Plastic Surgery

Silicone implants after breast cancer do not raise autoimmune or rheumatic disease risk

In this multicenter cohort of 12,262 breast cancer survivors, 3,082 underwent silicone implant–based reconstruction with median follow-up of 12 years. Autoimmune and rheumatic disease incidence was 62.5 per 10,000 person-years across the cohort. Implant exposure was not associated with increased autoimmune or rheumatic disease risk (adjusted HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.89–1.27). No significant signal emerged for inflammatory arthritis, systemic rheumatic disease, inflammatory dermatoses, inflammatory bowel disease, or specific conditions. These data support reassuring reconstruction candidates that silicone implants do not appear to increase long-term autoimmune disease risk. 1

Selective preop imaging before chest masculinization catches occult breast cancers

This single-institution review included 368 adults undergoing gender-affirming chest masculinization between 2017 and 2024, mean age 27.2 years. Preoperative breast imaging was recommended in 11.7% and performed in 11.1%, primarily for age, family history, exam findings, or BRCA2 mutation. Among imaged patients, 17.1% had abnormal findings and 2 malignancies were confirmed, with one additional carcinoma found only postoperatively. Overall perioperative breast cancer incidence was 0.8%, and preoperative detection altered operative planning. Time to surgery did not significantly differ for imaged versus non-imaged patients (3.1 vs 3.7 months). 2

Alginate-modified bacterial nanocellulose skin substitute accelerates third-degree burn healing in mice

This preclinical study assessed ARTSkin, a GMP-manufactured alginate-modified bacterial nanocellulose skin substitute, in murine third-degree burns. Acellular ARTSkin was non-cytotoxic in vitro and enhanced fibroblast migration and proliferation in scratch assays. Both acellular and fibroblast-seeded ARTSkin significantly improved in vivo wound healing with faster closure and less bleeding, hyperemia, edema, and crusting. Cellular ARTSkin modulated proliferative-phase genes, normalizing Rac1, Vegfa, Itga4 and downregulating profibrotic Ctgf. Findings support ARTSkin as a promising off-the-shelf skin substitute candidate for severe burns pending clinical trials. 3

Maxillofacial trauma teleconsultation safely avoids transfers for about a quarter of patients

Over 30 months, 670 maxillofacial trauma patients from 13 spoke hospitals were triaged via a secure telemedicine platform to a tertiary hub. Overall, 26.0% of patients were managed locally, avoiding approximately 4,520 km and 75 hours of patient travel. Most cases received conservative outpatient care, while 13.7% required surgery under general anesthesia at the hub. Older age independently predicted both avoided transfer and loss to follow-up, identifying a group needing tighter tracking. No duplicate CT scans were needed, and CAD/CAM planning could start before transfer, streamlining operative workflows. 4