One of the distinguishing skills at The Acne Scar Center is Dr Sadove’s unique experience with subcision and fat cell grafting for acne scarring. Few physicians in the world have the experience and skill to offer this treatment to those who suffer so severely from depressed rolling scars. For those with severe or deep rolling scars, subcision and fat cell grafting for acne scarring is the best solution.
How Does It Work
Auto fat cell grafting is also known as fat injection or fat transfer. The reason it involves fat cells is because the body fat is rich with special cells in our body fat. These cells are attached to fat cells in our body. When fat is taken from one area of the body and moved to another, the cells are able to survive and grow in the new location. This is critical for acne scar patients because the reason they have “depressed” scars is because the fat and lower dermis were lost when there was active infection.
The depressions are reversed by releasing the scar under the skin with a safe and effective technique called subcision. Here a special long thin cutting instrument is used to cut or release the scar so that it may rise to the level of surrounding skin. In order to keep it there, a filler is required to hold it up. To do this, we use the patient’s own fat and stem cells, as there is nothing better or more effective.
Only auto fat injection treatments which deal with the loss of thickness of skin will raise the skin to the level of the surrounding skin.
While injectable fillers may be used successfully, they are best reserved for smaller areas of acne scars. Often the large size of the affected area and their temporary nature make fillers an unappealing financial option. If many syringes of a filler are required, it also makes more sense to use the patient’s own fat. While it may be more involved, using the patient’s own fat is far more effective.
Fat Cell Grafting Steps
Fat Cell transfer involves three main steps:
- Liposuction – extraction of a small amount of adipose fat from the donor area- usually the side of the lower abdomen
- Processing or purification – decanting and processing of the extracted fat Cells. Often a blood sample is removed at the same time, processed, and the plasma mixed with the cells prior to re injection.
- Fat Cell Grafting – Grafting or re-injection of the purified/processed fat Cells into the recipient area that needs to be improved or treated.
Fat Cell Grafting Process
The procedure involves extraction of adipose fat by liposuction technique. Then, the fat is processed for purification and re-injection of the fat and stem cells into the effected area. This is very different from the “stem cell” techniques marketed so aggressively in the media for nearly every conceivable ailment.
One of these techniques uses cells from the umbilical cord of a woman after the birth of a baby. The blood is harvested and sold as cells. It is often not even clear that any of these cells are even alive after it’s delivered by mail. However, the cells we refer to here are mixed with your fat cells that come from you minutes before they are placed into the scar area of your face.
There are soft rolling scars that can be improved with “off the shelf” filler injectable products. However, if injection is not successful in raising the scar, subcision should be performed.
If you are interested in a free consultation with Dr. Sadove, fill out the form on the righthand side. We will see if the subscision procedure is right for you.
