How Tissue Repair, Regeneration, and Engineering will help in Plastic Surgery?

Over the last decade, technological advances in biotechnology and biomaterials have been rapid. This is especially true in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The replacement of injured body parts is referred to as regenerative medicine. The regenerative process incorporates a wide spectrum of scientific discoveries and employs cutting-edge treatments such as stem cell transplantation and synthetic tissues. Many medical subspecialties are involved in this emerging discipline, including cell biologists, biochemists, physicists, biomaterial engineers, geneticists, nanotechnologists, and endocrinologists.

Clinicians and scientists are able to help a wide range of patients thanks to broad partnerships. One application of tissue engineering is to assist patients who have lost tissue due to burns, skin ulcers, decubitus ulcers, bone loss, cartilage, or nerve injury. Another case in point is the use of synthetic materials as dermal fillers to assist patients in reversing the effects of ageing. Cell biology breakthroughs have enabled the ability to restore lost tissue such as skin. New growth factors and hormones have enabled us to grow living human cells in tissue culture while retaining a high level of tissue function. Some of these tissues are developed on biodegradable scaffolds that have been seeded with cells and signalling chemicals..

Current advancements include the production of biocompatible biomaterials that will induce the generation of new tissue. The usage of stem cells will allow certain cell types to proliferate. With this technology, stem cells can be stimulated to develop into skin, cartilage, tendons, bone, and a variety of other tissues. The finding of embryonic stem cells produced from human foetal tissue, placentas, or even liposuction fat cells will be increasingly relevant in the future for these and other medical uses.

The capacity to incorporate new discoveries into the care of patients is vital to the science and art of plastic surgery. Historically, plastic surgeons have employed autologous skin transplants to aid with wound treatment. Since then, significant progress has been achieved in the development of keratinocyte and epidermal grafts (Epicel or autologous epidermal skin sheets) and bilayered skin substitutes (Integra artificial skin, Dermagraft, Transcyte, Apligraf). The groundbreaking work in the field of skin substitute tissue engineering is the product of substantial study and development in cell biology, collagen scaffolds, and biocompatible tissue alternatives. This endeavour yielded injectable novel biomaterials for soft tissue augmentation as well as injectable or prefabricated scaffolds for hard tissue augmentation. Plastic surgeons will be at the forefront of regenerative medicine, using cutting-edge technology.

This issue of Seminars in Plastic Surgery is devoted to the use of such biomaterials in these applications. It offers a collection of papers that cover a wide range of topics important to current practise. We would like to thank all of the authors who contributed to this issue of Seminars in Plastic Surgery. We urged each to provide practical knowledge that other plastic surgeons may use to improve their profession and assist our patients.