subject: New Liposuction Technique May Help With Breast Reconstructions [print this page] Liposuction (also known as lipoplasty and suction lipectomy) is a surgical technique exclusively designed to remove excess fat from the body. So, naturally, it isn't the first thing that people think of when they think of procedures that could be able to help with a breast reconstruction.
Yet, new advances suggest that this surgical procedure may be able to help women who have suffered breast cancer to achieve a more natural feeling and looking reconstruction of their breasts.
It's no wonder that many women who have had to have mastectomies or lumpectomies have a hard time getting used to their body again afterwards. A woman's breasts are often deeply tied to her concepts of femininity, beauty and identity. Many women find that it is difficult to truly feel beautiful and womanly again while missing part or all of a breast.
Reconstructive surgery helps many women. However, there are limits to what traditional methods can achieve. Some women have a hard time getting used to having a foreign body like an implant in their body. A number of women also are disappointed that their breasts have a different, more artificial feel afterward. Additionally, attention has recently begun to be directed toward the safety of the silicone used in implants.
So, what can liposuction do to help women who need to have their breasts rebuilt? A new technique being developed may make it possible for women to rebuild a breast from a woman's own fat. While the concept of transferring fat from one place to another in the body is an old one, it is only recently that there have been real strides in making it into a workable reality.
The difficulty in transferring fat from one part to another comes in two stages. First, one must keep the fat alive as it is removed from the body. Second, the fat must be able to be kept alive once it is replaced back into the new area.
Many modern lipoplasty techniques are relatively low-impact on the fat, and thus have high fat survival rates. This takes care of the first difficulty. The second difficulty may be surmountable through stem cells. Scientists are finding that if removed fat is combined with stem cells and replaced back in the body, it has a much higher survival rate.
Although this technology is still at the experimental stage, it could make for an exciting breakthrough for survivors of breast cancer.
by: Christian Heftel
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