Nanotechnology in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Emerging Innovations in Wound Healing, Aesthetic Applications, and Skin Regeneration.

Authors

Cai Ling Yong, Alexander Shao-Rong Pang, Dinesh Kumar Srinivasan

Published in

ACS applied bio materials. Jul 03, 2026. Epub Jul 03, 2026.

Abstract

Plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) aims to restore form and function, thereby improving patients' quality of life. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising field, offering innovative solutions in tissue engineering, wound healing, implant design, and aesthetic applications. This scoping review evaluates recent advancements, clinical applications, and limitations of nanotechnology-based approaches in plastic surgery. A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed using combinations of keywords including "nanotechnology", "nanoparticles", "plastic surgery", "reconstructive surgery", "wound healing", "tissue engineering", and "aesthetic medicine", combined using Boolean operators (AND/OR). Example search string: ("nanotechnology" OR "nanoparticles" OR "nanomedicine") AND ("plastic surgery" OR "reconstructive surgery" OR "wound healing" OR "tissue engineering" OR "aesthetic medicine"). Inclusion criteria included English-language articles published within the past five years focusing on nanotechnology applications in PRS. Reviews, preclinical studies, and clinical studies were included. Editorials, conference abstracts, and studies not directly relevant were excluded. Key data were extracted, including nanomaterial types, methods of application, and reported therapeutic outcomes, and findings were synthesized through thematic analysis. This review identified diverse nanotechnology applications, including nanoskin development, nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery, nanoscaffolds for tissue regeneration, and improved biomaterials for reconstructive procedures such as breast reconstruction. Notable innovations included enhanced wound healing outcomes using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-based approaches, burn treatment using tilapia skin xenografts, and chitosan-based nanoparticles demonstrating antimicrobial activity and drug delivery potential. Despite promising preclinical and early clinical results, widespread clinical translation remains limited. Key barriers include insufficient long-term safety and toxicity data, challenges in large-scale production, and regulatory constraints. Nanotechnology in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Created in BioRender. Yong, C.L. (2026) https://BioRender.com/l1pmh1n.

PMID:
42397962
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Jul 2026.

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