Use of topical exosomes could revolutionize skin regeneration
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Although they should never be injected, exosomes could change the way dermatologists heal the skin, according to a speaker at South Beach Symposium.
“Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that contain nucleic acid, whether it’s DNA, mRNA, miRNA,” Michael H. Gold, MD, of Gold Skin Care Center and Tennessee Clinical Research Center in Nashville, said during his presentation. “They are everywhere in our world and they play essential roles in all these pathological, physiological processes by manipulating the cell communication between cells and eventually altering gene expression.”
Although they should never be injected, exosomes could change the way dermatologists heal the skin.
Exosomes have taken the dermatology field by storm and are characterized as “one of the biggest things out there trending on Google,” according to Gold. However, the injection of exosomes has landed dermatologists in hot water with the FDA and other regulatory authorities.
“You cannot inject these products, period,” Gold emphasized. “If you do, you are setting yourself up for a really bad time. ... That is the key takeaway that I wanted to share with everybody on exosomes.”
While the injection of exosomes is strongly discouraged, topical exosomes have shown incredible potential to heal the skin. Gold highlighted two companies that have harnessed exosomes for this purpose: Rion Aesthetics and BENEV.
Rion has a patented process to manufacture and scale regenerative exosomes — termed Regenosomes — to promote soft tissue healing, according to Gold. Being human platelet-derived, these exosomes are first responders to the site of injury, sending messages to damaged cells and tissues that are designed to support the regenerative process. This product can be used for anti-aging, post-laser treatment and scalp health.
BENEV has a streamlined production process for its exosome products, which have shown positive results in wound healing, post-micro needling treatment and post-erbium laser treatment, Gold said.
Although currently considered cosmetic products and not drugs, exosomes could have the potential to contribute to enhanced knowledge of inflammatory skin diseases and skin cancers in the future, according to Gold.
“We have to have this stuff in our literature,” Gold said. “Having said that, there is no question that this stuff works. Now it’s up to us to prove that it works.”