Nov 27, 2007 5:04 pm US/Eastern
Technique Offers Bigger Breasts Without Implants
BROOKLINE (WBZ) ―
There may be a new option for women who want breast reconstruction, or enlargement, without getting implants.
A doctor is about to become the first in the Boston area to perform a new technique using a woman's own stem cells.
Shohreh Kopaie has always wanted bigger breasts, but she was reluctant to get implants.
"I've been wanting to do this, but physicians have told me not to because of my history, because my mom is a breast cancer survivor," Kopaie said.
But now Kopaie plans to be one of the first patients to undergo a new breast enlargement procedure which her husband, Brookline dermatologist Dr. Jafar Koupaie, plans to start to performing in December.
First, fat is extracted from the patient's stomach or thigh during liposuction. Then it is mixed with the woman's own stem cells.
The solution is then injected back into a woman's breasts. Dr. Koupaie says the stem cells ensure the graft grows its own blood supply, allowing the breasts to grow up to three cup sizes.
"This will revolutionize the concept of breast augmentation," Dr. Koupaie said.
The procedure has been performed on at least 50 patients in Japan without any major complications reported.
Local experts say even though the procedure sounds promising, no clinical trials have been done here in the United States to prove that it works or to gauge its long-term effects.
"I would say, minus a larger study and understanding of how the mechanism works," said Massachusetts General Hospital researcher Chad Cowan, "I wouldn't think it would be safe to be doing it on patients in the short term."
But patients like Shawn Fulford, who got saline breast implants after undergoing a double mastectomy, are intrigued by the new procedure.
"I think that's part of the huge appeal, it will be completely natural," Fulford said.
The new procedure will cost around $15,000.
Dr. Koupaie also plans to offer patients stem-cell fat injections to fill out their faces and their backsides, for about $10,000.
But because the procedures are cosmetic, they're generally not covered by insurance.
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