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[Edaily] 'Perfect' for current beauty trends … 'Stem Cell Breast Augmentation' that naturally adds volume

By 2015-08-25No Comments

The recent catchphrase of the beauty industry is "natural, as if nothing was done." This applies equally to plastic surgery, where styles that make the face look naturally beautiful without appearing unnatural are gaining popularity. Amidst this trend, cosmetic surgery utilizing stem cells is becoming mainstream.

Stem cells are widely used in the treatment of various diseases, such as myocardial infarction, chondrosis, Crohn's disease, and ALS, due to their ability to differentiate on their own. When applied to liposuction, this increases the survival rate of transplanted fat cells and enhances skin regeneration and elasticity, thereby improving the effectiveness of the procedure.  

Stem cell cosmetic surgery involves adding stem cells extracted from fat to conventional simple fat grafting, which is primarily used to fill in thin areas such as the breasts and face. It is known that this can increase the survival rate of the transplanted fat by more than twofold.  


 


Stem cells are broadly classified into three types: embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells derived from blood, bone marrow, and adipose tissue, and induced pluripotent stem cells; however, 'adult stem cells derived from adipose tissue' are primarily used in cosmetic surgery. Shin Dong-jin, director of SC301 Clinic, pointed out, "Stem cells themselves are hardly counted in the blood," adding, "Since cell counters that count stem cells have limitations in that they only count nucleated cells, blood-derived stem cells cannot be counted, and their effectiveness is also questionable, so related treatments should be reconsidered before implementation."

Stem cell breast augmentation is the same as conventional autologous fat grafting up to the point of harvesting fat cells from the patient's body. The key point of stem cell surgery lies in what happens afterward. It differs from autologous fat grafting in that stem cells are separated from the harvested fat, mixed with pure fat tissue in a specific ratio, and injected into areas such as the breasts.

While the engraftment rate of conventional simple autologous fat grafting is in the 20–30% range, that of stem cell cosmetic surgery is significantly higher at around 70%. Therefore, there is no need for a retouching process (a process to replenish insufficient fat volume) spanning two to three sessions. This is because the high engraftment rate allows the fat tissue to survive and maintain volume through the regenerative capabilities of stem cells.

Director Shin has already proven a stem cell engraftment rate in the 70% range based on clinical results from 2008–2009 and 2010–2011. Recently, he published a research paper from Shandong University School of Medicine in China stating that the higher the content of fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) contained in adipose stem cells, the greater the increase in chest circumference six months after the procedure, thereby proving an engraftment rate in the 76% range. 

Director Shin, who currently serves as the president of the Korean Society of Stem Cell Plastic Surgery, explained, “Stem cell plastic surgery is an upgraded version of conventional fat grafting. Although simple fat grafting is a good procedure, the survival rate of the grafted tissue is very low, and injecting excessive fat can lead to significant side effects such as fat cell necrosis, edema, and bruising. Therefore, I began researching stem cell plastic surgery to address these issues.”  

Above all, to achieve successful stem cell cosmetic results, one must verify the 'number of injected stem cells.' Director Shin Dong-jin emphasized, "To increase the engraftment rate after the procedure, at least 5000 million cells of adipose-derived adult stem cells must be administered," adding, "A 'cell counting' device directly verifies the number of injected cells, so it is advisable to choose a hospital equipped with this equipment that can directly check the number of stem cells injected into the breasts."