Facial prosthetics become more realistic, durable

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Elise Lutz receives a new kind of prosthetic ear that is implanted into the body.

Facial prosthetics, made to counter damage from cancer, trauma and birth defects, haven't gained the attention of artificial legs and arms. Instead of using messy glues like in the past, these prosthetic pieces are implanted into the patient's body.

Elise Lutz suffered a severe burn as a toddler in China, which left her with a severely deformed ear. Earlier attempts at ear reconstruction failed, but now Lutz is taking advantage of little known field called anaplastology, where medical artists make Hollywood-like special effects come alive to fix disfigurements that standard plastic surgery cannot.

A prosthetic ear made for Elise Lutz at the Anaplastology Clinic in Durham, N.C., is ready for use. It is made of silicone but is so lifelike that it even glows a bit in the sun like real skin.

The implant-retained ear cost about $8,000 to $10,000, nearly double an adhesive-retained prosthesis, plus surgery. But where a glue-on ear prosthetic might last about three years, the implant-retained one should last twice as long.

Doctors first made a precise mold of where a new ear implant would need to fit. With the residual ear tissue carefully removed, Duke otolaryngologist Dr. David Kaylie then drilled tiny titanium posts into Elise's skull. They barely emerge from the skin.

Over the next few months, bone cells called osteoblasts fuse with the titanium to anchor the rods.

Anaplastologist Jay McClennen holds Elise Lutz's new prosthetic ear near her good ear prior to attaching it at the Anaplastology Clinic in Durham, N.C.

Anaplastologist Jay McClennen attaches Elise Lutz's new prosthetic ear at the Anaplastology Clinic in Durham, N.C.

While experts stress that these implants are the best that science today can offer, they are not perfect. However, Elise Lutz is thrilled with her new ear implant, proclaiming, "This one looks fantastic."

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Facial prosthetics, made to counter damage from cancer, trauma and birth defects, haven't gained the attention of artificial legs and arms. Instead of using messy glues like in the past, these prosthetic pieces are implanted into the patient's body.

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