tem cells possess both an innate capacity for self-renewal and the ability to replace more specialized cells lost after injury. 1 Multiple types of stem cells have been described, but only embryonic stem cells exhibit native pluripotency across all three germ layers. 2 However, isolating embryonic stem cells presents significant ethical challenges, as harvest invariably leads to demise of the embryo. Conversely, adult stem cells are multipotent stem cells capable of differentiating within a single germ layer. 3 Generating large quantities of inducible, multipotent adult stem cells will revolutionize regenerative medicine applications, including plastic surgery, but the scientific and ethical basis of this practice remains unclear. Mesenchymal stem cells are a promising subclass of adult stem cells found within adipose tissue (adipose-derived stem cells) and bone marrow (bone marrow-derived stem cells). 4 With broad differentiation potential (Fig. 1), 5 and fewer ethical concerns surrounding their use, adipose-derived stem cells and bone marrow-derived stem cells have enjoyed clinical utility for the treatment of