Marc T. Taylor, M.D.

Board Certified

Plastic Surgery

and

Otolaryngology

210-490-1757

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 It’s Good To Know

Fat and Stem Cell

Injections

Fat and stem cell Autologous Transfer

 

  

  Autologous (your own) fat grafting to correct facial and breast defects was first reported over 100 years ago. However, since 1987 none of these techniques were widely used in America because of inappropriate and medically inaccurate “safety concerns” promulgated by the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS). These concerns included the implication that the injected fat would not survive and, most importantly, that there might be scarring and calcification, which would compromise breast cancer detection.

 

     Without any scientific proof, the ASPS in 1987 “banned” ASPS plastic surgeons from injecting fat into the breast for breast augmentation. As a result very few U.S. plastic surgeons injected fat into any area of the body.

 

    Fortunately, thousands of fat injection procedures have still been performed by plastic surgeons around the world and hundreds of scientific reports from other countries have demonstrated beyond any doubt the safety and the efficacy of fat grafting in the beast and other body areas.

 

    Because of this courageous work by a few well educated plastic surgeons with no political agenda, the ASPS was forced several years ago to reverse its medically incorrect policy.

 

    Today, fat grafting is rapidly becoming the preferred method to use for:

 

Some History

 

    In the last few years there have been numerous advances in techniques to improve graft "take," and fat grafting is more popular than ever. This has led to the design by many medical equipment companies of new equipment to remove the fat, to process the fat safely, and to inject the fat. Fat graft survival is better than ever and excellent using these refined techniques and new equipment.

 

THE PROCESS

 

    The fat to be used for grafting is carefully removed by liposuction from one or more body areas, depending on the amount of fat needed. Only small amounts of fat are usually needed to treat facial wrinkles or the eyelids, but large amounts are required for such things as breast augmentation, buttock lift, and breast reconstruction.

 

    To date, no single body area has been shown to be better than any other in terms of the quality of fat removed or the future survival of the fat.

 

    After removal the fat is carefully processed to remove any dead fat cells, oils, and excess fluids. It is also spun down to concentrate the cells and to concentrate any stem cells in the fat. Stem cells are found in the “richest” part of the fat concentrate.

 

    The fat and stem calls are then grafted into the area using special syringes and needles, and a lattice of fat and stem calls is made to correct a wrinkle or to restore volume to a specific area.

 

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING FAT

 

    Even with improved fat-handling techniques, some people require multiple or staged procedures to obtain the final result. This is due to the fact that some areas require huge amounts of fat to fill in or to enlarge the area or to obtain a balance in the appearance.

 

     Dr. Taylor uses the BRAVA® breast enhancement system for breast augmentation and reconstruction, which helps to decrease the need for multiple procedures. (See Breast Augmentation using your own fat/stem cells)

 

    As with any surgical procedure, the patient to some degree will have immediately after the procedure some bruising, swelling, pain, and tenderness in the fat donor sites and fat grafted areas. This resolves shortly after the surgery.

 

    Infections are extremely rare, and since it is your own tissue, rejection or an allergic reaction will not occur.

 

    Fat grafting is permanent. It is not like the collagen and Botox treatments that require another treatment every few months. Why rent (New collagen or Botox injections every few months) when with some extra up front costs and a little extra downtime you can buy the results from fat injections? There is always the possibility of requiring another treatment in any area, but in spite of this fat grafting is better than other temporary soft-tissue fillers.

 

See also: http://www.plasticsurgerypractice.com/issues/articles/2010-08_02.asp

    

                http://www.plasticsurgerypractice.com/issues/articles/2009-05_03.asp

 

Call 210-490-1757 for a consultation.

FAT GRAFTING AND STEM CELLS INFORMATION

 

Do the stem cells and fat cells survive?

 

    Of course they survive! Fat grafting to an area actually makes the surrounding tissues look better and healthier. The old joke about taking fat from one body area to improve the size of the breasts is no longer a joke-it is now a reality.

 

     Fat is being used to treat everything from facial wrinkles, dark sunken eyelids, breast defects after biopsy, small breasts, the buttocks, and the skin of the face and hands to tissue losses sustained by soldiers in war. It is your own tissue with unique properties.

 

What Areas Can Be Treated?