Fat Transfer for Breast Augmentation on the Rise in Australia

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Alex

Fat grafting techniques are an increasingly popular alternative to implants, with surgeries such as the Brazilian butt lift and facial fat grafting offering dramatic results. According to a recent article in the Australian daily newspaper Herald Sun, it seems that the land Down Under may also soon experience the benefits of autologous fat grafting.

With this technique, which uses the patient’s unwanted fat to fill out other parts of the body, plastic surgeons can offer more natural results without the risks associated with implants. Liposuction or a large needle is used to extract fat from the tummy, thigh, or other body part. The fat is treated before being injected into the target site.

While fat grafting is performed in the US and Europe, it is not widely available in Australia, since most insurers refuse to cover the procedure under their policies. However, after the recent PIP silicone breast implants scandal, many patients are hesitant to use implants. The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is now in talks with insurers over the technique.

Fat grafting has the potential to become “one of the main techniques for both cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgeries,”  Dr. Graham Sellars, a leading Sydney plastic surgeon, told the Herald Sun. “People will prefer to have their own tissue to something synthetic if it gives comparable results.

“You’re going to get a more predictable result with a silicone implant, but there’s now an alternative for people who don’t want implants…. A silicone implant will wear out. But it’s possible to have this kind of enlargement for life.”

Australian insurers may be covering the procedure within a year as talks continue.

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Liposuction and Tummy Tuck Improve Quality of Life

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Alex

A recent study published in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery indicates that patients undergoing liposuction or abdominoplasty experience “significant improvements in self-esteem and quality of life.” These benefits were greatly enhanced when the procedures were combined.

Abdominoplasty, more widely known as the tummy tuck, is a popular surgery that removes excess skin from the lower abdomen. Liposuction removes excess fatty deposits through the use of a suction device. These surgeries enhance the appearance of the body by tightening curves and smoothing body contours.

This new study, the first of its kind, examined quality-of-life and other outcomes in 360 patients who were undergoing plastic surgery. Roughly 60 percent of patients received liposuction, 5 percent received abdominoplasty, and 35 percent received both techniques in a single procedure. As well, 30 percent of the patients underwent another plastic surgery, such as facelift or breast augmentation.

As one might expect, the patients who only underwent liposuction had shorter recovery times: 6 days off work compared with 16 for those undergoing tummy tuck surgery. The liposuction patients also experienced less discomfort in the aftermath of the procedure.

However, despite these higher recovery times and pain scores among the abdominoplasty group, the study found that  patients undergoing abdominoplasty rated their outcomes higher than others. On average, liposuction garnered a score of 80 percent and abdominoplasty 90 percent. When the procedures were combined, they resulted in a whopping satisfaction rate – over 99 percent – with no increase in pain compared to abdominoplasty alone.

Enhanced Quality of Life with Plastic Surgery

  • 86 percent of patients reported an improved sense of self-esteem
  • 70 percent reported an improved quality of life (which was more common among the combined-procedure group)

Dr. Eric Swanson, who wrote the study, hopes that his work will contribute to the growing understanding of post-operative quality-of-life for plastic surgery patients.

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Selphyl Enhances Cosmetic Fat Grafting

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Alex

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.

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