Daily Cosmetic Research Analysis
Three studies advance cosmetic and reconstructive practice: an AI model objectively quantifies smile attractiveness before and after orthognathic surgery using 3D facial contours; a visible–near-infrared image fusion method markedly enhances facial vessel visibility to improve filler injection safety; and a prospective cohort shows one-stage artificial dermis repair yields excellent cosmetic and functional outcomes at great toenail flap donor sites.
Summary
Three studies advance cosmetic and reconstructive practice: an AI model objectively quantifies smile attractiveness before and after orthognathic surgery using 3D facial contours; a visible–near-infrared image fusion method markedly enhances facial vessel visibility to improve filler injection safety; and a prospective cohort shows one-stage artificial dermis repair yields excellent cosmetic and functional outcomes at great toenail flap donor sites.
Research Themes
- AI-driven quantitative assessment of aesthetic outcomes
- Safety engineering for cosmetic filler injections
- Reconstructive techniques optimizing donor-site cosmesis
Selected Articles
1. Automated 3D facial smile attractiveness assessment before and after orthognathic surgery using transfer learning: A preliminary study.
Using 3D contour features and transfer learning, the authors built a web-based model that quantified smile attractiveness changes in 135 orthognathic surgery patients, showing a 25% postoperative improvement. The tool enables rapid, objective assessments for surgical planning and communication.
Impact: This is the first objective, automated 3D assessment of smile attractiveness pre/post orthognathic surgery, providing a reproducible endpoint for aesthetic outcomes.
Clinical Implications: Clinicians can incorporate AI-based quantitative attractiveness scores into shared decision-making, longitudinal outcome tracking, and multi-center benchmarking, while validating across demographics.
Key Findings
- Transfer learning CNN on 3D facial contour features quantified smile attractiveness.
- In 135 patients, postoperative scores increased from 2.62 to 3.27 (≈25% improvement).
- At least 6-month postoperative 3D images were analyzed using a web-based interface.
Methodological Strengths
- Objective 3D imaging (3dMD) with pre/post standardized acquisition.
- Use of machine learning with transfer learning to leverage limited datasets.
Limitations
- Retrospective, single-arm design without external validation or human-rater benchmarks.
- Generalizability to diverse ethnicities and imaging systems not established.
Future Directions: Prospective, multi-center validation with human aesthetic panels; calibration across devices/ethnicities; integration into surgical planning systems and patient-reported outcome measures.
2. A novel image fusion approach for visual enhancement of facial vessels in surgical filler injections.
The authors introduce a physical-based fusion of visible and NIR facial images with customized NIR sharpening, producing vessel-highlighted maps that preserve natural color and texture. Quantitative and subjective evaluations showed superior vessel visibility, suggesting potential to improve filler injection safety and precision.
Impact: By enhancing real-time vessel visualization, this method targets the main preventable cause of catastrophic filler complications and could standardize pre-injection mapping.
Clinical Implications: Integration into pre-procedural mapping could reduce inadvertent intravascular injections and guide safer needle/cannula paths; clinical trials are needed to prove complication reduction.
Key Findings
- Simultaneous visible and NIR images are fused after customized sharpening of the NIR channel.
- Quantitative and subjective assessments show clearer vessel depiction with preserved facial color/texture.
- Approach supports accurate vessel localization/marking to enhance filler injection safety.
Methodological Strengths
- Physical-based image fusion with device-synchronized acquisition of visible and NIR spectra.
- Dual evaluation (quantitative metrics and human subjective assessment).
Limitations
- No clinical outcome data on complication rates or procedural efficiency.
- Performance across diverse skin tones, lighting conditions, and devices not detailed.
Future Directions: Prospective clinical studies measuring intravascular event rates; robustness testing across skin types; integration with ultrasound and AR overlays.
3. One-stage prosthetic dermal repair of skin defects in the donor area of the great toe nails flap.
In a prospective cohort of 56 great toenail flap reconstructions, one-stage Pelnac artificial dermis repair of the donor site yielded low pain, minimal complications (1 infection), high aesthetic satisfaction (87/100), and preserved joint motion and sensation over a mean 13.4 months.
Impact: Demonstrates a practical, single-stage strategy that reduces donor-site morbidity while achieving favorable cosmetic and functional outcomes, informing reconstructive planning.
Clinical Implications: Consider one-stage artificial dermis closure of great toenail flap donor sites to minimize morbidity and improve cosmesis, potentially avoiding staged grafting and expediting rehabilitation.
Key Findings
- Prospective follow-up of 56 cases with mean 13.4 months (range 3–30).
- Pain VAS 0.23±0.6, Vancouver scar scale 2.82±1.06; only 1 postoperative infection.
- High aesthetic satisfaction (87.10±5.48/100) and 78.6% normal/near-normal sensory recovery.
- Preserved donor-site joint motion: MTP 66.51±7.38°, DIP 43.21±4.62°.
Methodological Strengths
- Prospective design with systematic outcome assessment.
- Use of validated scales (VAS for pain, Vancouver scar scale) and objective ROM measures.
Limitations
- Single-arm study without control or randomization; potential selection bias.
- Single-center experience limits generalizability.
Future Directions: Comparative trials versus traditional staged grafting; cost-effectiveness and time-to-rehabilitation analyses; long-term durability of cosmetic outcomes.