I know we’ve already spent some time with exosomes, but we love them so much, we decided to go a little more in depth with them. When I say more in depth I definitely mean more sciency! You know how I love a good science deep dive. This time around we’re going to explain the difference between stem cells and exosomes because despite them being related, there are actually big differences in their respective efficacies.
Yay for exosomes! Exosomes are messenger particles that cells release to communicate with other cells. Exosomes contain various types of molecules (proteins, lipids, and genetic material), specific to those cells that produced them and can be transported to other cells. The original cells can then alter the functions of the recipient cells. Can you see where I am going with this? Healthy cells fixing the bad cells!. Sounds amazing, right? Exosome therapy involves using exosomes with specific biomolecules to target other cells for a desired response. AKA repair or alter the targeted cells to make them healthy. What does this mean for you? Exosomes have been proven to have a massive list of healthful benefits from everything from skincare to energy levels.
Stem cell therapy in theory sounds somewhat similar to exosomes as they are both attempting to fix damaged or unhealthy cells and can have similar benefits, but the process of using stem cells is different. Stem cells are the master cells, like the big cheeses of the body.They are responsible for generating all other cells with specialized functions. Stem cell therapy takes these master cells from donors (or grown from a lab) where they are then processed and injected into specific parts of the body or through an IV infusion. The issue with stem cell therapy is the potential for stem cells turning into harmful cells.
Exosomes and stem cell therapies are both relatively new and are somewhat lacking in terms of enough research to fully back up validity, but both have shown to have an array of benefits. It’s up to you and a medical professional as to which therapy you are most comfortable with and which would be best for whatever issue you might have. Both therapies have similar benefits, but each has its own way of going about it. The major difference between exosomes and stem cells is in their makeup. Stem cells are full blown cells so they have the ability to replicate (possibly becoming something that isn’t the intended outcome) whereas exosomes are only cell components so they cannot replicate. Exosomes are typically seen as the safer option between the two. Another caveat of stem cells vs exsosomes is how they are extracted. Time for the moral dilemma to enter the chat. The more powerful stem cells are taken from developing embryos. Exosomes, on the other hand, can be taken from any cell type.
I know that was a little heavy, so here’s your most deserved reward for perseverance. The benefits of both therapies include:
If you’re wondering how in the hell this has a practical application for anything to do with the beauty industry and second guessing reading this article, here’s your little snippet (I mean MAJOR snippet). We saved the best for last! Exosome therapy is shown to help with anti-aging! Because of the nature of promoting healthy cell growth through this therapy, your skin cells are able to produce more collagen and elastin making them all shiny and new again, Hello glowing, youthful face!
