Opinions on Stem Cell Facelift?

In my practice the stem cell facelift is a micro fat grafting technique which uses planning and injection techniques to create a youthful appearance. It's ideal for faces that have aged due to loss of volume or faces that have sun damage to improve the quality of the skin. It is a technique that I often use either on its own or in combination with a classic facelift.

Fat Grafting and Stem Cells– An important addition to modern facial surgery in the past 20 years, they add back lost facial volume from aging. I use it to ENHANCE most facial rejuvenation surgery. While the effect of the stem cells is still under investigation, it appears likely they greatly improve the results from fat grafting.

This is a topic of interest for me. It is complicated. The theory is strong but as you have seen the results do vary. 
In my hands the "stem cell" lift consist of either platelet rich plasma or fat transfer. Both of these techniques are used to replace lost volume. They work well for that reason. A portion of it is absorbed and that needs to be appreciated. It really is all about expectations. Expectations of both the patient and the surgeon. I recommend finding a surgeon you trust and taking the time to make sure you are both on the same page. 
We are currently doing some research with fat transfer and a processor that reduces the size and increases the consistency of the transfer. We have good results so far but the best is yet to come. 
Hope this helps.
Best of luck,
DrC

While it is possible to “supercharge” fat grafts with extra, isolated stem cells, there is no solid evidence that this provides a better result than an excellent facelift with fat grafting. I've used fat grafting as a standard part of traditional rhytidectomy for many years, with some really spectacular results.

When our faces age, they not only lose tightness, they lose volume. So merely lifting and tightening the skin is not sufficient to rejuvenate your face. A fat graft uses fat from the abdominal area and places it in the mid-face to create a natural looking and youthful volume to the lifted face. These fat grafts, by the way, are already loaded with stem cells. I'm not sure there is any verifiable value to adding more.



Other procedures I often recommend as an adjunct to a face lift are blepharoplasty, brow lift, chin liposuction and sometimes even a chin implant to provide more angulation of the jaw. These procedures done together create a “wow” factor that takes years off your face while still looking natural and “un-done.” I hope this helps.

I'm afraid there is no such thing as a stem cell 'facelift'. This term has been coined as a marketing tool so that people think they are getting the ultimate in facial rejuvenation. Having said that, stem cells do seem to offer some considerable benefit in regenerating tissue. Techniques have been used for many years now in different reconstructive settings with very encouraging results. In mine and many other practices, surgeons of her facelifts with stem cell techniques accompanying them and this can produce very effective and natural looking results. My advice is to be careful and to examine closely what is on offer. You will not get any kind of lift from stem cells though their regenerative  properties can certainly be of benefit

A stem cell facelift is a marketing term. It refers to a commonly performed plastic surgery technique, called fat grafting. Fat grafting is used to provide additional volume to specific areas of the body. Fat can be harvested from somewhere in the body (commonly abdomen, hip, thigh) and transferred to another area. Many surgeons have noticed that after fat transfer, the overlying skin may have an improved appearance. This became particularly noticeable in patients who had received radiation for cancer treatment. Some speculate that the improvement is due to stem cells which are transferred along with the fat.Patients who have facial volume loss, may benefit from fat grafting. Patients with advanced facial aging, may require a facelift and fat grafting. It is unlikely that patients with advanced facial aging, would receive dramatic results from fat grafting alone. Fat grafting would improve volume, but would not address jowling, severe nasolabial folds, a significant amount of excess skin, or adequately rejuvenate the neck. At this point in time there is no substitute for a traditional facelift procedure to correct advanced facial aging.

It is definitely all hype.  Stem cells have no proven place in plastic surgery at this time, but that doesn't stop some surgeons from trying to capitalize on the hype.  If someone is trying to sell you a stem cell facelift, run like hell!

Stem cells are pluripotent cells that can differentiate into the transplanted tissue into like tissue. I like fat grafting to acheive filling because it provides these stem cells which give a lasting effect on the face. Our patient shown here has undergone facelift, browlift, and facial fat grafting.

Stem Cell Facelift is mostly a marketing term used to describe the injection of stem cells into the skin to rejuvenate the skin and give it some lift.  Fat grafting, which possesses stem cells, is the proper term for the type of facelift described.  Unfortunately, depending on the patient, fat grafting may improve volume loss and the overlying skin appearance but it does not in itself address extra skin or skin sag.  It may be appropriate for some but not all patients.  

Since 2001, I have used stem cell therapy to improve aesthetic results for over 5000 of my patients with autologous unipotent stem cell technology.