New Type of Breast Implant May Use Protein Found in Hair

A new type of breast implant is being developed using keratin, the protein found in hair, which eventually may be successfully used in breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery.

Dr. Robert Allen Smith, a plastic surgeon in Jackson, Mississippi, has patented the implant that can be made from the hair or fur of animals including any mammal, finger or toenail material or animal hooves, or bird feet, feathers or beaks.

Thus far,the implants have only been tested in animals.

Smith came up with the idea when he was performing a face lift on a patient and found a lock of hair underneath the skin, left there after a previous face-lift surgery. The hair had not discolored and there was no evidence of infection or irritation whatsoever.

Smith was surprised that the hair was not treated like a foreign body by the body's immune system. He began studying hair and how to break it down, using the keratin molecule within it.

With the help of his colleagues at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Smith developed several keratin compounds, not only for making breast implants, but also for use in bone and wound healing and cosmetic creams.

The patents are licensed to Keraplast, a private company located in San Antonio, which is making the breast implants using keratin-derived hydrogel.

Other Sources: New York Times