For Fat Grafting, Do You Retain the Stem Cells from the Donor Area?

Question:

For fat grafting, do you retain the stem cells when removing fat from the donor area? I’ve heard that this can produce amazing results.

Answer:

When autologous fat grafting is performed, fat cells are harvested from various areas of the body such as the abdomen, hips, and thighs. The fat which is harvested is cleaned so that pure fat can then be injected into other areas of the face and body which may need fat augmentation for cosmetic purposes. The fat which is harvested has stem cells within the fat and one cannot really select for stem cells, but, rather they are already present in the harvested fat. The area of the body which seems to contain the highest concentration of stem cells is the lower abdomen. The lower abdomen is my preference for fat harvesting for autologous fat transplantation to the face.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld