Which comes first – scientific proof or hands-on experience?
Doctors are debating that question as it relates to a new type of cosmetic treatment in which stem-cell-enriched fat is injected into the face or breasts.
Dr. Thomas W. Barnes injects regenerative cells along with fat cells into the face of Debra Neal of Huntington Beach at his office in Newport Beach Tuesday morning.MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTERMixtures containing concentrated stem cells, which promote growth and healing, have reportedly been part of the age-defying facial treatments that actress Suzanne Somers and singers Madonna and Courtney Love have undergone. Public interest has been aroused, though Love has denied getting a stem-cell face-lift, and Madonna and Somers haven't confirmed it.
"People assume that stem cells can do anything, that they're a magic potion capable of doing magic things," said plastic surgeon Dr. Michael McGuire of Santa Monica.
But "stem-cell face-lifts" and "stem-cell breast augmentation" aren't ready for prime time, the nation's two largest societies of plastic surgeons declared this month.
"Stem-cell technology is very promising," but the scientific evidence is "not adequate to justify widespread marketing of it," said plastic surgeon Dr. J. Peter Rubin, who is co-director of the Adipose Stem Cell Center at the University of Pittsburgh.
In other words, scientific proof needs to come first, according to Rubin, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
But fans of stem-cell procedures advocate a different approach.
"Clinical experience outweighs scientific evidence until science catches up," said Dr. Hamid Towhidian of Irvine, who offers a stem-cell breast augmentation.
"Numerous European studies have shown stem cells are the future of cosmetic surgery," he said.
Stem cells, extracted from a patient's fatty tissue, are a relatively recent addition to a more widely used, but still disputed, technique of removing a patient's fat through liposuction, then re-injecting it to plump up the face or breasts. With this "fat transfer" alone, the procedure sometimes is effective, but sometimes produces no long-term improvements, many doctors say.
Several doctors who process their patients' fat with the goal of increasing the concentration of stem cells before re-injecting it say the enhanced procedure can be more effective than injections of fat alone.
But Rubin led a study that examined 9,000 medical papers about stem cells and said only 20 of the reports turned out to be peer-reviewed studies about aesthetic procedures.
"The data is very limited," he said.
None of the data includes evidence that stem-cell injections led to serious side effects, but long-term studies are needed to explore whether such injections into the breast could lead to tumors, Rubin said.
In addition, marketing a procedure that concentrates stem cells is illegal, said plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Singer of La Jolla, because the stem-cell filtering technology is unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The two medical societies are asking their members to refrain from stem-cell-enriched fat injections until rigorous studies show that the procedure is safe and effective.
Among the cosmetic doctors offering breast-enhancing injections of fat or stem-cell-enriched fat is Dr. Towhidian of Irvine, whose procedure includes processing to increase the concentration of stem cells before re-injection.
"Doctors that have been performing the natural breast augmentation by fat-assisted stem cells swear by it," he said. "As we know, some clinics tend to exaggerate the efficacy of stem-cell effects, but we are on the right track regarding stem-cell use, at an infancy stage."
Cosmetic surgeon and gynecologist Dr. August Accetta of Huntington Beach said, "A significant portion of my cosmetic surgical practice is now fat transfer."
At this point, he said, he doesn't inject his patients with fat that has been processed to increase its stem-cell concentration. But he said he might eventually add concentrated stem cells if therapeutic trials prove that to be effective.
Cosmetic doctors using fat to rejuvenate patients' faces include plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Cruise of Newport Beach, cosmetic surgeon Dr. Thomas Barnes, and osteopathic cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kevin Sadati of Newport Beach.
Sadati's website offers a "Stem Cell-Enhanced Lipolift" consisting of facial injections of fat plus blood plasma and platelets. The added "platelet rich plasma" includes growth factors that improve the results of fat injections, he says.
Years ago, plastic surgeons opposed fat injections, but Rubin now considers them to be a standard form of medical treatment. Whether stem-cell-enriched fat injections will achieve that status will depend on long-term medical research, he says.
Contact the writer: cstewart@ocregister.com or 714-796-7841
Dr. Thomas W. Barnes injects regenerative cells along with fat cells into the face of Debra Neal of Huntington Beach at his office in Newport Beach Tuesday morning.MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Which comes first – scientific proof or hands-on experience?
Doctors are debating that question as it relates to a new type of cosmetic treatment in which stem-cell-enriched fat is injected into the face or breasts.
Mixtures containing concentrated stem cells, which promote growth and healing, have reportedly been part of the age-defying facial treatments that actress Suzanne Somers and singers Madonna and Courtney Love have undergone. Public interest has been aroused, though Love has denied getting a stem-cell face-lift, and Madonna and Somers haven't confirmed it.
Which comes first – scientific proof or hands-on experience?
Doctors are debating that question as it relates to a new type of cosmetic treatment in which stem-cell-enriched fat is injected into the face or breasts.
Mixtures containing concentrated stem cells, which promote growth and healing, have reportedly been part of the age-defying facial treatments that actress Suzanne Somers and singers Madonna and Courtney Love have undergone. Public interest has been aroused, though Love has denied getting a stem-cell face-lift, and Madonna and Somers haven't confirmed it.
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