ABSTRACT

The search for the ideal filler material seems an endless one. The substance needs to be cheap and readily available. It should not be capable of rejection and should have a low incidence of allergy and other adverse tissue reactions. It should be easy to work with and be permanent without risk of inducing communicative disease. Many of these require­ ments are met by the use of dermis and fat as grafting agents. The issue of permanence re­ mains unresolved, but with refinement this parameter may also be met. The use of the pa­ tients’ own tissues, like a spare parts factory, is of course not new. We all accept without reservation that skin, cartilage, and bone grafts once taken will remain, yet we have trou­ ble accepting the same about fat and dermis. It awaits further studies and possibly refine­ ment in techniques to see whether these grafts are likewise able to stand the test of time.