With the help of electricity and 3D printing, scientists have developed a new technique, called “molecular surgery.” It can change the appearance of the face, soften and change the shape of cartilage without the need for any painful operations, cuts and scarring.
“We see this new technique as an inexpensive office procedure, performed under local anesthesia. The whole process will take about five minutes, ”said one of the leading researchers, Michael Hill.
The new study describes how the cartilage that forms the human nose and other facial features become more plastic after exposure to an electric current. If the malleable cartilage is fixed in a certain way as it hardens, this method can be used to change the shape of the nose or other plastic procedures without the need to use scalpels.
Scientists have come up with this process by chance. Previously, one of the team members heated the cartilage with an infrared laser that was too expensive and often destroyed tissue. Therefore, the team tried electricity instead. The electric charge worked, but instead of heating it, it balanced electrically charged ions that stiffen the cartilage, weakening it and allowing it to change shape.
According to Phys.org, the team tested its method on a rabbit, curving one of its ears to the desired new shape. However, the application of this method on man is still far in the future. In addition to the techniques used in cosmetic operations to change the appearance, the team anticipates that their method will be used to restore function in hard joints or to restore a deviated nasal septum.