Stem Cell Face Lift

Question

I keep reading about stemcell facelift sin other countries. I. The U.S it is referred to as fat transfer. The other place seperate the stem cells from the fat, get rid of the bad ones, keep the strong ones and reintroduce them back into the body. My question is does the FDA prohibit preparing g the stem cells in any mannER because they classify it as making a drug leaving US doctors only able to put the unprocessed back into the patient.

Cameron Chesnut, MD, FAAD, FACMS · Answer

Most of us use some type of regenerative medicine with our facelifting procedures, including stem cells as part of fat transfer. The US does have restrictions as to how much you can process stem cells, but those regulations do allow us to isolate stem cells from things like umbilical cord tissue and your own fat. 
In the near future, all of cosmetic medicine will revolve around regenerative techniques. Regenerative medicine refers to the process of repairing, restoring, regrowing and replacing tissues within the body. Within cosmetics, we utilize modalities such as platelet rich plasma, stem cell rich fat transfer and even concentrated umbilical stem cells to achieve this tissue restoration. Our goal is usually to address tissue changes that occur with aging, grow hair, and even to aid in recovery after both surgical and nonsurgical procedures.
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is the simplest of these options, utilizing concentrated growth factors from your own blood to improve soft tissue quality within your face, grow hair, or improve outcomes and recovery times after procedures. There are clear benefits to the use of PRP after surgery, laser resurfacing and other similar procedures, but it also has a strong affect on noninjured tissues to drive restoration, such as with hair regrowth.
Taking a few steps ahead of PRP are different techniques utilizing stem cells. Our fat contains many adipocyte derived stem cells, and we can collect and utilize these stem cells as part of a fat transfer procedure, or as an isolated event to utilize the massive regenerative potential and large amount of growth factors contained in this tissue.
Umbilical cord stem cells come in very concentrated amounts that are acquired after normal Cesarian section births and run through a tissue bank specifically for use in regenerative capacities. They have evidence for improvement of osteoarthritis with injections into joints, hair regrowth when injected around hair follicles, improved surgical and nonsurgical recovery, and overall tissue rejuvenation with local infiltration.
Not all PRP, fat transfer and stem cells procedures are created equal. There are very basic mechanisms to tap into their potential, but with more sophisticated approaches, deeper knowledge, and refined practices and protocols, more optimal concentrations of PRP and higher stem cell quality and counts can lead to significantly better outcomes and value with respect to the desired end points.
With this impressive armamentarium at our fingertips, nearly every aspect of the aging process can be addressed with regenerative approaches and capacity. This is truly the future of our specialty, and we are currently at the forefront.
To ensure you are receiving the highest level of care, seek out a modernly trained, new-school dermatologic surgeon, oculoplastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who is board certified and fellowship trained in one of these “core four” cosmetic specialties. Membership in organizations like the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery help to identify a highly trained surgeon.
Cameron Chesnut
#realself500 Physician

Alfredo Hoyos, MD · Answer

Stem cells are a cell subset that preserves the ability to transform and divide into multiple mature cell types. This unique quality is the main tool tissue for repair and maintenance.The most requested treatment is breast augmentation using enriched stem cell by lipoinjección. Giving a more natural result. Stem cells may not only help skin cells regenerate, they also stimulate fat cells in the face to grow and expand (we lose fat there as we age), filling out the face and reducing sagging.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

There is no real thing as a "stem cell" face lift.  you can use fat or stem cells or even fat with PRP or stem cells (which is what I do) to augment facial volume but it doesnt address graviational changes like sagging and wrinkling that needs surgical and/laser interventions.  These can all be done in the US and is something we do everyday in our practice. I suggest you make a formal consultation with a facial contouring expert to see if you are a candidate for a "face lift" or if you are looking for some augmentation of volume in your face which can give "lift" and contour.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

Currently there is no evidence to show that stem cell's whether  removed from fat or used with fat will give a better result from a standard facelift. Plastic surgeons do not use the term stem cell facelift in this country since it is false advertising currently.

Andrew Kornstein, MD, FACS · Answer

Your analysis is correct; at present no alteration or isolation is allowed.However, fat cells harvested and centriguged do have a high density stem cell fraction; fat cells when grafted and viable are known to have growth factors that increase vascularity, and in my experience, may slow aging.Hope this helps

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Don't look for a single magic treatment.In facial aging, there are usually many different factors happening side by side. The best results always come from first making a meticulous plan that addresses each area of concern. If the problem is a lack of volume, then adding volume using fat cells, whether separated or not, can help.  I just posted a set of before-and-after pictures of a facelift I recently did. The patient had facial fat grafting as part of the procedure, but it was addressing each of the various issues that gave the results she wanted.Use all the tools in the tool box.The experience of the surgeon is often much more important than the specific technique.Best of luck,Mats Hagstrom, M.D.

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