[Chosun Ilbo] Breast Stem Cell Transplantation Increases Fat Survival Rate to 70%

 

[Chosun Ilbo] Breast Stem Cell Transplantation Increases Fat Survival Rate to 70%

 

​

Stem cell breast augmentation
 
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety launched an investigation on the 12th after receiving a report from a woman that she had recently found a sticky liquid mixed in the breast milk she fed her child.

​

The investigation revealed that the woman had undergone breast augmentation surgery with implants five years ago, and components of the silicone implants were leaking into her milk ducts along with her breast milk. Ultimately, she underwent surgery to remove the breast implants and excise a portion of her milk ducts. This is the first reported case in Korea where breast implant contents leaked into breast milk. Due to this incident, there has recently been a growing awareness regarding breast augmentation using implants.

​

​

◇ Careful Selection is Necessary for Breast Implant Surgery

​

Breastfeeding is not impossible even after breast augmentation surgery. Breast milk passes through the mammary glands, collects in the milk ducts, and exits through the nipple. Experts believe that breastfeeding is not an issue because the implants are inserted into the front or back of the chest muscles without affecting the mammary glands.

​

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that patients replace silicone implants with new ones within 8 to 10 years of breast augmentation (if problems are found after an examination), as silicone implants are durable materials. According to a study in the United States, the probability of implant rupture is only 0.5% after about 2 years, but rises to 6% after 5 years and as high as 15% after 10 years.

​

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea also advises that women who have undergone breast augmentation surgery with implants should have X-rays, ultrasounds, and MRIs checked at least once every two years to ensure there are no abnormalities, stating that implants inserted for breast augmentation can cause cancer.

 

 

Director Shin Dong-jin is consulting with a woman considering stem cell breast augmentation. / SC301 Clinic
 

​

◇ Autologous fat grafting breast augmentation

​

Korean women have narrow rib cages and a leaner physique compared to Westerners, resulting in a relative lack of breast volume. Driven by the trend favoring a slim figure and the accompanying dieting, breast size inevitably shrinks. Consequently, this leads them to consider breast augmentation with implants. However, for women, surgery to insert implants is inevitably a burdensome prospect.

​

As an alternative, there is 'autologous fat grafting,' which involves harvesting the patient's own fat cells and transplanting them into the breast area instead of using implants. Autologous fat grafting breast augmentation is a method that addresses the shortcomings of traditional implant breast augmentation, such as capsular contracture (hardening of the tissue around the implant), implant rupture, and the need for periodic implant replacement. However, the existing method has a survival rate of only 10–20%, results in reduced volume after surgery, and requires two to three repeated surgeries to satisfy the patient's needs. Furthermore, the consensus among many plastic surgeons is that fat that does not engraft can lead to side effects such as calcification, causing it to harden over time.

​

​

◇ Stem cell breast augmentation starting to gain attention

​

Meanwhile, the survival rate, which is a disadvantage of autologous fat grafting The improved 'Stem Cell Breast Augmentation' has recently been attracting the attention of many women. Stem Cell Breast Augmentation is a procedure that adds stem cells to fat cells to raise the engraftment rate to the 70% range. It allows for the creation of natural-looking, full breasts with a single treatment, without the need for repeated touch-ups. Since unnecessary excess fat is removed from areas such as the abdomen or thighs to harvest the fat cells for transplantation, overall body contouring effects can also be expected.

​

Shin Dong-jin, the representative director of SC301 Clinic, explained, “Stem cells promote blood vessel formation in transplanted fat and aid in engraftment, improving the engraftment rate to 70%,” adding, “We have secured the credibility of the procedure by publishing an international paper, the first in Korea, proving an engraftment rate in the 76% range due to the effects of stem cells.”

​

He pointed out, “There are quite a few clinics that advertise themselves as if they are performing stem cell fat grafting when they are actually just performing simple fat grafting or PRP fat grafting, so caution is advised.”

​

Furthermore, Director Shin advised, “For stem cell breast augmentation, hospitals must be equipped with equipment capable of stably extracting stem cells, a cell counter system to verify the number of stem cells and ensure stable engraftment rates, and an anti-aging management system to assess the condition of the fat.” He added, “The stability of the surgical outcome is guaranteed only when the procedure is performed by a doctor who is proficient in handling this advanced equipment and possesses extensive clinical experience to promote stable engraftment. Patients should carefully scrutinize whether the hospital they visit meets these requirements.”