Fat grafting is a popular operative approach for rejuvenation that can improve areas with acne in some patients.

A new study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal assessed whether fat grafting can improve acne and analyzed the mechanism of action by which fat grafting improves acne.

In this retrospective study, preoperative and postoperative digital photographs were examined in 229 patients who underwent fat grafting, to compare the numbers of inflammatory acne lesions. Additionally, 18 patients with acne who were treated by injection of subdermal stromal vascular fraction gel (SVF-gel) were prospectively examined. 

Overall, 22 patients had acne, of whom complete follow-up data was present. In these patients, the numbers of lesions were significantly lower, after than before fat grafting. On the other hand, 18 patients who received subdermal SVF-gel injection showed evident improvements in inflammatory lesions after more than 1 year of follow-up. In addition, CD4 + T cell infiltration was significantly decreased at week-4.

Hence, facial fat grafting could improve inflammatory acne lesions, perhaps because adipose-derived stem cells—which are ample in SVF-gel, could reduce CD4 + T cell-mediated inflammatory responses. 

Source: Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2021 Apr 2;sjab162. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjab162.