Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for skin repair and rejuvenation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for regenerative medicine because of their self-renewal capacity, multipotency, low immunogenicity, and anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Their therapeutic potential in skin repair, including chronic non-healing wounds, and in skin rejuvenation has been increasingly recognized, largely through paracrine mechanisms that regulate inflammation, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and tissue regeneration. MSCs can be isolated from adult tissues as well as from neonatal sources, including placenta, umbilical cord, and cord blood, which may offer advantages related to cell availability, proliferative capacity, immunomodulatory activity, and translational scalability. This narrative review summarizes current advances in MSC-based approaches for skin repair and rejuvenation, including direct MSC therapy, MSC-derived extracellular vesicles/exosomes, MSC-derived conditioned medium, and MSC- or extracellular vesicles-loaded biomaterials/scaffolds. Particular attention is given to the potential benefits of neonatal and placenta-derived MSCs, the functional differences between delivery strategies, and key translational considerations for future clinical development. Overall, this review provides an integrated perspective on the current state of MSC research in skin repair and rejuvenation and highlights emerging opportunities to advance MSC-based regenerative and aesthetic applications.