Fat injection: From the clinic to the lab and bact to clinic
Yehuda Ullmann
Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa, Israel
: J Regen Med
Abstract
Autologous fat transplantation for soft-tissue augmentation has become increasingly popular in recent years. Fat tissue is abundant, readily available, inexpensive, host compatible, and can be harvested easily and repeatedly. However, the overall survival rate of a fat graft is around the 60% range in most reported studies. This relatively low survival rate is attributed to an early inadequate vascularization of the fat graft blood vessels, increased fat cell apoptosis and subsequently poor intake and viability Twenty years ago, the author developed a novel animal model in which human aspirated fat was grafted onto the scalp area of Nude mice. This model allowed him and his colleagues to investigate the mechanisms of fat absorbance and to explore the efficacy of new compounds with the potential to increase vasculature and hence the viability of the fat graft. Using this novel we have tried to solve multiple clinical questions and problems such as: which chemical preparation added to the fat may enhance its uptake, if there is a favorable area to harvest the fat from, what is the best wat to prepare the fat before its injection, the role of freezing the fat for further usage. These and many other clinical debates have got answer using this model. The author will describe the principles of the model and the conclusions that have come out using this model through the last 20 years.
Biography
Prof. Yehuda Ullmann is Head of the Plastic Surgery Department and Aesthetic Services at Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa, Israel. In addition, he is a Associate Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Prof. Ullmann’s research interests include increasing viability of autologous fat transplants, and reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, and he has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is also an internationally acknowledged expert in the use of laser and IPL technologies. Until recently, Prof. Ullmann served as Chair of the Israel Society of Plastic Surgery. y_ullmann@rambam.health.gov.il
