Stem cell therapy is currently an attractive treatment modality whose main goal is to restore the function of damaged tissues. Most current stem cell therapies have not been around for long and are highly experimental, but some medical institutions are taking advantage of some unrealistic illusions of patients about stem cell therapy for unlawful profit, and many treatments do not have a reliable scientific basis, regulation and necessary protection for patients. In this article, we present a realistic picture of the current status of stem cell therapy by examining the current potential and remaining shortcomings of stem cell therapy in cosmetic surgery. Anti-aging treatments seek a way to slow down the degeneration of the skin and its associated systems. As we age, skin thickness begins to thin, collagen tissue within the skin decreases, skin wrinkling due to solar elastic tissue degeneration, and subsequent loss of skin elasticity is a progressive process of skin aging. It is important to note that the mechanisms behind aging are natural cellular and molecular behaviors, and therefore any anti-aging treatment must act directly on these mechanisms. For that matter, although local volume gains can smooth out wrinkles and achieve a rejuvenating effect in appearance, they are not actually true anti-aging treatments. Collagen remodeling is an effective route for anti-aging treatment, and laser treatment can induce collagen remodeling by promoting the synthesis of type I and type II collagen. In addition to laser treatment, cytokines and growth factors can influence collagen remodeling by affecting fibroblasts in the dermis. Cytokines such as vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor and transforming growth factor beta can promote collagen synthesis and transformation. Stem cells are more than capable of producing these growth factors and therefore have the potential to become an important tool for anti-aging therapy. Stem cells have great potential for application, but the current plastic surgery market is full of unsubstantiated and even deceptive propaganda, which exposes many candidates to great risk. The development of minimally invasive techniques has led to an increasing number of practitioners getting involved in the aesthetic industry, including dermatologists, family physicians, anesthesiologists, and ophthalmologists, in addition to formal plastic surgeons, and even individual practitioners with no formal medical education. This has led to an increasing number of people without formal surgical training offering plastic surgery and liposuction procedures to the general public. The safe and reliable performance of surgery requires not only knowledge, technical examination and long hours of practice, but is currently facing a crisis caused by the over-commercialization of the plastic surgery industry. Another worrying issue is the abuse and over-promotion of stem cells in the clinical setting. Although the multi-effectiveness of stem cells has been well established in the laboratory, it is not yet possible to make them function as we want them to in the clinical application, and the uncontrollable nature of the grafts after transplantation still restricts the application of this technology. In the process of obtaining stem cells, the “stem cells” used actually contain a portion of adipose-derived stromal cells due to the heterogeneity of the isolated cells, especially in adipose aspirates, and the failure to sort the isolated cells into high purity stem cells by effective means. In addition, many so-called stem cell therapies actually provide only platelet-rich plasma therapy, which does not contain stem cells, and platelets, which lack a nucleus, are essentially just cell fragments that provide cytokines. Although platelet-rich plasma is widely used in orthopedics, ophthalmology, and wound healing, and the large amount of growth factors it provides can contribute to tissue regeneration, it is a mistake to mistake platelet-rich plasma therapy for stem cell therapy. After 10 years of research, the only FDA-approved cell therapy currently available for individualized use is LAVIV, which is used to improve the appearance of wrinkles in the nasolabial folds. (This is discussed in “Reverse growth in a jar? This treatment starts with obtaining fibroblasts from behind the patient’s own ear, culturing them for 90 days and then reinjecting them into the dermis through multiple injections. When considering the use of stem cells for clinical purposes, we must be acutely aware of the potential for contamination and damage inherent in the processing of cells and tissues. Therefore, strict control of stem cell therapy is critical to patient safety. Stem cells themselves are not immune to aging, which is regulated by their surrounding microenvironment. Many factors can contribute to the decline in function of mature stem cells, including genotoxic chemicals, UV and ionizing radiation, reactive oxygen species accumulation, telomere depletion and replication fork arrest. Stem cell DNA can also be damaged with age, and these damages can lead to aging, apoptosis and even tumor formation. Even for stem cells with regenerative potential, senescence is an inherent functional decline of cells. Therefore, the use of autologous stem cells for “rejuvenation” is still debatable and requires further exploration by researchers. Currently, the plastic surgery market is characterized by doctors directly facing consumers. Many propaganda is not based on facts, and some deceptive practices do not guarantee the safety of candidates. The lack of regulation and the limitations of scientific research make the safety and reliability of many current “stem cell therapy” based treatments a concern. Plastic surgeons, as practitioners of stem cell regenerative medicine, should set an example for the industry with strict scientific research and provide the public with an unbiased and objective information about stem cell therapy with proper publicity. While stem cells offer great potential for plastic surgery, we must make every effort to avoid non-scientific statements and ensure the credibility of this emerging field.