A New Plastic Surgery?

Can it be? Yet another type of plastic surgery? How many different ways can a person's body be augmented, reshaped, rebuilt or altered? Well, if the $15 Billion spent annually on reconstructive and cosmetic surgery is any indication, they'll be looking for more and more ways to enhance looks and create the perfect shape.

Just Can't Be Satisfied

There is no shortage of complaints when it comes to appearance. It seems we're never happy with the way we look and we are constantly looking for ways to change or improve our appearance. Creams are sold by the truckload with promises to enhance, plump-up, flatten, smooth-out or otherwise alter the skin and body. Most of them turn out to be huge money makers for the producers and more good money tossed after bad in terms of personal investment.

Using Adult Stem Cells

One of the latest moves in the plastic surgery industry comes in the form of using adult stem cells to replace silicone for breast implants and other plastic surgery techniques. Recently an article appeared in a science magazine which talked about the use of stem cells in plastic surgery - especially enhancement surgery.

It seems that in clinical trials and tests being done outside of the US, doctors are removing stem cells from liposuctioned fat and in turn using them to enhance traditional fat grafts. Stem cells are quite remarkable. These specific cells have the ability to replicate themselves and to also differentiate into special types of cells, such as skin or other types of tissue. There are some stem cells which have the ability to actually morph into many different kinds of cells, growing a wide variety of tissues from bone marrow and organs all the way to neurons. These particular stem cells are called pluripotent or multipotent cells. While embryonic stem cells are the most well-known type, it has been discovered that certain so-called adult stem cells, which we make in our bodies, are also capable of these transformations and would likely be the cells used in plastic surgery.

How They Make It Happen

The method for processing fat stem cells, according to Tom Baker, director of investor relations for Cytroi, a San Diego-based company that makes machines for this process, is as follows: "First, a doctor liposuctions fat from a patient. Half that fat gets set aside, while the other half is processed to pull out a mixture of cells rich in stem cells. That mixture is then injected back into the reserved fat, which is grafted into place inside the patient. The result is a fat graft supercharged with stem cells."

Apart from reconstruction surgery, many people still wonder why women would risk their health and well-being to undergo such surgery. Regardless of the reason, they're doing it and it appears that adult stem cells are the next move in the future of plastic surgery.