Texas surgeon televises his own liposuction surgery, seeking to promote use of a

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Texas surgeon televises his own liposuction surgery, seeking to

promote use of adult stem cells

(San Francisco Chronicle)

Friday, August 27, 2004

http://tinyurl.com/5vkok

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/08/2

7/national2007EDT0770.DTL

(08-27) 17:07 PDT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) --

An overweight plastic surgeon performed liposuction on himself on

camera to promote the potential use of stem cells that can be

harvested in such operations.

Dr. Ersek, 66, who conducted the operation with the help of

liposuction's French inventor, said he would encourage patients to

save their liposuctioned fat from now on. Dr. Yves Gerard Illouz, who

was in town for a plastic surgery seminar and who at one point during

Ersek's operation advised him on his technique, agreed.

" This will be the future, " Illouz said of stem cells. He said that in

five years, adult stem cells derived from tissue, such as fat, and

other organs will be successful in fighting disease and injuries.

Illouz performed the first liposuction in 1977.

Adult stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells, which are

controversial and involve the destruction of fertilized human eggs.

" It's unbelievable, " said Ersek, who was captured on film by

television and newspaper cameras, as well as by a staff member. " I'm

the actor, the director and the cinematographer. "

After using a local anesthetic to numb his left side, Ersek used a

metal wand to suck out the fat. Attached to a long clear tube with a

collection bottle at the end, Ersek stuck the wand deep into his

abdomen and pushed it from side to side.

Ersek removed about 11/2 pounds of fat from his left abdomen, leaving

the 5-foot-6 doctor weighing in at about 198 pounds. He said he would

leave his right side " as is " for now and be his own before-and-after

liposuction ad for his patients.