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Page 8 of 10 Braswell et al. Plast Aesthet Res 2024;11:46 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-9264.2023.136

[39]
autologous fat injections provide beneficial effects with limited side effects .

While we are unable to directly compare the outcomes of this study to those of fat grafting without PRP,
this study suggests that the addition of PRP is low-risk and provides a subjectively positive cosmetic result
from the perspective of both the patient and surgeon. In addition, this technique has been shown to be safe
and efficacious in a wide range of procedures spanning the entire body. The potential benefits of adding
PRP to adipose grafts may be related to the released platelet components that help support the adipose graft.
These components have been shown to help reduce inflammation, promote blood vessel growth, and
contribute to the proliferation of ADSCs, thereby potentially improving graft survival and contributing to
this study’s overall positive outcomes. It is also worth noting that while there are different techniques for
PRP preparation, most are relatively low-cost and require very little additional equipment, making the
[9]
technique a good adjuvant to the already cost-effective fat grafting procedure . That said, different
countries have different policies related to blood products and these should be taken into account based on
provider location.

This study was limited by the somewhat subjective nature of cosmetic outcomes as well as the known
limitations that accompany any retrospective review. The lack of objective measures is a limitation and an
area for improvement in future studies. Employment of one of the currently available cosmetic grading
scales to better quantify subjective results would potentially be beneficial .
[40]
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that autologous fat grafting with PRP is a safe technique that is
effective for various indications with a low complication rate. All patients analyzed in this study exhibited
success in the context of volumization and/or scar improvement. Larger-scale prospective, randomized
studies analyzing adipose grafting with PRP in comparison to fat grafting alone and/or to other fat grafting
techniques are warranted to truly understand the proposed additive benefits of PRP.

DECLARATIONS
Acknowledgments
Collawn SS presented “Platelet Rich Plasma assisted Adipose Grafting for Scars and Aesthetics” at the
International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL,
November 2022 and “Combination Therapy with Adipose Fat Grafting for Hypertrophic Burn Scars” at the
International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS) meeting in Washington, DC,
October 2023.

Authors’ contributions
Writing - original draft (lead), visualization (equal), writing - review and editing (equal), chart review and
data collection (equal): Braswell AC
Writing - original draft, visualization (equal), writing - review and editing (equal), chart review and data
collection (equal): Buchanan K
Writing - review, editing, and additions (equal), visualization (equal), chart review and data collection
(equal): Wagner G
Writing - review, editing, and additions (equal): Fujihashi A
Writing - review, editing, and additions (equal), conceptualization: Rudnicki P
Methodology (lead), conceptualization (lead), supervision (lead), writing - review and editing (equal),
surgeon performing the fat grafting: Collawn SS