Mala McAlpin Dr Daniel Lanzer, a renowned cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist with clinics in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, is now the proud owner of Australia’s first commercial cosmetic fat cell storage bank.
Using liposuction techniques, fat can be harvested from one part of the body and re-injected into another, where more fat is required, and is most popularly used as a soft anti-ageing filler for the face. This breakthrough in cosmetic surgery was developed to allow fat to be stored indefinitely for future use.
A clear advantage of this technique is that the harvested fat is the patient’s own, and will not be rejected by their body. Recent research also demonstrates that fat naturally contains fat stem cells with a range of benefits, and are currently being used in the treatment of Sepsis, tissue repair and joint therapy.
“Fat banking is a highly sophisticated process that involves cleaning, preparing and slowly freezing the fat to -190 degrees Celsius. This installation has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and I believe it will change the entire approach to the treatment of ageing,” said Dr Lanzer.
Dr Lanzer uses two devices to perform the procedure – The Advive; a fat preparation machine that concentrates and purifies the fat so that it’s rich in Adipose (fat) Derived Stromel/Stem Cells, and The Cell Brush; to insert micro-droplets of fat under the entire face/skin to smoothe, firm and tighten, and restore a more youthful shape back to the face.
“Stored body fat is often used for fat transfer treatments. The concept of removing fat from one part of the body and injecting it into another part of the body is one of the most exciting techniques and developments in the field of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.”
Fat can be harvested and transferred to the following areas:
- Face: Full-face rejuvenation with fat stromal/stem cells for general youthfulness of the skin or localised areas such as cheeks, lip folds, the lips or the eyebrows.
- Hands: Rejuvenation by thickening the skin on the back of the hands.
- Buttocks: for fuller volume and shaping.
- Any other areas: such as the neck, areas of cellulite, scars, and depressions or defects for elevation.
The stored fat is frozen using a special process, and can be stored for the lifetime of a patient. Recipients of the treatment also have the option to remove their stored fat from the cosmetic fat bank at any time if they feel they no longer need it. There are currently around 75 Australians are storing their fat at Dr Lanzer’s clinic.
As with many aesthetics trends and cosmetic procedures, Australia has come a little late to the party when it comes to fat banking, which has been popular in the US for several years, and the first cosmetic fat storing clinic opening in Florida back in 2011.
