Tissue engineering in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Current biomaterials technology meets some of the needs of the facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. However, there is a genuine need for improvement in the area of tissue replacement. The principle of tissue engineering provides a natural way to generate needed tissue using the patient's own cells as building blocks, coupled with biodegradable polymers which have been used safely in [figure: see text] patients for decades. This technology enables the creation of complex structures which ultimately have no immunogenicity. Current obstacles to human clinical trials for auricular repair are being pursued for resolution, and the number of new tissues which it may be possible to generate in this fashion continues to expand. Through continued experimentation and collaboration among surgeons, chemical engineers, and materials scientists, we are certain that the barriers to widespread clinical use for this emerging technology will be overcome.