Let Johns Hopkins Take You to the Next Level of Body Mods

Why Have a Face Like This?:

When You Can Have a Face Like This?:

Keeping up with the Cardassians
Johns Hopkins bio-scientists have developed new biomaterials that will let you shape your face however you want. Here's more:

A new biomaterial may help surgeons rebuild the delicate soft structures of the human face, like the cheeks, after a disease or injury has caused disfigurement. The material, which is half synthetic and half biological, can be injected under the skin as a liquid, massaged into shape, and then permanently "locked" by exposure to light.

...It's a blend of hyaluronic acid—a biological material already used as a soft-tissue implant—and polyethylene glycol, a synthetic material. The blend is a liquid polymer that can be injected—thus avoiding the need for surgery. Once injected, the material can be sculpted into the necessary shape. When exposed to light of specific wavelengths, the messy tangle of polymer chains in the liquid implant rearrange into a stable, crosshatched form, stiffening the implant.... _TechnologyReview

Get the picture? Just mix the material, inject it under the skin, mould it into the shape you want, then shine a light on your work to hold its shape permanently -- or until you want to move on to something new.

The treatment was developed to help repair deformities from facial injuries and congenital conditions. But use your imagination for just a moment, and you will see that a lot more is possible.

This means big changes for patients suffering from facial disfiguration, a highly visible injury that can have social consequences. But that's just the most obvious use. If the material becomes a commercial product, we could see a wealth of potential customers among the extreme body-modification set. After all, the idea of reliably adding semi-permanent Klingon-like bumps to your face with a simple injection (a far less risky and expensive process, perhaps, than full-on plastic surgery) will definitely interest some people. _FastCompany

The Johns Hopkins approach will be used to alter the shape of the face. If you need to permanently change the texture or shade of your surface skin layer, you will need to take a different approach. But for under-the-skin shape changes -- should you wish to keep up with the Cardassians, for example -- the Johns Hopkins approach may be your ticket.

If you are thinking just a bit further out, you might imagine an injectible material made of intelligent gel material -- such as was discussed in yesterday's posting. Facial (or other) implants that can change their shape on the fly, while also acting as brain augments. Breasts, tummies, buttocks, or muscles that can grow larger or smaller, for example. Use your futuristic imagination. Or, if you prefer, you can have a face like the person pictured up top, today.