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TUCSON - In today's "Make Me Over" segment, our plastic surgery contributor, Dr. Gwen Maxwell, discussed the newest procedure: breast enhancement using your own fat.

For years, women have wished they could take fat from their hips and thighs and transfer it to their breasts. Now, thanks to stem cell therapy, or fat grafting, it's being done.

Dr. Maxwell answered our questions on News 4 at 4 today:

Can breasts really be enhanced using a woman's own fat?

There has been a lot of buzz about the potential for stem cells to be used for breast enhancement by taking fat cells from a woman's own body along with her own fat stem cells and transferring them to her breasts. In theory, the stem cells would enable the fat to grow and establish a blood supply in the breasts eliminating the need for implants. This procedure is being done in Japan and Europe and by a few surgeons in the United States.

Fat transplantation to the breasts (without stem cells) is not new. It has been a controversial procedure since the 80's. The primary concern then was that fat grafts to the breast may interfere with mammographic evaluation of the breast. New breast screening technology has remedied this for the most part. New advances in stem cell and fat grafting have improved the results of the procedure as well. However the ASPS has issued the following safety concerns in regards to the use of stem cells:

Stem Cell Breast Augmentation ASPS Key Concerns:

• Specialized equipment to extract stem cells is regulated by the FDA, the automated machines that separate fat stem cells from fat are not yet approved for human use in the U.S.
• Use of the term "Stem Cell Therapy" is being used incorrectly. For example standard fat grafting does transfer stem cells that are naturally present but should not be called "Stem Cell Therapy".
• Clinical data still needs to be collected - of the 9,000 medical articles reviewed on the topic, less than 20 were relevant with good study designs and data.
• Many of the surgeons currently performing stem cell breast augmentations are not board certified in plastic surgery.

Advantages of Traditional Fat Grafting without Stem Cells:

• Can enhance the upper poles of the breasts after breast reduction or lift.
• Helps with reducing the rippling of breast implants in very thin women.
• Beneficial for small volume enhancement.
• Price starts at approximately $1000 more than the regular price of surgery.
• The fat that is not absorbed by the body