Blog Article
Posted on April 7th, 2012 in
Body Surgery
Autologous fat grafting is one of the most promising – yet also perhaps the most challenging – developments in the field of
plastic surgery in recent years. Research on more effective ways to transfer fat continues with a
recent study that indicates improved results with Selphyl, a platelet-rich fibrin matrix, in a discovery that could improve the prospects of tissue survival after autologous fat grafting.
By using the patient’s own unwanted fat to enhance other bodily features, autologous fat grafting has provoked a great deal of excitement since it was initially introduced as a widespread alternative to
injectable fillers. During a fat grafting procedure,
liposuction can be used to extract fat from one part of the body. The fat is then specially treated before being injected into the target site.
Unfortunately, fat grafting has some disadvantages, the most significant of which is that due to insufficient blood supply, some fatty tissue will likely not survive the grafting process. There have been a number of different studies engaged in finding new ways of grafting fat that will minimize the chances of tissue necrosis. This latest study was published in the
American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery.
Richard Goldfarb and Aaron Shapiro, the MDs who conducted the study, examined the surgical results for a 37-year-old woman who had fat from her outer thighs injected into her lower tummy. Two separate injections were used – one with fat and the other with a mixture of fat and Selphyl – so that the results could be compared side-by-side in the same patients.
An examination 8 weeks after the surgery revealed that the Selphyl had produced a greater number of blood vessels in the transplanted tissue. The authors concluded that Selphyl offered better results because of increased neovascularization, which enhances the chances of long-term results. “The result of this case study indicates that fat mixed with Selphyl may improve graft survival by increasing both neovascularization and total cell number.”
