The use of stem cells for all different types of medical purposes continues to be a source of a lot of debate because people on both sides of the issue feel strongly about whether or not it's a good thing. It's of little surprise then that a fairly new procedure implementing stem cells into breast augmentation and reconstruction is a controversial plastic surgery procedure that has people arguing the pros and cons rather heatedly.
Currently there are breast surgeries being done that rely on a combination of the individual's own fat and stem cells to either enlarge the breasts or to repair them after cancer treatment. These surgeries are being done in Japan as well as in Europe. Many say that they will be done in the United States soon but there is definitely a large group of people opposed to this because they say that more testing must be done in order to make sure that this is a safe procedure.
The U.S. doesn't even seem to know how to deal with the procedure. That's because medical practitioners consider it a procedure which means it wouldn't be regulated by the FDA but some say that the FDA should regulate it. Currently, they're saying that augmenting fat with stem cells makes a "biologic product" which can be regulated by the FDA. Those who are hoping for FDA approval say that this could be the most natural-looking breast augmentation procedure ever created.
Learn more about both sides of the issue from the Wall Street Journal.
Question of the Day: What are the pros and cons of using stem-cell-enhanced fat to enlarge breasts?
