Beauty & Body

New You Asks: Can You Really Size Up Breasts with Stem Cells?

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New You Magazine’s exclusive beauty column for LA’s the Place is your invite to the behind the scenes of the cosmetic surgery realm.  New You explores a new option for breast augmentation through stem cells and fat transfer.

Whether it’s size, shape or both that has breast augmentation on your to-do list, one thing is certain: You’ve got a big choice to make about what material your cosmetic surgeon will use to fill and shape your soon-to-be perfect pair. The news these days? It’s not just limited to saline or silicone.

It’s not just about a choice between saline and silicone-gel filled implants any more, according to the experts. One of the newer approaches for increasing breast size involves transferring fat and stem cells.

Though fat transfer to the breast was not a common procedure in years past, it has become a more viable option today, with the advent of more effective technology for fat harvesting and transfer. Furthermore, says Maurice Sherman, MD, an AACS Fellow in Del Mar, Calif., there’s no longer reason to worry about fat calcification and false cancer positives. There is “reduced fear that you are causing some calcification in the breast that might be confused with early cancer changes in the breast. That has been shown not to be the case. These are not cancer, and can be recognized now as different.”

But this procedure also requires a donor site from which to extract that fat. While this is a beautiful 2-in-1 scenario for many women, those of the slimmer variety aren’t good candidates. (Sorry skinny girls!)

“For fat injection, one needs a donor site…. Injection is done through 1 mm to 2 mm puncture wounds, so that there is really no incision,” Theodore Staahl, MD, Modesto, Calif., explains. “This is useful for patients who just need a quarter to a half-cup size increase. The fat that stays after three months is permanent.”

Dr. Sherman agrees. If you’re looking for a jump in size, fat transfer isn’t the best option. In fat grafting, “You’re going to get a half to one cup size increase. If you want two sizes or more, you have to go to an implant,” he says.

With fat transfer, doctors tend to overfill the area because not all of it survives. How much fat stays? That is the question…

“If we do a good a job of not damaging the fat, during the harvesting or transferring, then we have to be able to re-establish a blood supply so that fat can survive. The stem cells, when transferred in with the fat, help to form new blood vessels to help improve fat survival,” Todd Malan, Scottsdale, Ariz., says, weighing in on the issue.

The bottom line? If you’re looking for a major size change, then you’ll want to go with saline or silicone. But if a smaller but more shapely bustline AND a trimmer tummy are on your wish list, stem cells just may be your shining star!

About New You

New You Magazine is the official consumer publication of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS), New You is the first line of communication between cosmetic surgery experts and readers. They are a magazine on a mission to help real people meet their personal beauty goals. As such, they provide readers with honest information about the latest anti-aging technologies, trends, procedures and products in addition to safety, cost, real patient personal experiences and guidance on how to find the right treatment and the right surgeon.

The AACS is a professional medical society of more than 2,500 cosmetic surgeons dedicated to consumer education and safety. All of the doctors referenced in New You articles are members.

For more information about New You, please visit www.newyoumag.com.

About the author

Lanee Neil