Plastic Surgery is a specialty in continuous development. Its goal has been always to repair tissue, making use of its elasticity, in order to recover its shape and/or function.

Evidence of this is progress made with microsurgery, allowing transplantation of hands and face, or treatment of birth defects with the formation of new bone from the existing one.

In 1980, tissue engineering has started to be developed, based on the knowledge of cell biology and engineering to obtain new tissues and organs for use in medicine.

As so, the terms “Tissue Engineering” and its practical application, “Regenerative Medicine”, started to be used when attempting to repair, reposition or regenerate cells, tissues and organs to restore the damaged function .

Since 2004, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine started using the term “Regenerative Surgery” to refer to surgery that uses techniques derived from Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine for treatment of certain patients.

Regenerative Surgery has successfully become a new alternative within the scope of conventional Plastic Surgery, but with a different concept: to stimulate the body to generate new tissue and not to replace or improve damaged or lost tissue.

Therefore, the role of the regenerative surgeon is not focused on replacing the dysfunctional parts of the human body, but to provide the elements and the necessary media for the body to repair them (“in vivo” repair).

Within this concept, a group of researchers led by plastic surgeons discovered that millions of “precursor cells” and other elements (stromal vascular fraction) can be found in adipose tissue that, with adequate care, can favour the appearance of new cells.

“Precursor factors” (growth factors, platelets, etc.) are isolated simultaneously in blood, producing platelet rich plasma (PRP).

The use of adipose tissue and blood are currently the most widely used therapies, known as “Advanced Cellular Therapies”.

Other therapies use acellular matrices, factors that improve blood supply or reproduce ideal conditions in the body to obtain “new tissue”, both individually and jointly.

  Some treatments where we apply Regenerative Surgery:  

• Breast reconstruction (minor and major defects)
• Facial alterations (traumatic and congenital)
• Body defects requiring remodelling
• Poland Syndrome (absence of chest wall muscles)
• Muscle and tendon damage
• Scar and burn sequelae
• Incontinence
• External genital organ alterations, including lichen planus or sclerosus, atrophy due to menopause, plastic surgery
• Face, hand and breast rejuvenation
• Improvement of foot atrophy
• Dupuytren´s contracture