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How stem cells can turn tummy flab into a bigger bust
Last updated at 09:37am on 09.07.07
Scientists say they have perfected a procedure to take fat from around the middle and turn it into bigger breasts.
The operation could be completed in a lunch hour under local anaesthetic and the cost would be comparable with silicon implants, which cost about £2,000 per breast.
The eventual result can be an increase from a B- cup to a D, it is claimed. And it could be available as soon as next year.
Named Celution, the procedurer involves injecting a 'supercharged' fat mixture into the breast tissue after it has been taken through liposuction from the belly or bottom.
Stem cells are filtered out then put into a cartridge for injection into the breasts within an hour.
While the initial change is small, the breasts gradually 'inflate' over a six-month period.
The idea of taking fat from one part of the body and using it to boost cup size is not new, but in the past the effect was short-lasting because it was reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
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The benefit of using stem cells is that the fat is not rejected or absorbed - rather it grows and regenerates within the breast to become a permanent addition.
Details of the technique are published today in Chemical & Industry magazine, which says: "The enlarged breasts look more natural than surgically enhanced breasts."
The Celution procedure has been patented by the U.S. company Cytori. The idea is that it will initially be used on women who have had partial mastectomies as a treatment for breast cancer, and for whom implants are not suitable.
Cytori's director of clinical applications, Dr Kai Pinkernell, said: "The supercharged fat graft survives really well and fills in the volume defect left by a partial mastectomy."
The technique could offer huge medical and psychological benefits for this group of women, with around 300,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Europe every year.
But Cytori is hoping to go beyond the therapeutic to tap into a huge and lucrative market associated with cosmetic breast enhancement.
Some 26,000 women had cosmetic breast surgery in the UK last year alone, but implants can cause problems of rejection and scarring.
Approval for the procedure has been given by the medical authorities in Germany. Under EU rules, that should clear it for use across all member states. There are other potential cosmetic uses such as, for example, using fat stem cells to plump up and rejuvenate the face.
Dr Pinkernell said the idea of harvesting stem cells from fat could have very many beneficial applications.
"There are more stem cells in fat than in bone marrow. We just need to separate them, and this lends itself to an automated procedure."
Currently, large amounts of stem cells which are contained in the fat removed during cosmetic liposuction operations are thrown away.
In future the procedure could be used to harvest stem cells for a range of purposes.
Cytori, which is based in California, is pursuing the use of stem cells recovered from fat in regenerating the heart.
There have been some positive results from animal tests and work is now going on involving patients with coronary artery disease at a hospital in Madrid.
