The Role of Nanofat Grafting in Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: A Preliminary Report

Since the discovery of adipose-derived adult stem (ADAS) cells in adipose tissue [1], many studies have articulated a new concept of lipofilling, which is no longer seen as adipocyte grafting, but rather as stem cell transplantation. Tonnard et al. [2] proposed a new technique of fat grafting, known as nanofat grafting, which involves an emulsified suspension that can be injected in a more superficial plane through finer needles (27-gauge) than is possible in standard lipofilling. Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the anogenital area that often leads to significant impairments in sexual function and quality of life [3]. In this report, we present a case of advanced VLS treated with nanofat grafting in addition to standard lipofilling. The rationale of this approach was to take advantage of the regenerative capacities of ADAS cells to stimulate cellular growth and wound healing in lesions that do not show a tendency for spontaneous recovery.