Does this really surprise anybody? GORE-TEX, the Swiss Army Knife-type of waterproof/breathable material that has applications across multiple industries, is also used in surgery as an implant material, patch, or membrane, such as is used in aesthetic surgery and heart surgery.
GORE-TEX appears to be safe alternative for rhinoplasty (hat tip to T.L. Yeates):
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For patients who undergo plastic surgery on the nose (rhinoplasty), GORE-TEX implants are a safe and inexpensive alternative to using tissue grafts taken from another part of the patient's body, according to the results of a 17-year review of more than 500 patients.
For initial and subsequent rhinoplasty procedures in patients with enough internal nasal tissue and external soft tissue coverage, "GORE-TEX should be strongly considered for major and minor corrections of the nasal wall and bridge in properly selected patients," Dr. Krzysztof Conrad and colleagues, from the University of Toronto, advise.
The review, which was conducted at a teaching hospital, community hospital, and private facial cosmetic surgery center, involved 521 patients who were followed for up to 17 years. A total of 685 GORE-TEX implants were placed, all by one surgeon.
The new findings appear in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
Gore-tex implants are made of plastic, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), which is placed below the skin to fill in defects and fine lines. It does not appear to be rejected in over 4 million cases.
