The Science behind Autologous Fat Grafting. An Institutional Retrospective Review and the Current State

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Author Info

Luigi Clauser Federica Riva Antonio Lucchi Carolina Sannino Francesco Gallo

Corresponding Author

Luigi Clauser
Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery (Director and Chief: Francesco Gallo, MD) Istituto Stomatologico Italiano, Via Pace, 21 20122 MILANO, Italy

A B S T R A C T

Aim: Using adipose tissue transfer to correct facial and maxillo-facial defects was first reported at the end of the 19th century. Afterwards, autologous fat grafting was launched as a way of improving facial aesthetics. More recently, it has expanded into additional applications in cranio-maxillofacial and reconstructive surgery. Several approaches have been suggested for harvesting, treating, and grafting the fat. Nonetheless, because many adipocytes are unavoidably damaged during these maneuvers, the results have not always been as desired and have therefore needed several sessions of fat injection. Methods: The authors provide an overview of the application of fat grafting in managing volumetric deficit in the craniofacial and maxillofacial areas in patients undergoing long-term follow up. Understanding the fundamental science principles of fat grafting is critical to explain its extensive usefulness for regeneration, rejuvenation, new texture, and soft tissue volumization. The popularity of autologous fat grafts is not only because of its usefulness in volume replacement and improvement in tissue quality but also its low donor-site morbidity and its remarkable levels of accessibility, availability, and biocompatibility. The authors survey the current literature on fat grafting techniques, evaluate the potential benefits in of reconstructive surgery, and discuss recent scientific developments to optimize fat graft survival and outcomes. Conclusion: This article discusses the biology of adipose tissue and the principles of the behaviour and survival of adipose tissue in an autologous fat grafting laboratory. Clinical data suggest that the use of adult stem cells is a very promising field, and the future therapeutic applications are enormous in different disorders as well as in aesthetic applications.

Article Info

Article Type

Review Article

Publication history

Received: Mon 03, Jun 2024
Accepted: Mon 17, Jun 2024
Published: Wed 31, Jul 2024

Copyright

© 2023 Luigi Clauser. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.RGM.2024.01.01