A new study has indicated that autologous fat grafting is more effective when using a platelet-rich fibrin matrix such as Selphyl – a discovery that could advance the ongoing development of fat grafting for plastic surgery.
Autologous fat grafting, which uses the patient’s own unwanted fat to enhance other bodily features, is one of the most exciting recent developments in the field of plastic surgery.Liposuction can be used to extract fat from one part of the body, such as the tummy or thigh, and the fat is treated before being injected into the target site. This technique is used during procedures such as the Brazilian buttocks lift and facial fat grafts.
However, fat grafting does have some shortcomings, including the fact that much of the fatty tissue fails to survive the grafting process. This results from insufficient blood supply at the target site. As a result, fat grafting has limited applications for surgeries such as breast augmentation, and numerous studies have been performed in search of alternative methods.
This latest study, published in the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery, examined the results of a37-year-old woman who had fat from her outer thighs injected into her lower tummy, in the area often known as the “fanny pack.” Two separate injections were used: one with fat along and the other with a mixture of fat and Selphyl.
The patient’s tissues were examined 8 weeks later and it was found that the Selphyl had produced more blood vessels. Richard Goldfarb and Aaron Shapiro, the MDs who wrote the study, concluded that Selphyl offered better results because of increased neovascularization, which in turn enhances the chances of long-term fat survival. “The result of this case study indicates that fat mixed with Selphyl may improve graft survival by increasing both neovascularization and total cell number,” the authors wrote.
