Bhojpuri actress Subah Singh's face was scarred in a freak accident in Lokhandwala in December, when 1,500 balloons from a film premiere were brought to her home by her driver. A friend lit a cigarette and the hydrogen-filled balloons burst like a big cylinder blast. One part of Subah Singh's face was badly burnt.Subah Singh thought her career in Bhojpuri films was now over, but the surgeons had something different in their minds.
A Mid Day report says, in order to save her skin, the doctors skipped the usual procedure of a graft and opted to culture her stem cells and then apply the same to the wounds helping new skin to grow without the scarring.
Skin cell regeneration which is popular in the West is now gaining currency in Mumbai. Plastic surgeon Dr Ajit Kadam, who operated on Singh, says, with regular grafting procedure, the daily maintenance would not only be taxing but also expensive.
“The treatment and hospitalization in a 40 to 50 per cent burns case goes on for more than two months. To avoid infections, antibiotics and daily dressing is a must. The cost is more than Rs 3,000-5,000 per day. Here Singh was ready to go home in barely 20 days and her skin is as good as new”, says Dr Kadam. Says Subah Singh: “I couldn't even look into a mirror for weeks after the accident because I was too scared to see what had happened.”
“My work is after all linked to my appearance. I thought my career was now over.”Skin regeneration therapy with the help of stem cells is gaining currency in Mumbai that is currently grappling with the lack of skin donors. According to Airoli Burns Centre, the average number of skin donations they receive in a month is only two.
In the therapy, autologous stem cells are derived from the patient's own body, either from bone marrow or peripheral blood. From these epithelial cells, they are separated in the lab and used as direct application on the burn wound. Once applied there is no need of daily dressings because a scab is formed and new cells keep generating, reducing scarring.
