From face transplants to nanobot brain implants -- just how far will we go in the pursuit of facial perfection?
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In Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake, she imagines a world that has been ravaged by consumer excess and bioengineering gone amok. She also grimly ponders the lengths to which some future generations might go to ensure they maintain a youthful visage. At the fictional NooSkins compound, biotechnologists grow “start-over” wrinkle-free faces in labs for their new genetically engineered human race.
The chief protagonist, Snowman, the last of his flawed species, mourns the passing of imperfect women whose beauty spots and “lopsided smiles” once aroused his ardour. But is this kind of bleak fantasy prescient or merely sci-fi whimsy? Brace yourself: this brave new world isn't far off, predicts Dr. Anthony Griffin, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and star of ABC's Extreme Makeover. Griffin says that researchers around the globe are recreating facial skin, muscle and bone from stem cells, programming “youthful” skin cells to regenerate on command, digitally reconstructing mole-free Cindy Crawford look-alikes and formulating “smart” skin care creams to target trouble zones with robot-like precision. He and his avant-garde colleagues say that the booming beauty enhancement industry is poised to put its best -- and possibly freakiest -- face forward.
Stem the tides…
What is it? Stem cell research makes Frankenstein look like a junior biology experiment. It involves the harvesting of undifferentiated cells from embryonic or adult human tissue to create new human organs and tissues, including all-important facial items, such as skin, bone, muscles, nerves and cartilage.
How might it be used? Dr. Thomas Tzikas, a Delray Beach, Fla., facial plastic surgeon, is eyeing University of Pittsburgh research involving adult stem cells derived from liposuctioned fat that can morph into bone, cartilage, muscle and fat. Besides making ideal facial filler, the harvested fat cells might reprogram tissue growth. “We may be able to inject our own fat cells, turn on a [genetic] switch to make the fat cells fill a certain area of the face, then switch the cells off again,” explains Tzikas. Awaiting further research, University of California researchers can preserve liposuctioned fat for future cosmetic enhancement. In 2001, Dr. Marc Hedrick founded a private
corporation called StemSource to develop stem cell therapies. For approximately US$1,500 for five years (then $100 annually), Hedrick will extract stem cells and collagen from liposuctioned fat and store them in liquid nitrogen as the raw-material alternative to a future facelift.
