Fig. 2

The SVF injection and the changes in skin thickness. Through liposuction and enzyme digestion, the red SVF cell-pellet (shown in arrow) was harvested (a). SVF was subcutaneously injected onto the expanded skin area (b). An ultrasound was used to assess the skin thickness (results from the control group (c) and SVF group (d) at baseline and 12 weeks). The SVF group had a significant increase in the skin thickness compared to the control group at 8 to 12 weeks (e). Compared to baseline, the skin thickness in the SVF group increased significantly at 4 to 8 weeks and was maintained after 12 weeks, whereas the control group decreased after 8 weeks (f, g). A similar downward trend was found for the dermal thickness (l, m), whereas no differences in the epidermal thickness were noted between both groups (i, j).* p<0.05; ** p<0.01