'Lowest Price Shopping' for Breast Augmentation Too… "You Get What You Pay For" Is Not Just a Saying

'Lowest Price Shopping' for Breast Augmentation Too… "You Get What You Pay For" Is Not Just a Saying

You might end up just wasting money and 'a heart that disappears in 6 months'

… The priority is to verify the authenticity of the device and the surgeon's expertise.

Surprisingly, 'price' is the top priority for people who decide to undergo plastic surgery, such as breast augmentation. This stems from the complacent belief that "medical technology has improved so much these days that I will naturally become beautiful after surgery." Believing that doctors' skills are all similar, they search for the lowest procedure costs as if they were shopping, thinking, "Since I'm going to get it done anyway, I might as well get it done cheaply."

Ms. Jang (25, female), a job seeker, is preparing to become a hotelier. Since it is a service job that requires standing in front of people, she could not ignore her appearance. She has a pretty face, a skinny figure, and a tall, slender height, but she always felt insecure about her small breasts, which were indistinguishable from front to back. In the meantime, she decided to undergo breast augmentation using fat grafting and had the surgery at the cheapest place available. She was satisfied for the first month after the surgery, but at some point, the volume of her breasts began to disappear, and now, less than a year later, they look no different from before. Her friends even think she is simply wearing a padded bra, making her feel that the money was wasted. She has decided that she will get proper surgery next time.

There is a saying that "you get what you pay for." Before choosing a clinic that promotes only low surgery costs through price dumping, there are several factors to check. Particular caution is required with autologous fat grafting. Above all, the "survival rate" is what determines surgical satisfaction. Even if fat is extracted from your own thighs or abdomen and transplanted, it is bound to be absorbed into the body over time. It is known that the survival rate for simple autologous fat grafting is only 20–30%. This means there is a high probability of needing repeated revision surgeries. Typically, the injected fat tends to dissipate after around six months.

In such cases, utilizing stem cells can significantly improve the engraftment rate. Stem cells are isolated from a portion of the centrifuged fat, mixed with the centrifuged fat, and transplanted to the necessary area. Due to their excellent ability to maintain volume, they are suitable for breast augmentation.

Shin Dong-jin, Director of Apgujeong SC301 Clinic (and President of the Korean Society of Stem Cell Plastic Surgery), explained, “If only fat cells are transplanted, they are likely to be absorbed or lost to the original breast tissue after a short time.” He added, “To overcome this, extracting stem cells from adipose tissue and mixing them with purified fat cells in a specific ratio before implanting them into the breasts increases the engraftment rate.” 

He has been researching cosmetic surgery, including breast augmentation using stem cells, since 2008 and is a pioneer of this procedure. He increased the engraftment rate of fat cells to over 70% and proved this through two papers.
Recently, the results of an analysis of stem cell breast augmentation outcomes for 200 patients in their 20s to 50s who were available for follow-up observation during 2013 were also released. Regardless of age, the average chest circumference increased by approximately 5 cm, and the women who underwent the procedure received injections of fat cells and stem cells ranging from over 90 cc to a maximum of 260 cc per breast.

It is the 'procedural equipment' that underpins the surgeon's extensive clinical experience and know-how. If a clinic advertises the use of specific equipment but offers a significantly lower price, you should verify whether that equipment is actually in operation. There are quite a few cases where patients suffer disappointment after undergoing a procedure believing it to be stem cell fat grafting, only to find out that the system is no different from autologous fat grafting. As a result, the cost remains high while the effects are not significantly different, leading to great disappointment.

Director Shin pointed out, “Currently, there are hundreds of hospitals in Korea advertising that they perform stem cell breast augmentation, but there are only about 10 medical institutions that are properly equipped with devices to extract stem cells and perform the procedure meticulously.” His view is that these institutions are talking about stem cell breast augmentation while performing simple fat cell transplants or using inadequate equipment.

SC301 Clinic is the first private hospital to introduce a Cryo-Block System (CBS), enabling the healthy storage of residual fat after surgery. These well-frozen, pure fat cells are activated and utilized for secondary procedures. The clinic is equipped with the latest stem cell extractors, including HuriCell, TGI, and CHA Station, to rapidly and accurately extract and separate stem cells using fully automated systems. Although the equipment is expensive, the clinic has fully equipped itself with genuine machines to ensure "guaranteed results."

Director Shin Dong-jin advised, “Even if you are tempted by marketing that emphasizes only ‘low prices,’ it is essential to determine whether the doctor at the hospital has sufficiently researched the procedure and possesses their own unique know-how.” He added, “You should also check whether the hospital is properly equipped with the equipment used for surgery.” He further noted, “If you look only for low prices with a complacent mindset, it is all too common to end up considering revision surgery, let alone achieving the desired results.”