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The short answer is yes, and we are using Fat Grafts and Adipose Stem Cells more and more for this purpose. We are just beginning to understand how this process works, and it has to do with the nature of scar tissue itself and the basic behaviors of stem cells.
HOW DOES A SCAR FORM?
Let’s first describe how a scar forms. After an injury, whether it was radiation therapy, burn, or trauma, the body responds by activating a sequence of responses. The responses can be summarized in three stages:
Stage 1- Damaged Tissue Destroyed
First the body tries to get rid of the damaged tissue. It does this by the inflammatory process, which destroys bacteria, foreign objects as well as partially damaged native tissues. If the damage is severe, a lot of native tissue can be destroyed by inflammation causing a tissue deficit.
Stage 2- New Cells for Repair
The second stage of healing is the proliferative phase where the body brings in new cells to begin the repair process. It is in this phase that there is a lot of collagen deposition. It is this abnormal amount of collagen that makes the tissue stiff and bulky.
Stage 3- Remodeling Phase
The final stage of healing is the remodeling phase. Here the body slowly pares away the excess collagen and restores the surrounding tissues to normal function. That is why in the normal scar process the scar initially feels thick but then softens with time.
HOW DO FAT GRAFTS AND STEM CELLS HELP?
Lumpectomy and Radiation performed
lumpectomy scar after fat injections
Plastic surgeons have been performing Fat Grafting, aka Fat Transfer, for more than 100 years. Fat Grafts contain a small population of Adipose Stem Cells, and we are currently using them to help heal scars.
To perform a Fat Transfer procedure, adipose tissue is extracted from unwanted areas of your body, processed to remove the mature and dead cells, and reinjected into the damaged scar.
The stem cells in a fat graft help to heal a scar in several ways:
1) Stem cells have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent excessive scarring
2) Stem cells help replenish normal cells in the tissue by differentiation or directing other cells in the tissue to multiply. Since the normal population of cells under the skin is fat tissue anyways, the fat graft itself provides most of the tissue that is needed.
3) Adipose Stem Cells dissolve the excess collagen in scar tissue by secreting large amounts of enzymes whose specific function is to dissolve scar tissue.
Carefully processed Fat Grafts can restore the missing tissue under the skin, dissolve the tight and bulky scar tissue, as well as helping restore better function to tissues surrounding the scar. All of these things help to repair the scar.
SUPER CHARGED FAT GRAFTS
If certain enzymes are added to adipose tissue during processing, a 10 fold higher population of stem cells can be yielded. This is referred to as the Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF). Using the SVF with fat grafts is a way to super charge the healing process. Many Clinical Trials and Investigators are currently using Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF) with Fat Grafting for an even better scar result!
By Ricardo L Rodriguez
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Baltimore, Maryland
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Would I do it again? I would do it again repeatedly as long as Dr. Rodriguez was the physician performing it. Great smile and I feel beautiful everyday! 
8 Comments
January 15, 2013 at 2:14 pm
MBob:
I’m happy and excited for you to hear you are doing this.
I would be delighted to see pictures of your before and after photos.
How exciting!
January 14, 2013 at 9:22 pm
Hello,
Thank you for the prompt response. I just wanted to know whether you believe that this type of treatment could be repeated until the stretch marks completely diminish, or could only serve to treat stretch marks up until a certain point – current treatments only seem to have an effect up until a certain point, but I don’t see why stem cells couldn’t be used endlessly. I am in the process with using stem cell therapy to treat stretch marks, and will hopefully keep you informed of the results.
Thank you
January 13, 2013 at 8:59 pm
Mr. Choudry:
I have answered your post, see below
January 13, 2013 at 8:58 pm
M Bob:
I also agree with those who propose treating Stretch marks with a combination of laser and stem cells.
The rationale is as follows:
1) Stem cells usually will help acutely injured tissue rather than go to an area that is “stable” such as a mature healed stretch mark.
2) The Laser serves as a controlled injury to only the stretch mark area and not the surroundinfg skin
3) The stem cells are subsequently injected and try to repair tissue not by differentiating themselves into new skin tissue but by stimulating adjacent skin cells to grow into the area.
As to the source of stem cells, fat makes sense to me because itt’s very easy to harvest and process.
January 13, 2013 at 1:59 pm
I am interested in the potential of stem cell therapy as a response to stretch marks also. I believe that there is potential in stem cells regenerating the stretch marks and my belief has been bolstered by this submission to the world stem cell summit. Granted this study was small in scale, but it provides a clear picture of the potential stem cells and skin regeneration. http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com/files/2012-AbstractSubmissions.pdf
The submission doesn’t provide a clear picture as to how many treatments where undergone, it seems to intimate one session of mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow as well as svf. Significant results where noted after 12 months. One of the authors of this study is a plastic surgeon in Lebanon who offers stem cell therapy for stretch marks; noting that a 30-60% difference could occur after one treatment, he also uses adipose derived stem cells as opposed to bone marrow – possibly due its abundance, ease and the fact its richer is source for stem cells.
January 13, 2013 at 12:28 pm
I am interested in the potential of stem cell therapy as a response to stretch marks also. I believe that there is potential in stem cells regenerating the stretch marks and my belief has been bolstered by this submission to the world stem cell summit. Granted this study was small in scale, but it provides a clear picture of the potential stem cells and skin regeneration. http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com/files/2012-AbstractSubmissions.pdf
The submission doesn’t provide a clear picture as to how many treatments where undergone, it seems to intimate one session of mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow as well as svf. Significant results where noted after 12 months. One of the authors of this study is a plastic surgeon in Lebanon who offers stem cell therapy for stretch marks; noting that a 30-60% difference could occur after one treatment, he also uses adipose derived stem cells as opposed to bone marrow – possibly due its abundance, ease and the fact its richer is source for stem cells.
It strikes me as the most logical and sensible solution for stretch mark therapy. I do believe effectiveness is contingent on the therapy being used with other modalities. I believe the stretch marks need to be injured in order to start the repair response – this may especially be the case of older stretch marks. The FDA approved laser therapy works on this proviso, that injuring stretch marks sufficiently will enact a repair response, but the bodies natural repair response doesn’t seem to efficiently repair the stretch marks fully. This is where I believe stem cells will enact an even more potent regenerative response.
I understand that therapies like these are open to inconsistent outcomes especially when compared with other non-surgical therapies like botox and fillers. However, stem cell therapies are contingent on the individual’s propensity to heal and so on – factors like age, lifestyle choices and so on will undoubtedly effect the response.
What I’m curious about the ability for stem cell therapy to regenerate the stretch completely. It strikes me as strange that some therapies will only allow regeneration up until a certain point – as though there is a set point at which stretch marks can no longer regenerate. This doesn’t make sense to me. Granted it may take longer for others – possibly due to severity or the factor I’ve mentioned – but I don’t see how and why stem cells and stretch marks wouldn’t be indiscriminate in their healing response and not just heal until there is nothing no longer left to heal. Would it not be possible to use these therapies until all of your marks have completely diminished?
Apologies for the length of the post, but I think this is important for those looking for a solution. I want to also know your thoughts on the possibilities of using blood stem cells to combat stretch marks. There is a company trialing this for wrinkles this year and they have expressed in their literature that these stem cells are richer in stem cells (500 million in one dose) and less mature than fat stem cells
Kind Regards
January 5, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Abdul:
There is a misperception as to what is meant to “heal scar tissue”. You seem to think it means that the scar tissue disappears and is replaced by intact newly reconstituted tissue. This is not the case. Stem cells can break up scar tissue collagen fibers with collagenases, and stimulate adjacent normal cells to divide and reproduce, but that may not result in the disappearance of stretch marks completely.
An approach that is being proposed is to destroy the stretch mark tissue by Laser, then have the stem cells come in and reconstitute the normal appearance by getting adjacent normal cells to reproduce.
There are no long term studies, or ongoing studies that I can refer you to but it is an approach that in theory makes sense.
We can try this approach, but you would have to be aware that it is not proven.
If you are interested, contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net
January 3, 2013 at 11:06 pm
I just want to be clarified on this, can it heal stretch marks because they are essentially scar tissue right? Correct me if I’m wrong on this; I have been doing my research thouroughly and have thought about treating my stretch marks which are basically everywhere due to weight loss, and from what I know the stem cells have the capability of turning into skin cells and any other type of cell although Adult stem cells are limited to what they can turn into. My question is will it be able to heal stretch marks?