Fat Transfer For Breast Augmentation Plods Forward In United States
Although fat grafting to for breast augmentation is already being performed by a New York plastic surgeon, further study has been spurred by the work of a Japanese plastic surgeon, and a device to combine harvested fat with stem cells has been developed by a San Diego company.
With the recent discovery that fat, such as that removed in liposuction procedures, is rich in stem cells, the possibility of reusing it in different parts of the body is becoming a reality. Surgeons are rethinking the idea of fat transplantation for use in breast augmentation procedures. For this type of breast augmentation, the stem cells are harvested from the patient's own fat stores, so the controversial aspect is not really a factor.
New York plastic surgeon Dr. Sydney Coleman, an international expert in fat grafting, has been using fat for breast augmentation for years and published his findingsin Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery last year. A Japanese surgeon has supposedly been performing breast augmentation procedures using stem cell fortified fat from the patient's body.
The Wall Street Journal reported that San Diego based Cytori Therapeutics Inc. has been marketing a device for combining fat with stem cells to other countries and has intentions to do so in the US. Cytori has begun working with plastic surgeons in Japan, Israel, Italy and France who are using its device, and has given Dr. Coleman a unit for testing in New York.
The reason this process hasn't been established as a reliable option is the tendency for fat to die once it enters another part of the body. Fat can then calcify and turn hard. With stem cells, the theory is that a new blood vessels will form and bond with the reintroduced tissue, creating a natural look and feel.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's research arm is recruiting patients for a breast augmentation study at ClinicalTrials.gov.
Tim Howard for Real Beauty News
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