Advancing fat graft survival: from adipose-derived stem cell mechanisms to next-generation regenerative strategies (opens in new tab)

Autologous fat grafting is widely used in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery because it is easy to harvest, well tolerated by the host, and produces natural-looking results. However, unpredictable graft resorption—with reported volume retention ranging from 30% to 80%—remains a major obstacle. To overcome this, two cell-based approaches have been developed: the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a freshly isolated mixture containing approximately 1%–10% adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ADS...