THE USE OF ADULT FAT FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION

The potential for fat-derived stem cells in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery is promising and slowly becoming a reality. Already numerous centers in both Europe and Asia are exploring this concept and have been performing breast reconstruction with minimally invasive fat grafting techniques for many years. Recently the FDA approved a Fat Processing Unit developed by Dr. He Young Lee of South Korea (Medikahn™) which was imported by Palomar Medical Technology under the name of Lipokit™.

In January, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeons Drs. Lewis Obi and John Murray were provided with the first FDA approved Lipokit™ unit in the United States. Already within the past six weeks they have fat grafted nine patients in areas including the breasts, face and upper extremities. Most of these procedures may be performed without general anesthesia nor open surgery. A significant number of breast cancer patients are candidates for this innovative new technique thus avoiding the use of breast implants and/or complicated flap procedures. Next week Dr. Lewis Obi is presenting in Dallas his tentative fat grafting results along with his presentation of his 27-month experience with the Slim Lipo™ fat lipolysis platform. At the same time that unwanted fat is recycled to other areas of the body, the donor sites such as abdomen and thighs may be simultaneously tightened with the Slim Lipo laser device.