Cosmetic surgeons have pioneered a new technique for breast augmentation using 'fat grafting,' that involves the use of stem cells. November 26, 2009, (Sawf News) - Cosmetic surgeons have pioneered a new technique for breast augmentation using 'fat grafting,' that involves the use of stem cells.
The new process reduces the body's absorption of the fat grafted into breasts, eliminating the need for top-up treatment.
Traditional breast augmentation using 'fat grafting' involves harvesting fat from areas where it is in excess - like the abdomen, hips, thighs, or buttocks - and re-implanting it in the breast.
The procedure is especially appealing to women who have reservations about saline or silicone gel breast implants. Women are happy that their fuller breasts are just them.
Another advantage: the re-implanted fat is harvested from an area of the body where it is in excess. It is like killing two birds with one stone.
The downside is, some of the fat re-implanted is reabsorbed by the body within a few months. Depending on the experience of the surgeon, the patient and some other factors in the body, 20 to 95 percent of transferred fat can be reabsorbed into the blood stream or simply die.
With the new technique, the harvested fat is enriched with stem cells before being grafted into the breasts. Half the harvested fat is put through a special machine that extracts and condenses the stem cells, which are then mixed with the remaining fat before being injected into the breasts.
The stem cells stimulate generation of a blood supply capillary network to the transplanted fat cells, which then integrate with the existing fat cells.
As a result, breast augmentation is totally natural, permanent and instant.
The procedure is done under local anesthesia. It is safe, with antibiotics being used to prevent infection.
In late October, Dr Mike Comins of The Private Clinic in London performed the first stem cell enriched fat grafting in the UK on Lucy Mead, 23, a sales adviser who lives in Ruislip, Middlesex.
He extracted fat from her thighs and hips using a process called Vaser Hi Def Liposuction (Vibration Amplification Sound Energy at Resonance). It involves the insertion of a 2-3 mm thick ultrasound probe made from titanium into the fatty areas.
The ultrasound waves emitted from the rod liquefied the fat which was then sucked out by inserting a tiny tube. While removing 600 milliliters of fat, Dr Comins sculpted the areas to aesthetically improve it, carefully 'carving' fat away from around the key muscle groups.
Half of the extracted fat was processed in a machine using Cytori Celution to extract the stem cells before mixing them with the remaining fat.
Dr Comins then made two incisions in Lucy's breasts and used local anesthetic to numb the tissue and muscle within. The fat and stem cells were injected into various points around her breasts to give them an appealing shape and volume.
Following the minimally invasive surgery, Lucy was given antibiotics to prevent infection and asked to wear a sports bra for two weeks to facilitate healing.
Lucy is perfectly satisfied with the result of the surgical procedure.
"Friends tell me my breasts look amazing and, best of all, I know they'll be with me for good now without fear of any of the complications you can get with implants such as rejection, calcification or even having to have them replaced in a decade's time," she says.
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