Implantable Device Allows Mastectomy Patients to Regrow Own Breasts
While mastectomies save many women from breast cancer, they often leave the subject feeling depressed, unattractive and ashamed. Some women opt for breast implants in an attempt to regain their lost positive body image, but an Australian doctor has now developed a device that allows women to regrow their lost breast using their own tissue. The device looks like the cup of a bra, and is implanted under the skin where the breast was removed. A bit of the woman's own fat is placed in the cup's chamber, and connected to the surrounding blood vessels. The fat then grows normally, filling in the space and regenerating the breast within six to eight months. Currently, patients require a second surgery to remove the cup, but the researchers have already started work on a biodegradable version that will simply dissolve once the breast has fully developed. So far, the device has only been...