Frequently Asked
Questions about
Storing Fat Cells
Q: Stem cells are in fat?
A: You may have heard of
stem cells being in other
sources, such as bone marrow
and embryos, but stem cells
are also in fat. Actually, fat
has the highest concentration
of stem and regenerative
cells – containing 500 times
the amount found in bone
marrow.
Q: Do I have to have a special procedure done? Is it
safe?
A: Your cells are removed
through an ordinary liposuction procedure without any
increased risk, therefore, yes it
is safe. This procedure may be
performed alone or in conjunction with other surgeries.
Q: Can other people use my
cells?
A: No. Each person may only
use his or her own cells.
Q: Where are my cells
stored?
A: Your cells are stored in a
cryogenic preservation tank
at BioLife’s facility in Dallas,
Texas.
Q: How long can my cells
be stored?
A: Because your cells will be
stored in a state of suspended
animation with cryopreservation, the potency is maintained for years and is, theoretically, indefinite.
lescence and then slowly over time the
tissue tends to just wither away,” says Dr.
Genecov.
Dr. Genecov recommended fat transfer procedures for Angela over the
course of several surgeries. They would
utilize the BioLife Cell Bank to store
Angela’s fat and stem cells to use during
the procedure. The BioLife Cell Bank
gives patients the chance to store their
previously wasted fat cells for later use
in cosmetic or reconstructive surgeries.
According to BioLife Cell Bank’s website, the BioLife Cell Bank is the first of
its kind and is located in Dallas, Texas but it serves patients in the United
States and Canada through an extensive
provider network.
“You can take stem cells from fat and
you can treat that fat and separate those
cells out. We then are able to save those
cells for future use,” says Dr. Genecov.
Dr. Genecov continues to explain, “If
we are going to operate more than once
we don’t want to go back in and have to
harvest all that fat every time. So now
we have the ability to not only remove
the fat and store the fat, but also take
the enrichment, the stem cells and regenerative cells that exist within the fat,
separate them and then add them back
to another aliquot of fat prior to the reintroduction of the grafting process.”
Angela describes her reconstructive
process, “My first three treatments with
Dr. Genecov were mainly just building
it up, starting from scratch, putting tissue into my face and then he built on
from there with adding silicone bone to
my chin, adding the donor bone to the
side of my face, rebuilding my eye socket, and my nose.”
Until now, fat from liposuction has
been thrown away as medical waste,
but thanks to breakthrough technology, these cells can be maintained over
a whole life time to use later in wound
care, breast reconstruction and aug-
mentation, facelift, anti-aging stem cell
therapies and more. This practice is a
natural alternative rather than using
synthetic material for reconstructive
surgeries.
Angela continued, “He has put tissue
in to regrow in my face and it just makes
it so that my appearance is that I’m normal on both sides.”
BioLife Cell Bank and its stem cell
properties were initially created for patients like Angela who had severe facial
and asymmetries who n