A Brief Comparative History Analysis: Plastic Surgery and Gene Editing

With the advent of gene-editing tools, changes to sequences encoding genes or regulatory elements can be made with relative ease compared to prior technologies. The development and anticipated commercialization of new applications using gene-editing technologies may span the gamut from therapeutic interventions to agricultural applications to cosmetic or enhancement procedures. Although objections have been raised about the purpose and on whom gene editing should be performed, limiting its uses in the absence of demonstrated harm may be difficult and unwise at this time, even at this early stage of development. The fledgling field may benefit from a review of the history of plastic and cosmetic surgery that underwent a similarly rocky start and continues to evolve to this day. From this brief comparative historical analysis, we may gain some insight about the path forward regarding the use of gene-editing tools for cosmetic purposes