- Doctors may have found a way to use a combination of
a woman's own fat and stem cells to make a natural breast implant, say
Japanese researchers.
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- It is hoped that the method could prove an alternative
to artificial implants filled with salt water or silicone.
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- Previous attempts to increase breast size with fat have
failed because some of the tissue dies, forming hard lumps.
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- Adding stem cells could coax the growth of new blood
vessels, say experts from the University of Tokyo.
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- The patient's fat reserves are often raided by cosmetic
surgeons to provide raw material to smooth out facial wrinkles or cover
up scars.
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- However, the sheer quantity of tissue needed to bulk
out the breast has been the stumbling block.
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- However, Dr Kotaro Yoshimura believes he has found a
way to create the desired effect with no complications, reports the Nature
website.
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- During the operation, surgeons suck fat cells from the
stomach or thigh, and this "slurry" is enriched so that there
are higher numbers than usual of stem cells.
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- Cell source
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- These are "master" cells which are capable
of making new fat cells.
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- When the enriched stem cell mixture is combined with
normal fat tissue, it can then be injected into the breast area.
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- Using the woman's own tissue has a number of potential
advantages - not only do few patients object to losing fat from around
the thighs or stomach, but the tissue has no chance of being rejected by
the immune system.
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- Eventually, artificial implants may have to be removed
to ensure the patient is safe in the long term.
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- The Japanese team has carried out the procedure on his
first patient last month, and hopes to complete dozens more operations.
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- Plastic surgeon Adam Katz from the University of Virginia
told Nature: "There's a good shot that this will work."
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- He called for more animal trials before widespread use
of the technique in human patients.
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- © BBC MMIV
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3473889.stm
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