New Breakthroughs in Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery has really come a long way; in fact, some experts suggest that sooner or later, we will no longer need to use synthetic devices such as buttock and breast implants to enhance our figure, or soft tissue fillers such as collagen to make us look younger than our real age.

With the promise of stem cell technology, facelift may someday just involve injection.  According to some findings, stem cells can turn into other types of cells, which in turn makes them ideal for repairing damaged skin tissues and correcting wrinkles and other facial aging.

And not only that, stem cell—which can be grafted in fatty tissues—is also seen as a possible replacement for breast augmentation via silicone or saline implants.  Imagine, by simply injecting this type of cell we can increase our bust size without having to undergo the knife.  In addition, the same process can also be applied to enhance our derriere and achieve the much-coveted hourglass figure.

The potential of stem cell technology seems to be boundless, except that conservatives do not like the idea of something that would help countless of people.  Some of them even compared this to cloning, citing morality issues, which in the first place are open to different interpretations.

Aside from cosmetic plastic surgeries, stem cells are also a promising breakthrough especially for post-cancer patients who will undergo mastectomy, an invasive procedure that partially or completely removes the breasts.  To date, breast reconstruction is conducted via implant surgery or tissue-based method.

The problem with tissue-based breast reconstruction is that the donor site (back, abdomen, or buttocks) will likely experience some level of muscle weakness.  On the other hand, breast implant surgery—while it results to less scarring and faster recovery—may not be able to address deformities if there is a little amount of tissue and skin to work with.

The good thing about stem cells is that they can be found in fatty tissues, which are quite abundant.  While these cells can also be extracted from bone marrow and embryo, the process is significantly more complicated and risky.

Fatty tissues can be extracted by simply conducting liposuction in which the plastic surgeons use a cannula, a hollowed steel tube attached to a vacuum pump.  The instrument is carefully inserted in 1- to 2-inch round incisions made in the skin.

Once the fats are collected, the stem cells are collected and are carefully reintroduced to the body.