The secret to eternal youth? Awakening ‘sleeping’ stem cells in the skin, say scientists

Lower layer of skin cells lie 'sleeping' and are used to repair damaged skin Model predicts these stem cells lose the ability to regenerate as we age Scientists claim preventing this process could be key to everlasting youth

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 07:45 EST, 27 June 2013 | UPDATED: 07:52 EST, 27 June 2013

The secret to the fountain of youth lies in awakening sleeping' stem cells in the skin, according to new research.

A computer model found that as we grow older, we lose the ability to trigger these master cells to kick into action and regenerate damaged skin.

British and U.S. scientists say the breakthrough may open the door to the development of better beauty treatments to zap wrinkles for good.

Fountain of youth: Scientists say targeting inactive skin-stem cells may be the answer to overcoming signs of ageing

In the longest study of its kind, they carried out a complex virtual simulation to test the three most popular hypotheses of how our skin regenerates over three years.

Engineer Dr Xinshan Li said: 'The theory which seems to fit best says skin has a population of "sleeping" stem cells, which sit in the lowest layer of the skin but do not constantly divide to make new cells.

'However, these sleeping cells can be called into action if the skin is damaged, or if the numbers of other types of more mature skin cells decrease, ensuring the skin can be constantly regenerated under all conditions.'

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The secret to eternal youth? Awakening 'sleeping' stem cells in the skin, say scientists