Mitochondrial dysfunction: disease, cellular ageing, longevity & aesthetics

Dr Tim Pearce

May 9, 2024

As aesthetic clinicians, we are familiar with patients who come to us seeking cosmetic intervention, beautification, facial enhancement, or skin rejuvenation – with a focus on the OUTSIDE of the body. They want to feel better, look younger, and improve their confidence in social situations. However, evolved medical thinking is showing that the physical improvements we make must also focus on the INSIDE of the patient to target internal root causes and concerns related to ageing and disease.

In ten years, the aesthetic medical specialty will be completely different, and Dr Tim Pearce is adamant that we need to embrace this new thinking now – focusing on internal beauty and wellness as well as external beauty.

His journey began with the loss of his mother to Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis, which spurred him on to a mission to prevent such diseases for himself and others. Fuelled by his own health vulnerabilities, he discovered that ageing is the real issue to address for disease prevention.

Amidst the growing movement towards longevity and ageing well, Dr Tim believes aesthetic clinicians are pivotal players in this shift within our clinical practice. That is why he is working with the best cellular scientists and medical clinicians, who are already doing this so that you can benefit from the right evidence base to start your journey into understanding longevity medicine alongside aesthetics and introduce the concept to your patients.

Developing and augmenting your knowledge of the factors which influence disease and affect longevity, including the impact of mitochondrial dysfunction on cellular ageing can help you to better guide your patients – your aesthetic patients – to achieve the best outcome possible by combining cosmetic treatments with longevity supplementation and lifestyle improvements.

In this blog, Dr Tim Pearce will discuss the role of mitochondria in the body as energy producers, how mitochondrial dysfunction leads to disease and ageing, and the drive to prevent it through longevity science in combination with aesthetic treatments.

What is the role of mitochondria within the body?

Mitochondria are the energy powerhouses of cells within the body – they are recognised by scientists as providing over 90% of the ATP required for cell metabolism – and play a pivotal role in both cell survival and cell death mechanisms.[1]

ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate is a nucleotide or energy source that drives many of the processes within the body including muscle contraction and nerve impulse propagation. Similarly, it impacts many other functions at a cellular level, for example, the breakdown of ATP through hydrolysis supports cell signalling and DNA/RNA synthesis.[2] Being so involved in cell metabolism means that the body has a high demand for ATP which requires the mitochondria to be functioning correctly and at optimal output.

Being vital to both cell life and death, mitochondria are also involved in the development mechanisms, persistence, and progression of inflammation and numerous human diseases including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and brain injury.[1]

What is mitochondrial dysfunction?

Progressive mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to ageing, leading to age-related disorders including disease and ageing skin. Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs due to an accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations and increased reactive oxygen species production that causes oxidative damage, reducing mitochondrial activity and ATP generation. Damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria accumulate in cells as we age because natural clearance by mitophagy is prevented; this leads to a deterioration in cellular functionand the onset of disease.[3]

Mitophagy, which is specific to mitochondria, is a type of autophagy – the cellular process responsible for breaking down and recycling cells that are no longer necessary, damaged,malformed, or dysfunctional – the words ‘auto’ and ‘phagy’ come from the Greek meaningself-eating.

This quality control process effectively goes around eating up obsolete and broken cellular components, including dysfunctional mitochondria to promote cellular health, maintain cell survival, and prevent the accumulation of harmful actors. If this process is prevented or reduced, as happens with ageing, it impacts directly on body health.

How can you prevent mitochondrial dysfunction?

We know that in life death and taxes are a certainty, as is ageing (if we are lucky enough), but there is now increased discussion and drive within medical circles including aesthetic medicine towards the science of longevity and ‘ageing well’.

Many of the efforts to prevent mitochondrial dysfunction are commonly known and includeadopting a healthier lifestyle, sleeping well, managing stress, maintaining a healthy weightand good diet, exercising, and reducing exposure to harmful exogenous influences that can cause cellular damage including sun, smoking and alcohol, but also include the consumption of beneficial supplements and active ingredients known to support mitochondrial function.

Many plant-based ingredients, vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants show credible evidence of protecting against oxidative damage, improving mitochondrial health, and reducing the risk of mitochondrial dysfunction and associated skin ageing and disease. These supplements work on the INSIDE and help to optimise results for aesthetic interventions which are notable on the OUTSIDE.

The revolution in longevity science

Longevity is the key to a better life – a revolution in medical thinking. Scientists are actively reversing their biological age. As medical aesthetic clinicians, we are in a prime position to spearhead this movement and be the first to ride this new wave, introducing longevity to a wider audience. Our aesthetic patients are also longevity patients – they just do not know it yet, and you may not have thought about it yourself either.

Governments and primary healthcare providers do not (currently) class ageing as a disease– instead, they will continue to react to diseases for at least another decade. At the same time, we, in the private sector, can proactively focus on preventing cellular ageing and reducing the risk of disease onset.

This revolution is already gaining so much traction and momentum amongst medical colleagues and scientists that Dr Tim predicts the aesthetic medical sector will be consumed by practices involving both longevity and aesthetics – making patients beautiful and healthier on the inside and outside – over the next ten years.

The problem for now though is there is too much conflicting advice out there. That is why Dr Tim isworking and partnering with the best cellular scientists and aesthetic clinicians who are already doing this so he can establish a great evidence base to share with you as you start your journey into longevity science and introduce this concept to your patients.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation in aesthetic medicine and to distinguish your practice from those around you by integrating cutting-edge research and treatment offerings for longevity.

You will be able to offer your patients the latest in health and aesthetics and embark on a journey towards ageing well. Patient trust will be heightened as you improve their aesthetic outcomes by applying longevity scientific principles that not only augment the results of their aesthetic treatments but also improve their overall health and well-being. Remember aesthetic patients are also longevity patients – they seek to not only look better but to feel better and live longer.

If you have any questions or want to see additional insight, you can find Dr Tim Pearce on Instagram.

References:

1. Javadov S, Kozlov AV, Camara AKS. Mitochondria in Health and Diseases. Cells. 2020 May 9;9(5):1177. doi: 10.3390/cells9051177. PMID: 32397376; PMCID: PMC7290976.
2. Dunn J, Grider MH. Physiology, Adenosine Triphosphate. 2023 Feb 13. In: StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 31985968.
3. Srivastava S. The Mitochondrial Basis of Aging and Age-Related Disorders. Genes (Basel). 2017 Dec 19;8(12):398. doi: 10.3390/genes8120398. PMID: 29257072; PMCID: PMC5748716.

Longevity in aesthetics

Learn how to introduce longevity to your aesthetics clinic with a new eLearning course from Dr Tim Pearce, with insight from leading longevity experts: Dr Simisola Elizabeth Oke, Dr Nichola Conlon, and Nurse Chelsey Brown.

Dr Tim Pearce eLearning

Dr Tim Pearce MBChB BSc (Hons) MRCGP founded his eLearning concept in 2016 in order to provide readily accessible BOTOX® and dermal filler online courses for fellow Medical Aesthetics practitioners. His objective was to raise standards within the industry – a principle which remains just as relevant today.

Our exclusive video-led courses are designed to build confidence, knowledge and technique at every stage, working from foundation level to advanced treatments and management of complications.

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