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I've had a bit more time recently to watch the news and can't help noticing how fluffy TV health reporting is. I was especially disturbed because there was a report on a new cosmetic trend called "fat grafting." The basic premise is to move fat from undesired areas such as your backside or belly, purify the fat cells from the fat tissue in a lab, and then re-inject the fat cells into your face presumably to fill out wrinkles and bring back a youthful fullness. The idea really isn't that weird because this type of modification was previously performed using synthetic gels and fillers. Fat grafting is supposedly better because there is less risk of rejection since the fat isn't foreign. I was somewhat amused by the doctor interviewed who summarized the procedure as simply moving cells around, and then by the reporter's perfunctory acknowledgment that there are potential side-effects associated with the procedure.
I'm not here to say much about plastic surgery. Let's be honest...people have been trying to conform to whatever notion of physical beauty is since forever, and I just can't imagine that ever stopping. So, I don't see a point in getting upset about it. No, what bothered me was the nonchalant attitude the doctor had and the reporter's breezy dismissal of side-effects as if they were abstractions. I came away from that report thinking I was not informed; but rather on a receiving end of a sales pitch.
It is possible that I'm just being over-critical, and maybe there was no profit motive. Nevertheless, it's worthwhile to spend a few minutes and reason our way through this whole fat grafting business. First, can this really work? Purifying cells is not easy and there's a lot of cell death associated with the process. So, depending on the technique, the number of viable cells available can vary considerably. So if the patient receives an injection composed mainly of dead cells and debris, can the procedure still be beneficial? Next, let's assume the cell preparation steps went perfectly and the patient receives a bunch of live cells. Can we assume the fat cells are inert objects that'll just sit there and fill out those wrinkles? Or do they, being alive, interact with neighboring tissues and secrete hormones, growth factors, etc.? Would the surrounding tissue tell the fat cells to die because they're not meant to be there?
I really just wish reporters would work more diligently to present something thoughtful. Or better yet, to see people ask questions like these when they encounter the next health report.
