Spray-On Skin

[Zuul]

Over the course of a weekend, second-degree burns covering a significant portion of a person's body can be healed after a spray-gun is used to cover the burned portions with a thin layer of stem cells made from the patient's own body.

It isn't science fiction or something that will be developed in the next few years. It's real and it's being done right now. The method of removing healthy cells, creating a serum, and then spraying it onto the patient takes about an hour and a half. With the patient covered in the clip below, he had the procedure done on Friday and was healed by the time he went in for his Monday checkup.

Warning: Clip contains graphic medical images.



Very cool. We're living in exciting times.

Via National Geographic's Explorer.

[What Exit?]

This is pretty cool. I wonder how far back this goes in Sci-Fi. I think to the 50s. But maybe earlier with some Space Opera like the Lensmen series.

[RabbitMage]

That is friggin' amazing.

[CatInASuit]

That is an excellent idea. One of the biggest problem for burns victims has been regrowing skin for them.

Stem cells are amazing things anyway and this is a really good application of their abilities.

[Peeta Mellark]

I remember reading about this a few years ago and thinking that it sounded cool, but like so many other sci-fi sort of technologies it probably wouldn't happen on the timeframe they were projecting and we wouldn't hear about it again. I'm very pleased to have been wrong.

This is going to be absolutely incredible for helping people. What a wonderful innovation.

[Nrblex]

Countdown to this being used for cosmetic purposes in five...four...

[Glazer]

Countdown to this being used for cosmetic purposes in five...four...

Like removing disfiguring scar tissue and growing new skin. That would be cool.

[Nrblex]

Like removing disfiguring scar tissue and growing new skin. That would be cool.

Yeah that's what I thought of right off the bat. It's amazing that it can heal fresh wounds like that, but it seems like it could be good for reconstructive surgery, fixing facial scarring, and stuff like that too. The guy in the video doesn't look scarred at all, so why not?

[CatInASuit]

It would make good sense for a lot of heavy scar tissue, if you could remove it and replace with the spray-on skin.

Although I can now see it being in demand for celebrity C-sections, who want to ensure their perfect figure is not tarnished. Then again, if it could do that, would it be such a bad thing?

[Zuul]

If it was used for that purpose, it could end up being a great thing medically. A lot of procedures are done the way they are not because it's medically best, but because it minimizes the appearance of scars. I remember terrifel explaining about monkeys being used as test subjects for a type of surgery that would go through the vaginal wall instead of the abdomen, so that there wouldn't be visible scars. Far better to go the direct route and then spray on fresh skin to avoid scars if it's possible, I'd think.