Plastic Surgery Goes Green

When it comes to renewable resources, is fat taken from patients the “next big thing”?

Plastic surgery is taking a turn towards recycling that many people did not expect. During procedures such as a tummy tuck, the fat from a person is removed from the body. The fat is normally considered to be “medical waste” and is placed in a biohazard bag and then disposed of by professionals.

There are some people who never want to see the fat again while others were curious if there was a better option than simply disposing of the fat. According to Dr. Michael Burgdorf, a plastic surgeon from Nashville, requests from his patients to donate the fat to others have started to grow. Dr. Burgdorf told the website, vitalupdates.com, “I get offers all day long from friends willing to donate their fat for the use of another’s beauty. Many of my patients are even willing to donate anonymously to an unknown recipient. I once heard a story of a surgeon who tried to come up with a mechanism to use unwanted fat cells to power his cigarette-style motor boat. Wouldn’t that be awesome!”

Since fat cannot be transferred from one person to another, plastic surgeons decided to make the patient both the giver and the recipient of fat. In other words, the fat is being moved from one body part to another. Fat transfer, or “fat recycling,” serves as an alternative to saline and silicone implants often used for areas such as the buttock or the breasts. A natural product, such as the fat from the same patient, achieves the desired effect without the need for placing implants.

It should be noted that some of the fat is simply absorbed by the body and is unable to produce the desired results. Burgdorf is not worried about this because “I can always put more fat in if desired. The good news is that most of us can provide more of this renewable resource if needed.”

MA