June 9, 2009

BellaDerm, the first human dermal tissue graft offered specifically for facial and body contouring procedures, is being introduced today by MTF, the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, the country’s leading non-profit tissue bank.

BellaDerm is a unique acellular matrix, derived from donated human allograft skin. The new tissue has properties that are very appealing to plastic surgeons. In addition to coming from human donors, it provides excellent handling characteristics and the added benefit of being in ready-to-use form. It is easily accessible and ready for surgeon selection at all times. Unlike some other dermal tissues, it does not require refrigeration.

Belladerm provides supplemental support in areas of weakness. It has been used by plastic surgeons to address naturally occurring defects which may be found in areas such as the breast, lips, and face.

Michael Kawas, President of MTF’s skin division, notes that plastic surgeons typically rely on other materials, some of them from animals (like pigs) and some of them are synthetic. “Now they will have an option to use human skin, which provides a more natural choice. We have gotten a lot of comments about the desirability of implanting “like into like” – in other words, implanting tissue from one human into another. It seems to be preferable to using animal products or synthetic materials ”

“We have a history of positive clinical outcomes using other MTF tissue”, noted Dr. Philip Bonanno, Director of the Institute of Aesthetic Surgery and Medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital. “Thus we’re comfortable using BellaDerm as a natural human dermal graft for support and reinforcement in many of our procedures.”

Donation of skin for BellaDerm is restricted to living donors who have given specific consent for their skin to be used for these types of procedures. To assure the utmost safety and quality, MTF has the highest standards for tissue donation. Living skin donations are held to the same high standards for acceptance and processing as skin which is recovered from deceased donors.

“It is very important for us to have confidence in the providers of all materials we use” continues Dr. Bonanno, “and MTF’s high standards exemplifies their commitment to providing only the best tissue possible for my patients.”

MTF is a non-profit service organization that has been dedicated to providing high quality tissue to health care providers for over 20 years. Since its founding by surgeons in 1987, MTF has received tissue from more than 74,000 donors and has provided more than 3.5 million tissue grafts for transplantation. For more information, visit www.mtf.org.

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