How can 3D printing help plastic surgery evolve
by Freelance Writer Mark Wilston
The potential application of 3D printing in the field of plastic surgery is increasing very rapidly. This three dimensional technology is capable of manufacturing all types of low cost surgical devices which are used in surgical education.
There are various types of applications in the field of three dimensional printing that have emerged in the medicine which includes printing different body parts and organs. It also has various applications which exist in the field of medicine which further include implants, tissue replacements and even whole organs.
3D printing is easily adapted by the medical industry as its application techniques has been extended to bio cell printing for organ development, creation of scaffolds for tissue repairing or plastic surgery on any particular area of the body. It is first introduced in 1990 with the help of computers. Usage of 3D printing is increasing rapidly because it can easily provide an individual specific product in a very short span of time.
This is also becoming famous because it provides personalized medicine with the three dimensional printing technique which is further patient specific and consumes very less time.
Knowledge for Patients
It is very important that patient should understand the exact procedure of 3D printing procedure. Basically, 3D printed replicas are useful for the doctor+patient interactions during the consultation so that they clearly understand each other point of view. Nowadays. Plastic surgeons have used this new technique to accurately simulate the exact outcome of the whole cosmetic procedure and that too on a computer screen.
On the other hand, studies have proved that visual feedback from a 3D model provides a better and a superior understanding of anatomical details of the patient as compared to other imaging techniques.
Benefits of 3D printing in plastic surgery
1. Personalization and customization
One of the greatest advantages of 3D printing technique in medical procedures is the freedom to make customized medical products and equipments. Like, it can provide a great value to both patient and doctor if used to customize implants and prosthetics. On the other hand, it is not at all time consuming and make a positive impact in terms of time required for surgery and even patient recovery.
2. Cost effective
Second and most important benefit of 3D printing is that it produces its various items cheaply. It is very clear that traditional methods are less expensive only for large scale production, but this new technique of 3D printing is reliable for small productions also.
It is applicable for on all types of small sized implants such as spinal, dental or any other disorders. Therefore, the cost to print a 3D object is same and minimal from the first item till the last one and because of this, it is more advantageous for companies that have low production volumes.
3. Enhanced productivity
One of the biggest advantages of 3D printing is that it can make the product within several hours or in a very less span of time which makes this technique much faster than traditional methods which requires forging, milling and after that a long delivery time. With the quality of speed, it also has other qualities like accuracy and reliability.
4. Democratization
Another unique feature offered by this new 3D technique is democratization of the design and goods produced. In today’s scenario, an increasing array of materials is becoming easily available for use in this type of printing and with this, they are also decreasing cost which further allows more and more people use 3D printers and their new imaginations to design and produce products for personal and commercial use.
Future of 3D printing
In the past few years, it has been seen that 3D printed models are proven to be more valuable as compared to conventional 2D forms of plastic surgery. Basically, this new technique of 3D printing has the potential to become one of the important and essential clinical tool for all plastic surgeons. It also enables more effective patient consultations, improves surgical planning and increase diagnostic quality.
Therefore, it is clear from the above discussion that 3D printing is a future and helps plastic surgery to evolve in a better way.
PS: There will always be drugs like Forskolin and Dr. Oz may claim that such solutions are great for a better, healthier body, but all these won’t replace plastic surgery.. by this point of view 3D printing is such an important factor for the evolution of plastic surgery
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