Unpleasant Cosmetic Surgery Surprises

Taking unpleasant surprises out of cosmetic surgery - TAU researcher develops a 3D "before-and-after" tool for plastic surgeons.

Main Content

For some plastic surgery patients, expectations are unrealistically high. Based on their hopes on the before-and-after albums offered in surgeons' offices, they expect to achieve a perfect body or look just like a favorite celeb. But those albums show how someone else's liposuction, breast augmentation, or Beyonce bum enhancement turned out.

A Tel Aviv University researcher is developing software based on real clinical data to give patients a more accurate "and three-dimensional "before-and-after picture before the scalpel comes down. Tackling a complicated mathematical problem in computer modeling called predicting "deformations" of non-rigid objects, Dr. Alex Bronstein of Tel Aviv University's Department of Electrical Engineering and his partners have built a tool that can generate an anatomically accurate after-surgery image.

With the help of experienced plastic surgeons, the tool can work as an engine to retrieve geometric objects like Google retrieves web pages. It helps patients avoid unexpected results in the plastic surgeon's office and can also help a surgeon determine the most favorable outcome for the patient.

Virtual Mirror Trumps Photoshop

Current image-prediction software only generates two-dimensional images, and its processing power is limited to relatively simple image processing programs like Photoshop.

"Our program is more like a virtual mirror. It gives surgeons and their patients a way to see a 3D before-and-after image as though the patient has undergone the operation," says Dr. Bronstein, who works with his identical twin, Michael Bronstein and Prof. Ron Kimmel from the Technion, on the research.

The trio has authored several research papers on the topic, most recently in ACM Transactions on Graphics and SIAM.

The Bronsteins' twin-ship spurred them to do the original research on this topic after their academic and Ph.D. supervisor Ron Kimmel from the Technion in Israel challenged them to build a device that could tell identical twins apart. The Bronsteins met the challenge. The results of their basic research were featured on CNN and have led to their investigating a dozen or so applications.

For this application, the researchers applied data from past plastic surgery patients and considered several variables, such as the patients' ages and different tissue types.

Third Dimension

Following rigorous interviews with internationally respected plastic surgeons, Dr. Bronstein designed the program with the help of multiple pre-and post-surgery images fed into a computer to "teach" it to generate post-surgery images more accurately. Now under commercial development, the researchers say the software will show women and men a much more accurate outcome and help surgeons achieve more favorable results for their clientele.

A significant challenge was creating an algorithm that could generate a 3D image from a 2D picture. Today's photographic equipment can "see" and represent the human body from only one angle. Dr. Bronstein worked with his colleagues and integrated multiple 2D images into a single computer program, resulting in a 3D output.

Tools like theirs will become even more accessible, affordable, and powerful in the coming years as consumer 3D video cameras become more widespread, Dr. Bronstein predicts. He adds that people in weight-loss programs can use the same premise to predict their body image after they've shed excess pounds.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by American Friends of Tel Aviv University and published on 2011/02/01, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.