A study says Renuvion helps transferred fat survive. How far can we trust it?

The question I’m asked most about fat transfer is “How much of it will stay?” For the first few days, transferred fat doesn’t receive enough nutrients or oxygen, so part of it dies and the rest settles in. That’s why ways to improve fat retention are still being studied. One recent study suggests that treating the recipient site with Renuvion beforehand improves how much of the fat survives.

This study, published in 2023 in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Aesthetic Plast Surg), was done in mice. In one group, only saline was injected into the recipient site. In the other, saline was injected, the site was treated with Renuvion, and then the fat was transferred. After 4 weeks, the transferred fat was removed and examined under a microscope.

The side treated with Renuvion had more living fat cells, and more adipose-derived stem cells were seen as well (5.0% vs. 3.3%). The researchers suggested that the heat and plasma from Renuvion may have increased the number of stem cells or drawn them to the area. On the other hand, there was no difference in how much new blood vessel growth there was.

There are three things to keep in mind when reading this result. First, it was an experiment in mice, not people. The structure of skin and fat differs between mice and humans. Second, the difference in stem cells (5.0% vs. 3.3%) was not statistically significant (p=0.36). This means we can’t rule out that the difference happened by chance. Third, the study was carried out by researchers with ties to the device manufacturer.

So at LINE ON Clinic, we don’t recommend Renuvion as a way to improve fat retention after fat transfer. Factors that are already established matter more: filtering the fat carefully so that only pure fat is transferred, transferring an amount that suits the space, and keeping your weight stable after surgery. We keep an eye on new research, but in practice we use methods that have been confirmed in people.

References

Ruff PG, Sterodimas A. Enhanced Fat Graft Viability and Remodeling Using a Helium-based Radiofrequency Device to Prepare the Recipient Site. Aesthetic Plast Surg, 2023. doi:10.1007/s00266-023-03749-6