Aquamid and Bio-Alcamid Similarities and Differences.

[Guest guest]

The recent interest in Aquamid shows that there is a massive need for options in treating facial wasting, but this option has been looked at before and found wanting due to several problems.

Backround

Both Aquamid and Bio-Alcamid are based on the same molecule: acrylimide.

Acrilamide however has several problems associated with its use. Acrilamide inside the body causes the immune system to attempt to remove it through phagocytosis (think: a bunch of little white pac men chomping at the edges of Acrilamide to devour it).

This process releases sub units of the Acrilamide molecule called monomers which are toxic to the body.

In fact, frying certain foods at high temperatures also releases toxic acrylimide monomers.

Acrilamide levels as high as 3500 mg/kg have been reportedin potato chips and French fries. Acrilamide is thought to form in food principally from the interaction of the amino acid asparagine with glucose or other carbohydrates.

Acrilamide has been extensively investigated and has a large database of very complex toxicity, pharmacokinetic and mode of action studies. The results of the animal toxicity studies indicate that acrylamide is carcinogenic in rodents and produces toxic effects on the reproductive and nervous systems. However, to date, only neurotoxicity has been demonstrated in humans.

(ref: Overview of Acrylamide Toxicity and Metabolism,Prepared for JIFSAN/NCFST Workshop on Acrylamide in FoodToxicology and Metabolic Consequences Working Group, 2002)

As a result of this problem, Aquamid has fallen out of favor, and the practitioners who still use it, have to limit themselves to small amounts to avoid a high toxic burden on the body. The amounts that can be used with a 'nod' to safety are insufficient to correct facial wasting and now days are limited to wrinkle filling. Any use beyond this poses possible complications.

The three Italian doctors (i tre amici?!) who created Bio-Alcamid addressed this problem by taking 2 polymers of acrylimide and meshing them together in a process using heat and pressure to cause cross linkages in the molecule, creating a new fully reticulated molecule that no longer has the same properties of the older single strand molecule and does not have the 'frayed edges' to allow release of toxic monomers.

The word reticulated comes, by the way, from the French for a drawstring handbag; usually made of net or brocade; and is also a synonym for a system of wires or lines,meshing, meshwork, nets, etc.--Hyperdictionary

The process developed by the Italians causes the chemical to become both physically and chemically stable and can thereby be used without toxicity problems, for the correction of large volume deficits like butts, faces and other damaged body parts Photos can be seen at the manufacturers web site at: http://www.bioalcamid.com/index2.htm.

Unfortunately, the name of the two products are so similar as to lead to confusion as happed recently in an article in the POZ special issue on Lipodystrophy. They caught their mistake and clarified the issue.

http://www.poz.com

Hope this helps in clarifying the question.

AL

www.alreport.com