Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

On "realself" a NY surgeon says that fat grafts can grow because of stem cells. Do you agree with this? Are you studying the stem cell role in fat grafting?

no,totally disagree. fat cells "grow" because of blood supply. there is no evidence of stem cells at this time. it is more conjecture and voodoo science at this time. when i moderated a panel of 6 other fat transfer surgeons last month in vegas, the conclusion by almost all of them is that first stem cells are totally unknown and second there is no desire to add stem cells because a) who knows what the long-term consequences are and b) if you get good fat take then why do you want more take. more take is not better it is bad. watch the following videos to have you understand my thinking better:
http://www.lamfacialplastics.com/galler ... ilarities/
in summary there may be some effect of fat cells on surrounding tissue but it may be overplayed. i think we are too early to know about it but if the results are great after a year then it really does not matter in my opinion.
best,
sml

A---- magazine quoted X--- saying even 5-10 pounds can enlarge fat graft
do you think that is true?

that all depends but is possible. there are several considerations.
1. if you are very petite and you gain 5 to 10 pounds, you can already see it in the face so that is possible but unlikely still.
2. the doctor you quoted (i removed the name for anonymity) was on my panel that i moderated in las vegas and i asked how much fat he puts into a cheek for example. it is about 10 to 15 x my volume. by putting very little fat in compared to my colleagues and distributing it over a large area (i get very good hold so i do not need or want a lot) i think my patients have less of this issue.
i always say that it is safe to lose some weight after a fat transfer but not a good idea to gain it afterward, especially closer to 15 to 20 pounds. that is my #1 caution.
best,
sml