- STEM CELL FAT INJECTIONS -

Dr. Michael Santillanes M.D

Expert Liposuction

Dr. Michael Santillanes has Performed over 
10,000 PureStem Fat Transfers in Newport Beach and Orange County California. Dr Santillanes MD is the inventor of PureStem Fat Transfer the safest form of Stem Cell fat transfer surgery providing fast recovery and excellent cosmetic results

Q. What is meant by stem cell fat injections?

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A. It is the procedure where excess fat and stem cells are removed from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, hips or thighs and, after special preparation, injected into areas of the body that need filling. Dr. Santillanes specialize in the use of the microfat grafting technique. 

The process requires gently fat removal using low-vacuum liposuction and the use of thin, delicate, non-traumatic cannulas to protect the survival of each harvested living fat cell. The fat cells are then purified and slowly injected thru tiny skin incisions into the tissue of the recipient site utilizing a small syringe and cannula. Tiny droplets are placed throughout the tissues assuring that each transferred fat cell will have an adequate blood supply to achieve the permanent survival of the injected fat cells.

Q. What are the uses for Stem Cell fat injections?

A. Stem Cell Face Lift  (aesthetic facial contouring)
With aging, the fat of the face undergoes atrophy and the dermis under the skin thins out, as a result of these changes the face appears too thin, making the skin of the face saggy. Microfat grafting adds fat to the area beneath the skin, adding fullness where is needed. The fat injection creates a lasting youthful appearance. Areas that can be treated with fat injections include the temples, zygomatic arch, marionette lines, infra-orbital rims (tear trough), jaw line, nasolabial folds, cheeks, and scars due to acne, varicella, trauma or surgery.

Common facial locations for fat transfer include:
 

• Filling in sunken areas beneath the eyes

• Upper eyebrow lift

• Filling in the folds of skin, the deep wrinkles next to the mouth often referred to as “laugh lines” that physicians know as nasolabial folds

• Filling in forehead creases

• Cheek Augmentation

• Chin Augmentation

• Improve Jaw and mandable contour

• Lip enhancement

 

Chin augmentation:

Fat injections safely and effectively correct the small or undeveloped chin avoiding the need to undergo a surgical procedure to place an expensive synthetic chin implant. A chin augmentation will strengthen the face profile, bringing better balance to the facial features. A small chin undermines the face, making the nose appear larger and an overbite more pronounced.

Lip Augmentation
Your own fat can be used for lip augmentation, achieving a permanent natural look. It can also be used for correction of the lines around the mouth. Lip augmentation can increase the fullness and definition of the upper lip, lower lip or both. After 2-5 days the swelling is gone and the lips have a natural fullness. There may be some bruising which can be covered with make-up. Over the first few months some of the fat may be absorbed by the body. For permanent results, 2 injections over a six month period is recommended.

Hand Rejuvenation
Fat injections to the hands achieve the effect of fuller, more contoured hands as those of younger hands.

Buttocks Rejuvenation (California Thong Lift)
Microfat grafting can add fullness to any part of, or the entire, buttocks to create the desired look. The fat is first gently liposuctioned from the abdomen, flanks, hips or thighs and then processed using a sterile decanting technique. The purified fat is then injected into the buttocks with special cannulas. Postoperative recovery is mild and easily controlled by medication. This office procedure is performed at our office totally under local tumescent anesthesia. The surgical fee depends on the amount of fat which must be obtained and the number of donor areas which must undergo liposuction to obtain enough fat. Microfat grafting assures lasting results and gives a very natural shape and feel to the buttocks. Once the swelling is down, there is a return to normal sensation, the grafted areas look and feel natural and there are no physical restrictions after the first 2 weeks.

Breast Enlargement
Patients who desire breast augmentation but are wary of implants can have breast augmentation using their own fat. Dr Santillanes uses the microfat grafting technique for breast augmentation. Following the fat transfer the breasts will look and feel normal and the results are long lasting. A small number of patients may develop small fat necrosis areas (also seen in patients who have breast reduction using liposuction). In the past, breast augmentation using fat injections was frowned upon by breast surgeons because the presence of fat necrosis would interfere with breast cancer detection. But MRI changed that. The MRI can determine what fat necrosis is and what can actually be early cancer cells.

Correction of Skin Depressions, Subdermal Attachments and Scars
Facial lines, depressions, folds and depressed scars on the body and face can be successfully treated with injectable fat. However, many deep folds, wrinkles, lines, and scars are resistant to the injected fat or fillers (synthetic and natural) because of the severe attachment of the depression to the underlying deeper tissue. To overcome this problem, Dr. Santillanes uses a novel wire scalpel method that doesn’t require skin incisions to release the attachments. Following the release of the skin fat injection is performed to correct the defect and to act as a spacer to prevent reattachment of the released area.

Fat Injection to Labia Majora 

In some women with aging the labia majora may undergo a significant atrophy and the dermis under the skin thins out. As a result of these changes the labia majora becomes flat, saggy, wrinkled, and darkened. Dr. Santillanes can drastically rejuvenate the labia majora with microfat grafting. The fat injections add fat to the areas beneath the skin, creating fullness where needed that results in a lasting, youthful appearance of the labia majora.

G-Spot Augmentation.  The G-spot area is intensely rich in nerve endings and with fat injections the area increases to the size of a marble, protruding inside the vagina so that it is stimulated during intercourse.  G-spot augmentation is intended for sexually active women with normal sexual function and is performed at the doctor’s office under local anesthesia. Afterwards, the patient may immediately return to her normal activities. The G-spot is usually found inside the vagina on the wall nearest the stomach, just behind the public bone.

Penile Enlargement Grafting
Most likely, the size of your penis is normal. More then 70% of men have penises that measure between 5 and 7 inches when erect. A penis is considered abnormally small only if it measures less then 3 inches when erect. However, many men with micropenises are fully capable of having sex and fathering children. Penis size has always symbolized strength, virility, power, and domination in relationships and despite the fact that none of the different enlargement cosmetic techniques to enhance the penis have been endorsed by medical organizations, cosmetic penile enlargement has acquired wide acceptance and tremendous popularity.

Dr. Santillanes offer 2 minimally invasive procedures as a cosmetic solution for the patient who is not satisfied with the natural size of his penis:
 

1. Liposuction
   For overweight men, removal of the fat in the pubic area using liposculpturing creates the perception of a lengthened penis.

2. Microfat Grafting
   The harvested fat taken from another part of the body is injected under the skin of the penis using the microfat grafting technique and is then molded to the desired shape. Advantages of this approach include the avoidance of tissue rejection and scarring because the openings needed to inject the fat are very tiny. When properly performed, the procedure is associated with a high success of a penis of the same shape and length but with a larger circumference. (The circumference can be increased by 50% or more.) A second filling procedure 3 months from the first is recommended to achieve lasting results. Although no one can predict the exact amount of the fat that will survive, at least 80% to 90% of the injected fat survives a long time. Following fat transfer, sexual activity can usually be resumed in 2 weeks. The post-op course is tolerable. There is minimal pain or discomfort which responds easily to oral pain medication. There has been no reported loss of sensation. When erect, the penis remains firmer with a thick cape of fatty tissue surrounding it. In less then 5% of patients, the fat can form small nodules that can be easily removed under local anesthesia.

 

Q.How are fat injections different from commercial fillers?

A. There are many commercial injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Restylane, Captique, Sculptra, Cosmoderm, Cosmoplast, Hylaform, etc, that are available for facial rejuvenation. Each of these products has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages.

Using fine needles, the fillers are injected into the skin under each depression or wrinkle. The filler pushes the depressed wrinkle forward and makes it less visible. There is temporary discomfort associated with the injection. The use of ice or an anesthetic cream can be used to numb the area, making the injections painless. Three important factors should be considered when selecting a filler: 1) longevity of the filler, 2) cost, and 3) ease of administration. As an example, Restylane (a cosmetic filler) lasts 4-6 months, costs $440-$750 per syringe, is easy to administer, and feels natural. Fat injection is a more involved procedure that requires first harvesting the fat using liposuction and disposable harvest devices. Second, the fat must be processed and purified prior to injection. Fat injections may be associated with more bruising and swelling then commercial fillers. The advantages of fat injections include its long acting effects (the fat that does survive is there permanently); the fat is your own tissue so there is no chance of an allergic reaction; and, unlike commercial fillers, the availability of one’s own body fat enables its use in larger volumes to fill larger defects.

Stem Cell Fat Transfer (also known as, platelet injection fat transfer, fatinjection or fatgrafting) is a procedure that uses the patient`s own fat,  stem cells,  growth factors  to increase the volume of fat in your selected area of the body.  It is a minimally invasive procedure.

In 2009, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons concluded in their Guiding Principles that fat grafting is a safe method of augmentation and correction.

 

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