In which aesthetic procedures are you using adipose stem cells?
In our Clinic DDr. Heinrich® we are using stem cells taken from the patient’s fat for both aesthetic and regenerative treatments. Treatments include breast augmentation, body forming, correction of dimples, skin and face rejuvenation, and hair growth therapy. We also use the autologous stem cells for the rejuvenation and regeneration of the whole body, i.e. the regeneration of organs.
When did you start to use this method of breast augmentation?
We are doing breast augmentation with stem cell-enriched autologous fat since 2006, being the first doctor in Europe and U.S. to perform CAL. Thus we have treated successfully a lot of patients and have ample experience with this challenging procedure.
Why do you decide to try this?
I have been doing fat transfer to the breast since 1995 which is basically the same underlying surgery. I started thorough scientific research in 2003, when first information of the possibility of using autologous stem cells from fat reached the cosmetic surgery community. Since my studies at university I am interested in rejuvenation and regenerative therapies and I was impressed by the potential of the stem cells contained in the body’s own fat.
In your clinic you do breast augmentations using adipose stem cells. How does it work?
In the first step fat is harvested from the patient’s fat deposits using liposuction. Secondly the fat is enriched with stem cells in a laboratory process. Finally the stem cell-enriched fat is injected into the breasts.
How many injections of adipose stem cells are necessary for a breast augmentation?
Typically one treatment is sufficient as most of the gained volume will stay permanently. In some rare cases, depending on the structure of the breast tissue and the desired gain in volume, two treatments might be necessary.
How is the post-operatory? Is it faster than in prosthesis implants?
The whole procedure of the stem cell breast augmentation and also the aftercare are much gentler than with silicone implants. The liposuction and injection sites heal within a few days. The patient can go home directly after the procedure; it’s not necessary to spend a night in a hospital.
How do you extract stem cells from adipose tissue?
The stem cells are isolated in a complex laboratory process under high sterility conditions, which basically comprehends separating the stem cells from the connective tissue of the fat with special enzymatic digestion combined with multiple centrifugations. Alternatively we use patented cell separation devices to separate the stem cells from the fat.
Do you extract stem cells from adipose tissue in your own clinic or is it made in a laboratory?
Preparation of the stem cell-enriched autologous fat is done in our clinic’s laboratory.
What is the percentage of stem cells in adipose tissue?
Adipose tissue is the tissue with the highest content of stem cells of all tissues in the body.
Do you use only stem cells in breast augmentation or a combination between stem cells and fat?
The stem cells previously extracted from a portion of the patient’s fat are mixed with another portion of fat prior to injection. The fat serves as a matrix for the stem cells.
How many times after the stem cells have been collect they can be applied to the patient? Do they need to be cultivated to have the appropriate cell quantity to the graft?
Fat contains billions of stem cells. Thus it’s not necessary to cultivate and expand the stem cells. However it is possible to store ones stem cells after isolation in a tissue bank at −20 °C for future applications. This applies more for patients interested in regenerative stem cell therapy.
In this procedure the stem cells used should be from the patient himself?
Only the patient’s own cells can be used.
If I’m thin will I have sufficient adipose stem cells for a breast augmentation?
Our experience shows that even slim patients often have sufficient fat deposits. However, the liposuction method used to harvest the fat is crucial. In our Clinic DDr. Heinrich® we use very thin microcannulas which not only enable us to gain more fat but which are also much gentler than thicker standard cannulas.
How much fat is necessary for a breast augmentation?
Between 500 ccm and 2,500 ccm, depending on the requested volume, are required to be injected into the breasts.
Thirty years ago some scientists proposed the use of fat tissue to reconstruct breasts in post-cancer patients. What is the difference between this old method and the actual stem cells method?
The problem of the method proposed thirty years ago was that the fat had to be extracted surgically from another part of the body. Also the blood supply for the transplanted fat posed a problem and in some cases the fat tissue didn’t integrate well with the body’s blood circulation. Later surgeons used liposuctioned fat and injected it into the breasts in small portions. This method yielded much better but still unpredictable results because of volume loss. With stem cell-enriched autologous fat volume retention is much more satisfying probably due to stem cells activating additional blood supply after the injection of the stem cell-enriched fat.
Do you think adipose stem cells are better than prosthesis? Why?
I believe that adipose stem cells are a much better approach to breast augmentation than breast implants for several reasons. Breasts augmented by the body’s own stem cells behave just like a natural breast, which means that they look naturally in every position and even in motion. In addition our method doesn’t leave any permanent scars and is not prone to the risks linked with silicone implants, such as capsular fibrosis.
What are the limitations in breast augmentation with adipose stem cells?
The method requires sufficient fat deposits and the breast tissue must be soft enough to adjust to the injected fat. Typically an augmentation of up to 1½ cup sizes per procedure can be achieved, sometimes even 2 cup sizes.
DDr. Heinrich, MD