dream of. One of these formulations that are used in many skin treatments and products is the growth factor serum.
So what’s a growth factor serum? A growth factor serum is a formulation containing human growth factors so the benefits of growth factors such as cellular growth of skin to combat signs of skin aging. It’s a kind of topical growth factor product that’s complementary to other skincare products and is even fit for sensitive skin types.
What’s A Growth Factor?
A growth factor is a molecule produced by the body that promotes cell proliferation and growth by regulating mitosis, the bodily process that results in the production of new cells. It occurs in humans and other organisms, regulating different aspects in their bodily processes such as wound healing and angiogenesis, the process of new blood vessel formation.
A growth factor may be a secreted protein that binds to a highly specific surface receptor to promote the transmission of growth signals. It may also be a steroid hormone that no longer needs a receptor and can pass through the cells and directly transmit growth signals. It may also be a cytokine, given that the signals that the cytokine transmits to the other cells promote cell growth and proliferation such as G-CSF and GM-CSF, and don’t promote apoptosis (programmed cell death) like Fas ligand.
How Growth Factors Are Derived
Products with growth factors and treatments that can stimulate growth factor production are a result of the technologies under regenerative medicine, the science that pertains to the regeneration of body tissues through acting on the cells, supporting structures (i.e., collagen production), or biomolecules.
A widely-used example of a formulation with a growth factor is the platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which is processed through centrifugation of the patient’s blood to concentrate platelets and, in turn, the growth factors secreted by the platelets. Similarly, growth factors found in a growth factor serum are derived from various sources of stem cells. They may be from the skin, fat, bone marrow, or umbilical cord. They may also be synthetically produced, bioengineered from plants such as barley seeds.
How Growth Factors Work
Human growth factors work by mimicking the complex interactions of the body at the cellular level. New human cells are stimulated to grow and proliferate to help replace the old ones by transmitting growth signals. They help repair skin by playing critical roles in wound healing, affecting all three of its phases, such that it helps attract the cells in the inflammatory phase, help proliferate fibroblasts for the proliferative phase, and act as collagen stimulators for the remodeling phase.
Safety Of Growth Factors For The Skin
Growth factors are naturally produced in the body and thus may be safely used by everyone, even those with sensitive skin types. However, caution must be exercised especially for people with skin conditions such as eczema. They should make sure that the product they’ll be purchasing has no added preservatives or fragrances that may result in an allergic reaction.
Since these products are capable of inducing growth, side effects associated with cell growth and proliferation, such as exacerbation of redness as new blood vessels are formed, may be produced. Some experts also are skeptical about the safety of growth factors for the skin because only short-term studies are done on the efficacy and safety of products with growth factors.
How To Add Growth Factors In Skin Care Regimen
It’s important to add human growth factors via your skin care regimen to supplement your body despite its innate ability to produce growth factors. This is because as we age, our ability to produce new growth factors is reduced, thereby reducing the capacity of the body to regenerate.
There are many skincare products in the market with various forms of growth factors as their active ingredients, added with other natural products such as plant-based extract and active vitamins. These over-the-counter products may be facial masks, moisturizers, creams, and serums.
- Factorfive Soothing Facial Mask – a soothing mask containing stem cell factors and plant-based extracts such as aloe and green tea to help nourish the skin
- Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ Fragile Skin Therapy – a moisturizer with growth factors, micro-hyaluronic acid, and retinol for better skin barrier function and smoother skin
- Jan Marini Transformation Face Cream – a face cream with growth factors, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, and plant-based extracts to help you have a calm skin
- Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream – a strengthening and moisturizing facial cream with growth factors, amino acids, and pygmy water lily
- Perricone MD High Potency Growth Factor Firming & Lifting Serum – a firming and lifting serum with polyamine growth factor that promotes healthy skin, and a stabilized form of retinol and eggshell membrane to improve and lock in the moisture in the skin barrier
Benefits Of A Growth Factor Serum
Because of the capacity of growth factors to stimulate skin cell proliferation and growth, they can easily address aging concerns all at once, such as wrinkles, dark spots, and sagging skin. They can also help moisturize and reinforce the natural skin barrier. Since they effectively improve the skin even on sensitive skin types, they can help make your visits to aesthetic clinics less often for the maintenance of your youthful skin.
Other Non-Surgical Skin Rejuvenation Products And Treatments
Growth factors are the latest innovative active ingredients in skin care products that are capable of boosting skin cell growth. They may be added to other treatments to improve the anti-aging and skin rejuvenation effects of these products and procedures, especially non-surgical skin rejuvenation techniques. Laser skin resurfacing, chemical peel, microdermabrasion, microneedling, Botox injections, and dermal fillers may also be done in addition to the use of growth factor serum for better skin.
Non-invasive Skin Rejuvenation
Non-invasive skin rejuvenation techniques are done in aesthetic clinics by removing the top layer of skin to promote the production of new skin cells and acting as collagen stimulators.
- Laser Skin Resurfacing – Laser therapies involve exposing the skin to specific wavelengths of laser light that can remove the top layer of the skin, leading to the stimulation of new collagen production. They have minimal to no downtime and produce only mild side effects such as itching, swelling, and redness.
- Chemical Peel – Chemical peel involves applying a solution of acids such as salicylic acid or glycolic acid to the skin to remove the old top layer of skin. Side effects include itching, swelling, redness, and bacterial infections.
- Microdermabrasion – There are two types of microdermabrasion, namely crystal and diamond microdermabrasion, which use crystals and diamond, respectively, to break up the top layer of skin to stimulate collagen production.
Minimally Invasive Skin Rejuvenation
Minimally invasive skin rejuvenation techniques involve the use of devices such as derma rollers or injections to induce the production of collagen. They work by producing micro-injuries or injecting substances such as botulinum toxin or fillers.
- Microneedling – Microneedling involves the use of derma rollers to prick the skin using the device’s tiny needles, which act as elastin and collagen stimulators. It was shown in a study to effectively improve skin appearance with high satisfaction when complemented with growth factor serum. Side effects include redness, swelling, and infections.
- Botox Injections – Botox injections act by blocking signals to the nerves that innervate the facial muscles, causing them to relax and lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Common side effects of this treatment include muscle weakness, drooping eyelids, and injection reactions such as slight bruising and temporary swelling.
- Dermal Fillers – Dermal fillers are injections containing hyaluronic acid or other substances to highlight the natural contours of the body. Injection reactions such as bruising and swelling are the common side effects of this treatment.
Shop For Safe And Effective Medical Products At FACE Med Store
A growth factor serum is a good complement to your skin care products by working as an anti-aging serum. It contains growth factors such as the epidermal growth factor and fibroblast growth factor that can strengthen the skin barrier by stimulating collagen production and accelerating skin cell turnover by new skin cell proliferation and growth.
At FACE Med Store, we sell quality products relevant to growth factor treatments and formulations such as derma rollers, which are proven safe and effective. We also pride ourselves on our good customer service that can complement your clinical assessments by helping you choose the best products to address your needs. Bring back that youthful glow and contact us today at (800)770-9083 or browse through our shop.
