Cosmetic Stem Cell Cures Questioned

April 5, 2010— -- Most Americans are not terribly fond of their fat, but what if you could put that spare tire to work -- healing wrinkles, increasing breast size or even speeding the recovery of a knee injury?

Too good to be true? Not necessarily.

For 20 years cosmetic and plastic surgeons have used fat grafts taken from their patients' own "supply" to restore fullness and decrease wrinkles in the face, but only recently have medical researchers begun investigating whether the adult stem cells found in the fat tissue could be used for healing on a wider level.

"Fat is naturally rich in adult stem cells ... and these stem cells have regenerative capabilities," says Dr. Peter Rubin, associate professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and a clinical researcher of fat stem cells.

Research is under way around the globe to explore how these regenerative capabilities can be used to heal, he says, from reconstructing the face after traumatic injury to rebuilding breast tissue for breast cancer patients after a mastectomy.

But this technology leads a bit of a double life.

Its medical applications are still in the research phase, but some cosmetic surgeons are allegedly putting this technology to aesthetic use on their patients.

Services such as stem cell face lifts or even vaginal rejuvenation promise revolutionary results with the help of the regenerative power of stem cells. Given that this technology is not yet backed by clinical data or FDA approval, however, the benefits of such procedures are questionable.

"Stem cells are a buzz word now. Some of these procedures are driven by a profit motive and some are driven by science. If it's profit-motivated, you have to take it with a grain of salt for sure," says Dr. Felmont Eaves, plastic surgeon and president-elect of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.