[Chosun Ilbo] Breast confidence lost after childbirth and breastfeeding... Simultaneous injection of autologous fat and stem cells to regain femininity

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[Chosun Ilbo] Breast confidence lost after childbirth and breastfeeding... Simultaneous injection of autologous fat and stem cells to regain femininity

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Breast augmentation, which was previously considered the exclusive domain of young women, is recently becoming popular among middle-aged women as well. These women are undergoing revision or reconstruction surgery because they have had breast implant surgery in their 20s or 30s, or because their breasts have sagged due to aging, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Dr. Shin Dong-jin, director of SC301 Clinic, which specializes in stem cell breast augmentation, stated, “One in five patients visiting our clinic is a patient undergoing revision breast surgery. As women age, the implants that were inserted excessively in their youth have become burdensome, leading to an increased demand for correction.” He further explained, “After childbirth, the hormonal system changes, and breastfeeding reduces skin elasticity, inevitably altering the shape of the breasts. Patients visiting after breastfeeding generally experience a thinning of the upper breasts and sagging downwards. Additionally, if breast implants were inserted before childbirth, they become noticeably visible after delivery. This phenomenon is likely to occur because fat is lost due to aging, causing the skin to thin.”

Breast augmentation surgery using implants can provide a fuller volume with a single procedure, but it carries the risk of side effects. A representative side effect is 'capsular contracture,' in which the tissue surrounding the breast implant hardens. This can range from a simple hardening of the tissue around the implant to severe cases where the implant becomes distorted or disfigured.

Mrs. Kim (54), a housewife who had breast augmentation with implants 24 years ago, said, “At the time of the surgery, there were not many types of implants available, and I thought the surgery was easy because I just needed to increase the volume. However, since I was naturally thin and lost more weight as I got older, the implants looked ridiculous and I haven't been able to go to the sauna for several years.”

However, those considering revision breast surgery for various reasons inevitably feel burdened by the prospect of returning to the operating table. This is because they worry about foreign body sensation and side effects due to the injection of foreign material, the pain involved in returning to daily life after surgery, and the fear that the implants might become visible again. Nevertheless, women's desire to shake off the depression caused by the loss of volume does not easily subside.

Recently, 'stem cell breast augmentation,' which involves injecting a patient's own fat tissue and pure stem cells into the breasts instead of implants, has emerged and is attracting a lot of attention. This procedure involves liposuctioning fat from areas that cause body shape complexes, such as the thighs and abdomen, and then centrifuging it into pure fat cells and stem cells to fill the space left by removed breast implants. In the case of revision surgery, this process is performed after removing the existing implants and the surrounding capsule.

Dr. Shin Dong-jin, director of SC301 Clinic, who has pioneered this procedure since 2007, stated, “While conventional simple autologous fat grafting has the advantage of enhancing the breasts while providing a texture indistinguishable from natural flesh, its limitation was a low ‘engraftment rate.’ Stem cell breast augmentation involves isolating stem cells and mixing them with fat cells, which increases the engraftment rate from 10–20% to the 76% range. This is because the inherent nature of stem cells, which differentiates and proliferates specific tissues when present in their presence, comes into play.” He previously published a paper between 2012 and 2015 in an academic journal of Shandong University Medical School in China, proving the achievement of a 76% engraftment rate for stem cell fat grafting.

Meanwhile, Director Shin pointed out, “With conventional simple autologous fat grafting, breast volume disappeared instantly, leading to significant patient dissatisfaction, and re-procedures to compensate for this further increased the burden on patients. Additionally, if excessive fat is grafted all at once out of greed, it can lead to side effects such as calcification or necrosis.”

For proper stem cell breast augmentation to be performed, it requires equipment capable of harvesting a sufficient quantity of necessary cells in a single session without damage, supported by the clinical experience of medical staff who are proficient in handling it. In this regard, Director Shin stated, “We harvest fat from the patient's body and stem cells “If the procedure is not performed within two hours of extraction, the stem cells begin to degenerate, leading to poor surgical results,” he said. “The majority of hospitals and clinics in Korea that claim to offer stem cell breast augmentation lack proper equipment and medical expertise. Therefore, choosing a hospital that adheres to standard practices is crucial. In particular, selecting the right hospital is paramount to avoiding a third surgery due to dissatisfaction following revision surgery.”