Question:
I heard that for fat transfer procedures, if you retain the stem cells in the fat after removing it, it can then last forever once reinjected. Is this true? Can you explain this a bit more?
Answer:
By harvesting the fat cells with a low pressure cannula they can be gently washed and placed through a centrifuge to separate the living or viable cells from the broken cells. They are then gently injected through a small cannula in the areas where fat or volume has been lost in the face. By placing the fat in areas where volume has been lost with time and close to blood supply, we have the best chance for longevity. In our experience we tell patients that there is some loss in the order of approximately 10-50% per year which I feel is consistent with further aging. We refer to this as a semi-permanent re-volumization procedure and we are very enthusiastic about the results we have seen for the past eight years.
About the Author: Dr. Edwin Williams
Dr. Edwin Williams is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who founded The Williams Center in 1993. He has performed over 10,000 facial plastic surgery procedures and has pioneered the deep plane facelift. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery for over a decade, and served as President from 2015-2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Dr. Williams earned the Castle Connelly Top Doctors award in New York Facial Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Edwin F. Williams III attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. He began medical school at the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine in 1986.
Dr. Williams is actively involved in teaching facial plastic and reconstruction surgery to the residents of the Albany Medical Center and is former Chief of the Section of Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery at Albany Medical Center where he received an academic appointment of Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery.