Health & Beauty - The Alternative to Aging

Aside from plastic surgery, Botox has been the best anti-aging weapon up until now. However, that's about to change as a new Botox alternative called LAVIV has been approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration.

Loved or, on the contrary, ridiculed Botox injections were the best alternative for those who wanted to restore the youth of their skin without going under the knife in the name of beauty. The idea of willingly injecting toxins in your body has repelled many who would have considered a surgery-free alternative. Thankfully, a very similar procedure that does not involve the injection of Botulinum toxin has already been approved by the FDA. Called LAVIV, the new anti-aging method relies on the use of fibroblasts, the cells that produce collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid in order to provide a good skin firming result.

The new procedure involves three stages. First, fibroblast cells from behind the patient's ear are extracted by a physician. Apparently, this area is less affected by the elements that cause aging. After the cells are extracted, they are sent to the Fibrocell Science lab where it is determined whether the extracted cells are viable or not. Then, viable cells are cultured for a period of 90 days. During this time, scientists are able to produce tens of millions of similar new skin cells. After this stage is completed, the actual anti-aging treatment can begin. The cells are returned to the doctor and the three stage treatment can begin. The patient must wait five weeks for each fibroblast injection.

A study of 421 people – some of which were injected with the LAVIV treatment and some who were not – revealed interesting insights about the effects of the new Botox alternative. It appears that six months after the third treatment, 45 to 57 of those who received the treatment reported seeing an improvement. Out of the control group, only 33% had a similar perspective. Naturally – and notably – the procedure does not come without a variety of side effects such as redness, swelling, bruising, bleeding and/or pain.