How science is changing plastic surgery of the future

Enhancements guided by AI

It’s undeniable that AI is becoming integrated into our everyday lives at rapid pace – and the beauty industry is no outsider.

Already, there is talk about the development of at-home skin scanners and digital mirrors that enable people to track their ageing process in-real time by comparing current snapshots to ones from the past.

These devices would be able to pinpoint new developments in ageing from recent sun damage to new wrinkles and collagen loss, then advise on what can be done about them. Although this might sound like a nightmare to some people, it doesn’t mean they won’t be made available on the market anyway.

On top of this, the concept of digital twins (AI versions our ourselves) could be linked with wearable health-monitoring tech to incorporate and analyze biometric data on our sleep, diet, and vitals. Ultimately, this could allow us to track the health of our organs or any other physiological changes in one place.

On a surgical level, AI-robots could take over plastic surgery processes without the need for anything more than oversight from human surgeons. Though it’s unlikely that nanorobots will ever completely take over the task of making complex in-surgery decisions, they could become trusted for their precision, efficiency, and affordability.

Stem cell therapy will change everything

Though stem cell research has long been a focus of regenerative medicine, their potential to improve the effects of ageing due to natural cell degeneration is now being realized.

In recent years, stem cell research has been explored for use in aesthetics to help the body to repair damage without relying on modifications through injectables.

Because stem cells can be used to form skin, muscle, and bone, they can also be used to repair damage on a cellular level. In aesthetics, this would mean causing a person’s biology go back to their optimal state instead of simply masking the impacts of ageing – not to mention, it could be revolutionary for helping women who experience bone density loss as they age.

Considering its ability to restore and regenerate, stem cell therapy is likely to make scarring due to surgery a thing of the past. Investigation into how embryos heal perfectly could lead to an understanding of how to reactivate this kind of healing in adults with the help of stem cells.

This could eliminate hesitancy around surgery for those concerned about how scars may heal, while improving the results for individuals seeking to get rid of scars from serious injuries healed in the past.

Should we just because we can?

While the rapidly advancing landscape of cosmetic enhancements is certainly interesting and even exciting to learn about, questioning whether it’s ethical or even necessary to push the boundaries this far is perfectly normal.

We’ve already witnessed how the normalisation and rush to receive cosmetic surgeries have negatively impacted thousands of people all over the world, causing regret in unfortunate cases and death in some of the worst.

Though the use of stem cells to achieve youthful appearances for longer certainly feels a bit more holistic than going under the knife, many would argue there would be something a little creepy about the possibility of a 70-year-old donning a 20-year-old’s physical appearance. No doubt, this would change our perceptions of the ageing process, and potentially even spark a conversation about how we should define our true ‘age’.

Not to mention, the cost of these procedures will likely see many people unable to access them, potentially pricing out individuals whose lives could be transformed by them, especially in the case of regeneration through stem cell therapy.

Wherever you stand on humanity’s never-ending path to perfection and eternal youth, one thing is undeniable – just when we think we’ve hit the glass ceiling in science – we’re quick to realise we can indeed break through, moving the goal posts of beauty and longevity once again.