“Organic Plastic Surgery: Leaving Artificial Enhancements Behind” by E. Fitzgerald
by Health Blogger Erika Fitzgerald
Environmentally health conscious people have a new option for enhancing their image, without any artificial products. A method that doctors are calling “organic plastic surgery” uses a person’s own body fat to fulfill their plastic surgery needs.
The term “organic” typically refers to natural products and recycling practices. It can also be used to denote something of, relating to, or derived from living matter or bodily organs. Organic plastic surgery combines both definitions of the word. With this method of plastic surgery, doctors are able to recycle fat from areas of the body where it is unwanted by moving it to more desirable areas (a procedure also known as fat transfer). Fat can be transferred to many places on the body, but is most commonly used for the breasts, buttocks, and face. Fat can rejuvenate the areas where it is placed in lieu of artificial implants or fillers.
Organic plastic surgery, or fat transfer, can be used as an alternative for artificial gel fillers popular for the face. When transferred to the face, fat fills in unwanted lines and wrinkles, and it can even give a fuller, more youthful appearance. The process of fat transfer is a minimally invasive procedure requiring very small incisions, often made by needles rather than scalpels. The fat is harvested into IV bags via liposuction and then separated from the surrounding blood and serum. The pure fat cells can then be injected into areas of the body where added volume is desired.
One surgeon who is using this breakthrough method was recently featured on a local news broadcast. Dr. Mahlon Kerr, a board-certified plastic surgeon with Synergy Plastic Surgery in Austin, Texas, is at the forefront of the organic plastic surgery method. Dr. Kerr explains on his blog that, “organic plastic surgery is a term I coined to describe what essentially is the ideal concept in plastic surgery — changing one part of your body by recycling from areas you need improvement in.”
The cost of using fat transfer for plastic surgery procedures can even be more cost-effective, in some cases. In the case of traditional breast augmentation, Dr. Kerr explains, the implants are expensive and must be purchased. Therefore, repurposing fat can alleviate the financial burden of purchasing additional materials.
Dr. Kerr has seen a recent increase in patients seeking natural, or organic, plastic surgery. He says on his blog, “A growing number of people in [Austin] are really interested in the trend of recycling their own fat to achieve plastic surgery enhancement without the plastic.” The organic concept of repurposing the body’s own natural resources is already popular among Texas plastic surgery patients, and is expected to become more widespread as more surgeons adopt the practice.
