The field of aesthetic medicine is undergoing a transformative shift with the rise of regenerative treatments that harness the body’s natural healing processes to restore youthful appearance and function. As this sector rapidly expands, establishing clear principles is essential to ensure patient safety, treatment efficacy and ethical integrity.
Recognising this need, Merz Aesthetics has published an article in Dermatologic Surgery outlining foundational principles for regenerative aesthetics. These consensus statements were formulated by a panel of six multidisciplinary global experts, providing a foundational framework for future discussions on the regenerative potential of aesthetic treatments, particularly injectable biostimulators.
The authors emphasised that successful treatments should aim to restore the physiological structure and function of soft tissue and bone lost through ageing. This approach involves rejuvenating both cellular and extracellular components, moving beyond mere volumisation to help restore the youthful, functional components of skin and tissue.
‘We’re proud to be at the forefront of regenerative aesthetics, a space destined to shape the future of the medical aesthetics industry,’ said Dr Terri Phillips, Chief Medical Affairs Officer at Merz Aesthetics. ‘This publication is a significant milestone as we work to define goals and expectations for this exciting field.’
Highlights from the research panel include:
- Successful treatments in regenerative aesthetics should be able to restore the physiological structure and function of soft tissue and bone lost through ageing.
- Panelists emphasise the importance of natural, youthful tissue architecture and function, including cellular and extracellular components, and advocate for multimodal combination therapies tailored to each patient’s age, biology and tissue architecture..
- Replacement of a single biological component was not considered sufficient for an aesthetic treatment to be described as regenerative. Rather, the relative amounts, ratios, types and organisation are important to determine regenerative potential.
- Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) is an example of an aesthetic injectable with evidence of regenerative capacity, as demonstrated by its ability to improve collagen type I/III ratios as well as induce the production of elastin and proteoglycans, which ultimately improve measures of skin quality.
These consensus statements serve as a reference for future discussions on the regenerative ability of aesthetic treatments, particularly injectable biostimulators. It is thought that by adhering to these principles, practitioners can develop treatment plans that align with the evolving standards of regenerative aesthetics.
