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[Sisa Today] “Stem Cell Fat Grafting to Address Low Fat Graft Survival Rates”

By 2017-05-02No Comments

 


[Sisa Today] “Stem Cell Fat Grafting to Address Low Fat Graft Survival Rates”


 


(Sisa Today, Sisa ON, Sisa On = Reporter Seol Dong-hoon) sisaon@sisaon.co.kr)


 


 



 


"Fat grafting" is a treatment that has recently been steadily gaining popularity at clinics. Primarily preferred by women, it is a volume-boosting procedure that involves injecting one's own fat cells into areas lacking volume, such as the face and breasts. Its advantage lies in the ability to expect various cosmetic benefits, including weight loss effects, as the material itself is derived from the patient's own excess fat.



However, the problem is that there is a high risk that the transplanted fat will quickly collapse after the procedure. In simple fat grafting, liposuction is performed on areas with high fat accumulation, such as the thighs and abdomen, and the harvested fat is centrifuged to inject only pure fat into the body.



At this time, the face or chest into which fat cells are injected swells significantly, allowing visible changes from the day of the procedure and resulting in high satisfaction; however, if the engraftment does not occur properly, the effects of the procedure can disappear as little as 3 to 6 months. The average engraftment rate for simple autologous fat grafting is known to be in the 20–30% range.



There are quite a few women who suffer greatly but end up undergoing repeated procedures because the results do not last long. In the case of breasts, doctors or patients may become overly ambitious and inject excessive fat, leading to skin necrosis or calcification.



The recent preference for fat grafting using stem cells is due to its ability to increase the survival rate. When adult stem cells extracted from autologous fat are transplanted into areas such as the face or breasts along with pure fat cells, the survival rate is significantly higher than that of conventional fat grafting.



Shin Dong-jin, Chief Director of SC301 Clinic, stated, “Stem cell fat grafting overcomes the low engraftment rate of conventional autologous fat grafting.” He added, “Adult stem cells, used in procedures such as stem cell breast augmentation, have a high engraftment rate due to their angiogenesis and regenerative functions. They are characterized by a low incidence of side effects as there is no need for repeated procedures, and they enhance both engraftment rate and volume.”



As such, stem cell fat grafting offers a high engraftment rate and volume retention, allowing for sufficient results with just a single procedure. This eliminates the inconvenience of repeated procedures like conventional treatments and is free from side effects such as necrosis and calcification.



It has been proven in academic papers that the engraftment rate increases when stem cells are used. Director Shin has published a paper stating that administering stem cells along with fat grafting increases the post-procedure fat engraftment rate to 76%.



Recently, a 'fat cell and stem cell banking system' is also being introduced, which allows patients to store their own healthy fat cells and stem cells and utilize them for procedures at any time. Aspirated fat is separated into stem cells and pure fat, frozen and stored at an ultra-low temperature of minus 196 degrees, and can be retrieved for surgery at any time.



In the case of obese individuals, fat and stem cells are stored through liposuction prior to dieting and then usefully utilized to improve the volume of the chest and face after weight loss.