Karen’s curious: There is a product called TNS Recovery Complex by Skin Medica that is made from (how can I say this tastefully?) a discarded piece of skin that some parents opt to have removed from their newborn baby boys before they leave the hospital. My dermatologist recommends and sells it. It has also been talked about enthusiastically on Oprah. Does this product really live up to the hype as an anti-aging, anti-wrinkle cream? It is VERY expensive!
The Left Brain replies:
According to the Skin Medica website, TNS contains an ingredient called NouriCel-MD which is their tradename for a combination of Natural Growth Factors, matrix proteins, and soluble collagen. You`ve seen proteins and collagen before but you may not know that Natural Growth Factors are a new category of compounds that act as chemical messengers to turn on and off a variety of cellular activities.
Theoretically, these compounds could have anti-aging properties when used in cosmetics. However, although products like TNS do contain growth factors, it looks like this technology is still in the experimental stages. According to Dr. Farris of the American Academy of Dermatologists “A multi-center double-blinded clinical study is currently underway to assess the anti-aging effects of human growth factors, and I expect that we’ll be hearing a lot about their potential in medical applications in the coming years.” Until we see study results to the contrary, we assume this product is more marketing hype than scientific breakthrough.
But where did the notion that TNS contains foreskin come from? As the AAD article points out, growth factors can be extracted from plants, cultured epidermal cells, placental cells, and human foreskins. Ah ha! Since growth factors CAN be derived from foreskin (as well as other sources) and since Skin Medica uses growth factors in their TNS product, you can see how someone could jump to the conclusion that TNS contains actual human foreskin.
In fact, according to Skin Medica, their Nouricel-MD ingredient was developed by a San Diego-based biotechnology company that patented a process for growing cell banks. So, until Skin Medica announces that their secret ingredient is really based on infant penile sheaths, our guess is that this is just another internet rumor. (Note to Skin Medica, we’ve already written your next ad slogan: Foreskin – For Skin!)
Update on 4/21/07: We did find a reference to an Oprah show where it was announced that this product contains an ingredient “engineered” from human foreskin cells. We’re looking into this to find out exactly what that means. Stay tuned…
Update on 4/22/07: Dr. Rob Oliver, a Friend of the Brains and author of the Plastic Surgery 101 blog, says it’s possible that TNS contains an ingredient that is DERIVED from foreskin cells. That doesn’t mean that Skin Medica is chopping up foreskins and putting them in their product. You can read his remarks in the comment section below. Thanks Dr. Rob!
If anyone in the Beauty Brains community has seen a direct reference to this product containing foreskin-derived growth factors, let us know and we’ll look into it.
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I would be aprehensive of using growth factors. Growth factor receptors are sensitive little buggers, and get screwed up in tumerogenic cells. I also wouldn’t want an old cell that’s getting ready for apoptosis growing, as bad things can happen from that.
As, you said this molecules are part of our cell-signaling processes, and “mistakes” in these cell-signaling processes lead to tumor formation, among other nasties. I would probably wait for more research to be done before I put any growth factor near my precious little cells.
You are wrong about TNS. A company spokeswoman was a guest on Oprah when she said right out loud that IT IS derived from a baby’s foreskin. I’m sure it’s on YouTube. It was about 2 years ago.
The slogan you made for them is hillarious: Foreskin–for skin!! Gotta love it.
After digging into this a bit, I did find the Oprah reference mentioned above. Here it is from her website:
“Dr. Wexler also mentioned a new product that boosts collagen production and can rejuvenate skin called TNS Recovery Complex. TNS is comprised from six natural human growth factors found in normal healthy skin. Dr. Wexler told us the factors are engineered from human foreskin!”
I need to look into this a bit more but I’m not sure that saying the product is “engineered” from human foreskin is the same as saying the product CONTAINS human foreskin. I’ll keep you posted.
I wouldn’t be surprised if in fact it is derived from cell lines originally harvested from fetal foreskin. There are a number of products used in wound care/burn surgery which use such material (eg. Transcyte and Apligraf). It is a little innacurate to say it’s “foreskin” in these products, but the original material comes from it. There’s about a dozen or so cell lines that are used to grow this tissue in a laboratory in culture mediums.
I can personally attest to the fact that this product has a very distinct odor that most certainly smells, well, manly! (Wet dog is the other description that I’ve seen used in online reviews.) It’s the scent that often causes women to comment and react in a negative way to continuing its use.
Thanks, Beauty Brains, for the good work once again! This will be my last bottle.
I just called SkinMedica because I have been using their TNS recovery product and was concerned about the source of the human growth factors/fibroblasts, etc. I was worried about possible transmission of disease if it was derived from a human source. The representative on the phone informed me that it is from “baby foreskin” and it is completely safe. I didn’t get the warm fuzzies that he really KNEW it was safe, hence the reason I am searching and found your site.
Foreskin is MEANT to to on a boy!-not your face!
People are SICK!
I love my hubbies foreskin ;D
I am incredibly pleased with the way the staff of Coles interact with their customers. They are incredibly professional and are not at all judgemental. As we are both teenagers, my beautiful, charming, funny and smart girlfriend passed a box of assorted condoms to the woman behind the counter, who nonchalantly scanned them and placed them in a bag, not reacting at all to their presence among iced tea.
Yes, a normal shopping experience.