We came across this video of Dr. Robert Ray aka Dr. 90210 being interviewed by a reporter from TMZ. Remember him? We blogged about him years ago when he came out with Dr. Rey’s Shapewear. Apparently, the entrepreneurial doctor has adopted stem cell for breast augmentation.

Things we learn from Dr. Robert Rey about breast augmentation surgery through stem cells:

• He is doing less and less breast implants. 85% of his breast enhancement operations now use stem cells.
• The stem cell surgery involves drawing the fat from the buttocks, isolating the stem cells, and putting them in the breast. The stem cells then becomes breast tissue.
• The advantage of using stem cells for boob surgery is that, unlike implants, you don’t have to change them every ten years. Stem cells are your own cells and are used in the vaheena (his pronunciation), in the toosh, in the lip.
• According to Dr. Rey the skin becomes like baby skin, they become young when stem cells are used.

Watch:

Stem Cell Breast Augmentation Feedback Review. So does this procedure actually work? What are other health professionals saying about this? Are there any stem cell breast augmentation reviews out there to guide those planning to use this procedure to improve their looks?

Well, you already heard Dr. Rey stating that this works so let’s check out what the other side is saying. First, back in 2011, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) warned that the use of stem cells for boob jobs is unproven. The BBC reports:

Senior plastic surgeons have issued a warning over a breast enlargement procedure being offered by private UK clinics.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) say “stem-cell breast augmentations” are unproven and should not be offered commercially. The warning came at the group’s annual conference in Birmingham.

One Harley Street clinic offering the surgery responded by saying they were “confident” the treatment was safe.

The surgery involves using fat harvested from the patient’s stomach or thighs via liposuction and using it to build up the breast. Prior to transplantation, around half of of the fat is processed to enrich the stem-cell content – naturally occurring regenerative cells found within the fat. The hope is that this enrichment process can improve the prospects for the fat graft.

The same technology is being used in reconstructive surgery where “cell-enriched fat grafting” is now being offered in several centres around the world to reconstruct breasts following cancer surgery.

Trials are currently under way at NHS centres in London, Glasgow, Swansea, Norwich and North Tyneside.

But BAAPS believes more clinical testing needs to be done to establish its safety before it is used commercially on healthy women.

“To think that this unproven research is hijacked and used in the commercial sector is really an appalling thought,” former BAAPS president and consultant plastic surgeon Adam Searle told the BBC. “Not least when it’s being utilised by inadequately trained practitioners.”

We can hear some of you saying, “Well, this warning was issued four year ago in 2011. Surely its proven by now that stem cells for breast augmentation surgery is effective!”

Actually, there’s no proof yet that stem cells works as advertised by cosmetic clinics. In fact, just six months ago, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) issued a warning against unsubstantiated advertising claims for cosmetic procedures – including breast augmentation – using stem cells.

From the ASPS website:

Advertising claims for cosmetic procedures using stem cells are running far ahead of the scientific evidence for safety and effectiveness, according to a review in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

“Stem cells offer tremendous potential, but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk,” write Dr Michael T. Longaker of Stanford University Medical Center and colleagues.

Dr Longaker and coauthors raise concerns about the unregulated use of stem cells for unproven indications—including cosmetic procedures.

While stem cell therapy “remains in its infancy,” they write, “there are a growing number of cosmetic practitioners that are advertising minimally invasive, stem cell-based rejuvenation procedures.”

The article was prompted by “worrying advertisements” claiming benefits of stem cell procedures for facelifts, breast augmentation—even “stem cell vaginal rejuvenation.” These ads claim benefits from procedures that have not undergone rigorous scientific evaluation—including potential risks related to stem cell and tissue processing and the effects of aging on stem cells.

To gain insight into these claims, Dr Longaker and coauthors performed a Google search for cosmetic stem cell treatments, the most common of which was “stem cell facelifts.” Most procedures used “stem cells” isolated from fat. However, the websites provided little information on the quality of the stem cells used.

Without advanced cell-sorting procedures, these products used in these procedures likely contain many other types of cells besides fat-derived stem cells. Many clinics also offered plasma-rich platelet protein treatments, which they inaccurately marketed as stem cell therapy.

Despite evidence that is “minimal at best,” advertisers are also claiming that their stem cell treatments have “anti-aging effects.” The authors note that procedures marketed as “stem cell facelifts” are often just “lipofilling” procedures — an established fat injection technique with no prolonged anti-aging effect.

To date, just one stem cell procedure for cosmetic purpose has received FDA approval, after extensive evaluation. That product, designed to treat fine facial wrinkles, is undergoing extensive post-approval surveillance. Of more than 100 clinical trials being performed to evaluate fat-derived stem cells, only a handful are focusing on cosmetic treatments.

Stem cells certainly have a role to play in regenerative medicine and cosmetic surgery. The authors note that the ASPS and other specialty groups have formed task forces to develop position statements based on the best available data for procedures using fat-derived stem cells.

“With plastic surgeons at the forefront of stem cell-based regenerative medicine, it is critically important that we provide an example of a rigorous approach to research, data collection, and advertising of stem cell therapies,” Dr Longaker and coauthors conclude. “Stem cells offer tremendous potential for cosmetic applications, but we must be vigilant to avoid unscientific claims which may threaten this nascent field.”

So now you know the other side of the coin. You know what could settle this debate? If we have real patients — whether celebrities or non-celebs — who underwent this particular procedure and who would be willing to show their stem cell breast augmentation before and after photos. You know anyone who’d be willing to share their before and after pics?

That’s it for now fellow CelebritySurgeryWatchers! We hope this enables you to make an informed decision when it comes to your cosmetic surgery options.