Fat grafts, Stem cells, and the Fountain of youth

Modified on | by Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez

Anybody who has read this blog knows I have been doing fat grafts for years. I have performed fat grafting to the face, hands, breast and buttocks. I love doing it and it seems every day I think of something else to do with fat grafts.

My first case of fat grafting was for acne scarring

I did my first case of micro fat grafting to the face over 20 years ago. It was a patient that had acne scarring in her face. During the decade of the 90’s I had tried laser for that problem, under the theory that you could level the skin.

Frankly the results were OK, not great, because the pits were not filled. Fat grafting was used to fill the pits under the skin. The great surprise was how good the skin looked after the fat injections ! The skin became rosier, softer, and just younger looking.

My next step was to fill volume of the cheeks with fat

Afterwards I started using fat to fill the volume of the cheeks under the eyelids. Again, the fat does a great job of filling the volume. The big surprise again is the skin. It looks great! Soft, rosy, just young looking!

How can just fat cells accomplish all of that? The answer is that the fat cells don’t. But fat grafts have a small number of stem cells mixed in and it is these cells that do the magic. These stem cells can form new connective tissue cells, new blood vessel cells, in short, everything you need to make your skin not just young looking, but YOUNG.

Your own fat cells have restorative power with fat injections

Forget injectables, vitamin potions, european embryonic cultured cells (lotions), lasers, etc. Your own fat grafts have little fountains of youth built in.

The clinical applications are just beginning to be understood. They are the real deal. Fat grafts are being used for difficult problems such as reconstructing breasts that have been heavily damaged by irradiation.

I challenge any beauty product out there, whether it be laser, any of the injectables, or any fancy creams (some even claim to be stem cell creams!) to match the record of fat graft stem cells in treating damaged irradiated tissue.

When it comes to your own face, trust only your body to do its magic.

(originally published March 30, 2009)

By Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez MD Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Cosmeticsurg Baltimore, Maryland Ricardo L. Rodriguez on American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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14 thoughts on “Fat grafts, Stem cells, and the Fountain of youth”

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Zahid: First of all, the results of fat grafting are very technique dependent. If done correctly, the theory is that the fat cells that were injected will die off with time as regular fat cells would, but they will be replaced by the fat stem cells that were also injected. The volume of the fat cells will fluctuate with your weight, but the number of stem cells should remain fairly constant.

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Tania: Unfortunately, I don't know who does this in Adelaide. Even if I knew anyone who did it, the question then is, Do they do it well? We have plenty of posts in our blog regarding fat grafting, just do a search within our blog or explore the section on fat grafting.

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Angela: Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net, she will be more than happy to send you some info. I will forward this email to her.

  • jacqueline brentley says:

    please send me more info on fat grafting for face and breasts i also want a face lift is there an arrangement for a ballpark costing for more than one procedure ? and or more than one person for example if i brought a friend with me for some work doing would i get some kind of discount ? i await your responce in anticipation yours j brentley

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Jacqueline: For pricing info, you can contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net. She will be more than happy to discuss all these issues with you. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

  • Elaine Lorde-Simmons says:

    After reading the info provided on your website, I feel reassured. Your ideas make good sense to be me. Presently I would like a brow lift and a buttock lift. I need a breast reduction but that can wait. I will be 59 on my next birthday and I live in New York. I noticed that your clients are much younger. Would my age be a problem? How long do these procedures take and how much do they cost. I will anxiously wait your response.

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Elaine: Age is not really as much a concern as your general health status is. If you are healthy or even if you have medical problems that are well controlled, you are a good candidate for surgery. We are looking forward to hearing from you, and you can contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticcsurg.net for general info on procedures and prices. You can also arrange for a virtual consult, that would be preceded filling out some forms about your medical status, as well as some pictures, so we could talk at depth about the areas that bother you. Go for it!

  • pamela says:

    wow, I am terrifically interested. I am going to re-do my implants for the fourth time due to 2 times having them rupture, and the current version just interferes with my movements too much. I am very physical. what can I do--is there a procedure that uses just fat? Plus the current version is very badly placed. I hate going in again but the constant movement on one side is weird looking and annoying, and the lack of symmetry is downright embarassing. also, I am interested in a lift for my face. please contact me

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Pamela: Yes fat grafts to the breasts is really doable. We would love to help you. Kelly (kelly@cosmeticsurg.net) will be contacting you soon to get your data, pictures, etc. so that we an set up a phone conversation. As far as to what can be done for your implants, that is something we would have to see pictures of before we can make a judgement. Thanks for contacting us!