Injectable Biomaterials in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: A Review of the Current Status

Schematic illustration of injectable biomaterials. A The injectable biomaterials must have sufficiently low viscosity to be mixed with cells and growth factors to form a solution for in vitro or in vivo injection into the damaged tissues before gelation. B The injectable biomaterials must form hydrogels in situ to efficiently encapsulate cells and growth factors upon in vitro physical stimuli or chemical reactions. C The injectable biomaterials must have a controllable degradation to make space for cell growth and differentiation and the newly formed tissues