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'Fake Clinics' Spreading Like Raindrops Amid Stem Cell Plastic Surgery… What Is the Standard for a 'Real' One?

By 2015-06-30No Comments
'Fake Clinics' Spreading Like Raindrops Amid Stem Cell Plastic Surgery… What Is the Standard for a 'Real' One?


Stem cell breast augmentation.jpg


Stem cell breast augmentation has recently become the mainstream trend in breast surgery due to its natural breast volume and high engraftment rate. In any field, when something becomes popular, counterfeit versions that imitate the original are bound to appear. The problem is that these imitations involve medical technology applied directly to the human body. Clumsy procedures can lead to problems here and there, ultimately resulting in only the patients suffering the consequences. 

As various procedures using stem cells have recently gained popularity in the medical field, the number of related hospitals is on the rise.
Factors that lead to the success of stem cell cosmetic surgery include the surgeon's clinical experience, surgical equipment, and the amount of stem cells injected. However, it is more difficult than expected to find a hospital that properly meets these requirements.

Shin Dong-jin, director of SC301 Clinic, pointed out, “Among the hundreds of hospitals currently advertising that they perform stem cell breast augmentation, only a few are actually properly equipped with the equipment to extract stem cells,” adding, “They are misleading consumers by promoting it as stem cell surgery in name only while performing simple autologous fat grafting.”

Patients can easily get confused because the procedure for stem cell breast augmentation is similar to conventional simple autologous fat grafting. The process is identical up to the stage of harvesting fat cells from the patient's body. The key point lies in what follows. Stem cells are separated from the harvested fat, mixed with the fat tissue in a specific ratio, and injected into the breasts to create beautiful lines. A major advantage is that, due to the action of the stem cells, the engraftment rate is significantly higher than that of conventional fat grafting for women in their 20s and 30s, eliminating the need for touch-ups (supplementary procedures after the initial treatment). Dr. Shin Dong-jin has enhanced credibility by publishing these findings in a research paper.

One of the most critical factors in stem cell cosmetic procedures is the equipment. The equipment used to cleanly purify and abundantly extract stem cells has a significant impact on the treatment results. Representative extraction devices include HuriCell and TGI. However, if a procedure advertises the use of specific equipment but the price is excessively low, you should verify whether that equipment is actually in operation.
Director Shin pointed out, “Since last year, there has been a shortage of accessories for the HuriCell device, which boasts top-tier stem cell extraction rates and engraftment rates both domestically and internationally,” adding, “Despite this, there are many hospitals misleading patients by claiming to use HuriCell.” 

He continued, “Since consumables for fully automated extraction equipment are expensive, it seems that places where it is not cost-effective give up on maintaining the equipment,” and introduced, “In the case of our hospital, we are equipped with HuriCell and TGI, and we are rapidly and precisely extracting and separating stem cells using a fully automated method.” 

Another decisive factor distinguishing genuine stem cells from counterfeit ones is the 'number of injected stem cells.' Director Shin Dong-jin stated, "To increase the engraftment rate of stem cell breast augmentation, at least 5000 million adipose-derived adult stem cells must be administered," adding, "The 'cell counting' device allows you to directly verify the number of injected cells." He further added, "It is advisable to choose a hospital equipped with this equipment that can directly check the number of stem cells injected into the breasts."

Compared to the high engraftment rate of stem cell breast augmentation, conventional autologous fat grafting breast augmentation had a limitation in that the results were fleeting due to a low engraftment rate. Some doctors even inject excessive amounts of fat cells to boost the engraftment rate without stem cells. Alternatively, patients had to undergo two or three touch-up surgeries. Some patients requested that a large amount of fat be injected at once, citing the hassle of the touch-up process, but in such cases, there is a risk of fat necrosis or calcification. 

Fat necrosis is the death of a portion of cells or tissues. Director Shin pointed out, "If an excessive amount of fat is injected without considering the patient's available transplant space to prevent the fat from being absorbed and lost by the tissue, there is a risk that this phenomenon will be triggered because the transplanted fat will not receive nutrients." 

Calcification is a phenomenon in which a layer of fat that has failed to integrate is not absorbed into the bloodstream and remains within the breast tissue, hardening like a stone. In severe cases, if left untreated, symptoms may worsen or inflammation may occur, so you should visit the hospital where the procedure was performed to consult with a doctor.
 
Director Shin emphasized, “Calcification usually occurs when an excessive amount of fat is injected, and it is prone to happening due to the greed of the doctor or patient, or the surgeon’s inexperience,” adding, “No matter how good the equipment is or how many stem cells are injected, if the doctor’s know-how is lacking, these factors will be of no use.”

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