Tennessee Cosmetic Surgery | The Plastic Surgery Group P.C.

It seems like every time I pick up a magazine or turn on my computer I am confronted by an advertisement describing how “stem cells” are being used to treat a host of illnesses. I have even recently seen a television infomercial reporting the benefits of a “stem cell” cream! How ridiculous. If scientific breakthroughs of this enormity were true, they would be all over the major news channels interviewing nationally and internationally recognized physicians and scientists as well as be a part of the best scientific journals. The reason you see them in unattractive ads and infomercials locally is because they are paid for by unscrupulous physicians, and the publications that present them want the advertising dollars.
Just as I was considering how I was going to provide the public with education regarding the real scientific use of stem cells, my spring copy of AESTHETIC SOCIETY NEWS arrived. Clearly, I am not the only Plastic Surgeon who finds the whole “stem cell” media blitz disturbing. Felmont Eaves III MD, a Chattanooga native, and the President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, implores plastic surgeons and patients alike to demand better evidence for advertising and marketing claims.
In Dr. Eaves article, he discusses the thousands of publications from around the world that were examined for scientific evidence of valid results from “stem cell” therapy in cosmetic surgery. At present, little evidence exists to indicate “stem cell” treatments for cosmetic surgery are safe and effective.
As a teaching plastic surgeon, it is my job to train my residents to understand whether scientific evidence is valid or not. Currently, the marketing of “stem cell” therapies has gone far beyond meaningful scientific evidence. More well designed experimentation is necessary to gauge the effectiveness of stem cell treatment in cosmetic surgery. At present, there is no study of cosmetic surgical “stem cell” treatments that would hold up to an evaluation by a real scientist.
If a technique is not appropriately tested, it may not only be ineffective, but it could be harmful. Devastating side effects could result from the use of “stem cell” therapy that has not been studied appropriately. The FDA regulates some types of cell therapy and the devices created to collect the cells. The device that separates stems cells from fat cells after liposuction, for example, is a research tool only and is not approved for human use.
I think that Dr. Eaves’ strongest comment however reads,”…the emotional abuse of patients by enticing them with unsubstantiated claims not only harms and deceives patients, but also potentially tarnishes the reputation of plastic surgery and of stem cell therapies themselves.”
I am enthusiastic about the good that “stem cell” therapy can bring to medicine. However, I continue to be very concerned with the claims certain physicians make right here in Chattanooga regarding their use of “stem cells” in various cosmetic interventions.
Buyer beware! As always, a conversation with a physician certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is your best guard against costly, unsatisfactory and potentially damaging results. For more information visit the ASPS and ASAPS websites.