A new type of breast augmentation proven successful in Japan, is now being tested in the United Kingdom. A study trial being conducted by Professor Kefah Mokbel, with the London Breast Institute at the Princess Grace hospital, is using stem cells from extra fat in a woman’s stomach or thighs and implanting them into the bust.
The current trial is focusing on the effects and potential benefits to cancer survivors who have needed full or partial mastectomies. This treatment could become an effective alternative to traditional implants for these women. But with more time and proven results, this stem cell augmentation could be offered on a widespread basis to all women.
The way this new process work is that cells are removed from the stomach or thighs, after which they are separated from the fat. Then the cells are combined with other fat tissues and implanted into the breasts. The stem cells facilitate the growth of blood vessels which provide enough blood supply to the newly implanted fat to allow it to thrive and retain the same properties as the existing fat deposits in the breasts.
“This is a very exciting advance in breast surgery,” Professor Mokbel said in a recent article in the Telegraph.co.uk. “Breasts treated with stem cells feel more natural because this tissue has the same softness as the rest of the breast.” This procedure has already been tested in Japan on cancer survivors and treatment has now been extended successfully to healthy women for breast augmentation.
The main limitation of this new technique seems to be that it only allows for relatively small changes in breast size, although time and more research may overcome this issue. “We are optimistic we can easily achieve an increase of one cup size”, Mokbel said. “We cannot say yet if we can achieve more. That may depend on the stem cells we can harvest”.
The stem cell breast augmentation procedure may offer many benefits over traditional implants however. “Implants are a foreign body,” Mokbel explained. “They are associated with long-term complications and require replacement. They can also leak and cause scarring.” Traditional implant surgery involves inserting saline or silicone filled implants under or over the pectoral muscles.
One such common complication, mentioned by the professor, is capsular contracture, where the body forms a sack of tissue to enclose the foreign implant, sometimes exerting too much pressure on the implants, causing them to become misshapen or even to burst. This problem that usually requires additional surgery to cut out the capsule could potentially be avoided with the stem cell method, as the body would not try to reject or quarantine its own natural tissues.
Professor Mokbel hopes to be able to offer stem cell breast augmentation to any interested women by about six months after a successful completion of his trial and he estimates that the cost would be £6,500. Stem cell breast implants are not currently available in the United States, and neither is there any time table for such procedures being offered in the market.
