Breast enhancement by stem cell surgery involves first performing a liposuction to suck fat from the patient's stomach or thighs. The fat slurry is then enriched with a higher than normal number of stem cells. These 'master cells' are able to create new fat cells. When the mixture is ready (combined) it is injected into the breast area. The hope is that the stem cells will lead to the formation of new fat cells and coax blood vessels to grow into new breast tissue and nurture it.

On the positive side, the patient could be killing two birds with one stone. Not only will she be getting larger breasts, but she will also be losing fat in other parts of her body. On the negative side, to date the technique can boost breast size by only half as much as existing synthetic implants, and slender patients may not have enough fat to spare.

News report:

Use your extra fat for bigger assets

London: Forget artificial implants. You would soon be able to enlarge your breasts “naturally”, thanks to scientists who have developed a new stem cell therapy which can increase a woman’s cup size while reducing her stomach fat.

A team at Princess Grace Hospital in Britain has come up with the treatment that involves extracting stem cells from the spare fat on belly or thighs and growing them in a woman’s breasts, the reputed British newspaper Sunday Times reported.

During the process, cells are isolated from the excess fat on stomach or thighs and then the concentrated stem cells are mixed with another batch of fat before finally being injected into the breast. However, it could take several months for the breast to achieve the desired size and shape.

And, according to the scientists involved in the study, an increase of one cup size is likely, with the potential for larger gains as the technique actually improves.

Kefah Mokbel, who is leading the team, said: “Implants are a foreign body. They are associated with long-term complications and require replacement. They can also leak and cause scarring. “This (new technique) is a very exciting advance in breast surgery. The (breasts treated with stem cells) feel more natural because this tissue has the same softness as the rest of the breast.”

A trial involving ten breast cancer patients who had their assets removed has started in Britain. Another project is underway to check the technique on healthy women eager to go for breast enlargement.

According to the researchers, the stem cell treatment may be suitable only for modest increases in breast size, but will conduct research to find out whether larger augmentations can be achieved. “We are optimistic we can easily achieve an increase of one cup size. We can’t say yet if we can achieve more.
That may depend on the stem cells we can harvest,” Mokbel said.