Overview
Fat grafting is described as regenerating skin, but it is unclear whether this comes from stem cells or other parts of the fat. The authors injected aged facial skin with either fat and its stromal vascular fraction or with lab-expanded fat stem cells. They studied 6 consecutive facelift candidates aged 45 to 65 and examined skin samples under light and electron microscopes before and 3 months after.
Findings
- 6 consecutive patients, ages 45 to 65, all candidates for facelift.
- Fat taken by liposuction from the abdomen.
- Injections into the skin in front of the ear: fat plus stromal vascular fraction (by centrifugation), or expanded mesenchymal stem cells.
- Skin samples taken before and 3 months after each treatment.
- After fat plus stromal vascular fraction: less elastosis (damaged elastic fiber network) and new oxytalan elastic fibers in the upper dermis.
- Electron microscopy: changed three-dimensional structure of the deeper dermis and a richer network of small blood vessels.
- Expanded stem cells gave similar results.
What it means for a patient
- Fat injected into facial skin changed the skin structure in a way the authors call a rejuvenation effect.
- Fat with its own cell fraction worked about as well as lab-grown stem cells in this study.
- Ask your surgeon what evidence supports fat or stem cell injection for skin quality.
- This study had 6 patients and measured tissue under the microscope, not visible results.
Why this paper matters
It showed microscopic changes in aged facial skin after fat grafting and after stem cell injection. The authors conclude both change the pattern of the dermis in a way that represents skin rejuvenation. Cited 167 times (NIH iCite, 2026-09-25).
Terms
- Stromal vascular fraction: the mix of non-fat cells in fat tissue, including stem cells.
- Mesenchymal stem cells: cells that can develop into several tissue types.
- Expanded stem cells: stem cells grown in a lab to increase their number.
- Elastosis: damaged, clumped elastic fibers in aged or sun-damaged skin.
- Oxytalan fibers: fine elastic fibers found in young skin.
- Dermis: the deep layer of the skin; the papillary dermis is its upper part, the reticular dermis its lower part.
- Centrifugation: spinning a sample to separate its parts.