Feb 11, 2016 | By Alec
Getting cosmetic surgery requires a huge leap of faith. Even if you’re fixing a deformity, rather than your large nose, you need to really trust your surgeon and hope for good results. What if the results are worse than what you started with? And this isn’t just a nightmare scenario, as up to a third of patients are unhappy with the results. Fortunately, a new 3D printing innovation adopted by the Montefiore Medical Center, a New York-based private hospital, will greatly improve your confidence before going into surgery. They have adopted the special Mirror Me 3D printer, which creates high quality cosmetic models of your face – at least, of what it will look like when the surgeon is done.
If you’re not from New England or the US, you probably never heard of the Montefiore Medical Center. Attached to the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, it’s one of the top ranked hospitals in the US and are known for innovative, next-gen solutions for medical problems. Mirror Me 3D might be a bit more familiar to 3D printing hobbyists, as this is a relatively young 3D printing service founded by New York plastic surgeon Carrie Stern. As we reported last summer, Mirror Me 3D specializes in building 3D printed models of every part of the body for cosmetic surgery patients, giving them a better understanding of what’s coming.
That high quality 3D printer has now been taken into operation at the Montefiore Medical Center, and Dr. Oren Tepper told reporters from CBS2 that it was already making all the difference. “Particularly with the face, where there is so much anxiety and stress around changes,” Dr. Oren Tepper explained, adding that there are a lot of unrealistic expectations.
So how does it work? Using quality photographs, 3D models are generated in CAD software and adjusted to show the expected results. This is subsequently 3D printed in the plastic-like gypsum material. “It helps both the patient and the doctor,” Dr. Tepper explained. This will enable patients to make more conscious decisions during the pre-op consultation. However, there’s a second function too: the CAD model can be projected onto the patient’s body during surgery (using different colors) to optimize surgical precision. “So you can see a topographical map of what we want to achieve,” he said.
So far, patients have responded enthusiastically to the idea. “If I didn’t have this 3D print, I would not have underwent surgery,” patient Emily Gorge told reporters. “I could hold the print up to my face and have such a more realistic idea of what I would look like.” The 9-year-old Jonathan Bridgnanan, who lost an eye to cancer, also benefited from this 3D printing approach. ““I looked in the mirror and I saw how I get my eye back,” Jonathan told reporters. The technique was successfully used to restore damage to the boy’s face.
The only downside is that this option will cost patients extra. According to Stern, the 3D printed models take an average of two weeks to process, fabricate and send back and can cost anywhere from $60-$300 depending on the size and complexity. However, it does add the most realistic dimension to surgeries yet, and you always end up with a cool mantelpiece too.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
- T-Bone Cape motion control board launches on Indiegogo
- New extruder could lower costs of 3D printing cellular structures for drug testing
- New Ninja Printer Plate for consumer 3D printing
- mUVe3D releases improved Marlin firmware for all 3D printers
- Zecotek plans HD 3D display for 3D printers
- Add a smart LCD controller to your Robo3D printer
- Maker Kase: a handy cabinet for 3D printers
- Heated bed for ABS printing with the Printrbot Simple XL
- Next gen all metal 3D printer extruder from Micron
- Pico all-metal hotend 100% funded in 48 hours, B3 announces Stretch Goal
- Create it REAL announces first 3D printing Real Time Processor
- A larger and more powerful 3D printer extruder on Kickstarter
Peoria Cosmetic Surgery is a good choose if you want cosmetic surgery. Why choose us? We love our job and we do it well. The quality of our work is very good. You will feel good here, because we care about our patients and your safety always comes first. More information you can see in our website: http://peoriacosmeticsurgery.com
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
