Grow your own breast implants

Women could one day 'grow' their own breast implants and avoid many of the current problems with cosmetic surgery.

Researchers have found they can create implants using stem cells - the body's master cells which can turn into other types - harvested from a patient's bone marrow.

The natural implants appear to keep their size and shape better than synthetic types. And there is no risk of dangerous leaks, as has happened with silicone.

The breakthrough could also benefit cancer patients needing reconstructive operations after mastectomies or other surgery.

The research, published in the journal Tissue Engineering, was presented yesterday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Washington.

Surgeons currently use synthetic implants, usually made of silicone or saline, or natural ones using the patient's own fat cells.

Natural implants avoid the risk of complications, but usually mean surgery to remove tissue from a healthy part of the body.

There is also a problem with implants shrinking by up to 60 per cent over time, while synthetic forms can interfere with mammograms. Research leader

Jeremy Mao, of the University of Illinois in Chicago, said that using stem cells could eliminate the need for extra surgery and produce long-lasting and more shapely implants.

In the case of a cancer patient who has had a breast removed, doctors could mould stem cells to match the remaining breast.

Stem cells can turn into a variety of different cells including those that form bone, cartilage and fat. For the Chicago research, the scientists turned them into fat-producing, or adipose, cells. They were put into plastic moulds to create different shapes and sizes of implants.

The implants were grown in the laboratory and then placed under the skin of laboratory mice. They were removed four weeks later and found to be still the same shape and size.

Douglas McGeorge, presidentelect of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said last night: 'People have been working towards this for a long time for implants for head and neck injuries.

'If it works it will be of great use in reconstruction for patients who have suffered trauma, tumours or have congenital deformities. It means you can have something that is part of the patient so you don't have to worry about using foreign bodies.

'It is part of them. It lives with them and will develop a blood supply with the patient and be protected by their own immune system.'

Dr Mao said the technique could also be used for other soft tissue - 'facial tissue like the lips and so on'. He called for more long-term studies into the technique to see how the implant and the body cope over time.

Dr Mao also raised the possibility that it may eventually be possible to take stem cells from fat tissue itself.

He said: 'You could do a liposuction, harvest the stem cells, and use them for regeneration of the other structure.'

Dr Mao admitted, however, that the prospect was 'some years down the road'.

He added: 'Nonetheless, the present approach presents another step toward an alternative tissue-engineering approach for soft tissue augmentation and reconstruction. It could certainly be combined with other techniques.'

Plastic surgery is booming in the UK, with latest figures showing a 52 per cent rise in the number of operations each year. In 2004 there were 3,731 breast enlargement operations.