Adult stem cells in fat: Life-saving procedures
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:53AM
Adult stem cells and your own fat. I read about a new, innovative technique in the New You magazine regarding adult stem cells and how you can share your own fat cells within your body to, in some cases, repair diseased and broken parts.
This stem cell technology is being utilized in the medical world for facial fat grafting, and orthopedic and muscle regeneration, to name a few. Apparently, the stem cells in your fat are potent healers. Hmmm….
From my recollection, there were a lot of political debates surrounding stem cell research. I'm learning though that stem cells are actually magical mystery bullets, and they are launching a healing revolution.
What exactly are stem cells and why are they so important? Stem cells are found in all multi-cellular organisms. They are an undifferentiated prototype cell that can take on the identity of other cells. Embryonic cells, found in unborn fetuses, become all the distinct organs in the body. [The Pro-Life community debated over this controversial embryonic stem cell research.]
There is another kind of stem cell, however—the adult stem cell. That is what all the excitement is about! The science behind adult stem cells harnesses the regrowth potential, analogous to a chameleon regrowing its tail when it falls off.
Approximately ten years ago plastic surgeons found a way to get the stem cells, previously retrieved from bone marrow, in human fat. The stem cells are extracted from the fat tissue (called ‘adipose’) which is removed during liposuction surgery. That fat was and is often disposed of. So, surgeons have found a way to make it useful.
When surgeons realized that transplanting fat from one part of your body to another actually reported improvements in the skin itself (volume, thickening, color, repairing of solar damage and aging, repairing of stretch marks), they put two and two together and realized the healing potential of the adult stem cells in the fat. It was exciting to see wrinkles minimize and pores decrease in size.
This science is not only used in plastic surgery, but in the technique to repair broken and diseased parts!
The FDA is confused whether to call these cells a drug or a procedure, and apparently there are different rules for each. Therefore, the FDA is picky on what is and is not approved. For instance, if a patient decides to bank their fat stem cells for future use, they would need to be frozen. Once they are frozen, it is necessary to add inhibitors and preservatives to prevent crystallizations. At this point the FDA says you can’t use stem cells that are “manipulated,” since they become “drugs”. I guess you can still bank them now and hope the FDA figures it out before you are ready to use them for a life-saving procedure.
© 2011 R.E.L. Copywriting
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