BACKGROUND: According to plasticsurgery.com, fat grafting is a procedure where doctors remove a patient's own fat to re-implant it where it is needed. The fat is typically extracted from body parts like the abdomen, thighs or buttocks and injected into another area that requires "plumping," such as the face. When used as a facial filler, fat grafting can improve the creased and sunken areas of the face and add fullness to the lips and cheeks.
FAT HELPS SOLDIERS: A team of doctors at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has received $1.6 million from the Department of Defense to help wounded soldiers recover from facial injuries by using technologies based on the biology of fat tissue. "As many as 26 percent of wounded soldiers suffer some kind of facial injury, which can have a huge impact on quality of life," Dr. J. Peter Rubin, chief of plastic surgery and co-director at the Adipose Stem Cell Center at the University of Pittsburgh, was quoted as saying. "While we can reconstruct bony structures very well, it is the surrounding soft tissues that give people a recognizable face. This project will investigate how soft tissue grafting can more precisely restore facial form and improve the lives of our wounded soldiers." The research program involves the treatment of 20 soldiers with facial injuries. The use of fat grafting for serious facial injuries, such as those resulting from roadside bombs, is performed by using specially-designed devices and instruments for harvesting fat tissue and implanting it into regions of scarred tissue. "Fat grafting, or moving fat tissue from one part of the body to another, has been used as a cosmetic procedure for decades," Dr. Rubin said. "We are now applying this technology for reconstructive surgery to accurately restore facial form after battlefield injuries."
(SOURCE: University of Pittsburgh Press Release)
HOW IT WORKS: Dr. Rubin first removes fat from a patient's abdomen or thighs. Then, the fat is processed. Tissue layers are separated from other fluids. Dr. Rubin then re-injects the concentrated fat into the injured area. This adds volume and smoothes it out.
STEM CELLS: THE FUTURE OF FAT GRAFTING? The research team would ultimately like to know if adult stem cells, which are present in fat tissue, will prevent grafted fat from being reabsorbed by the body. Dr. Rubin's team has separated stem cells from other fat tissue in lab studies. Their goal is to eventually re-inject stem cell enriched tissue for even better results. European studies have shown fat grafts performed with tissue enriched by stem cells shows promise. However, no studies in the United States have proven its effectiveness. MORE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Amy Dugas, Media Coordinator
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, PA
dugasak@upmc.edu
Fat Grafting For Faces -- Research Summary | Medical News and Health Information
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