Application of genomic and personalized medicine in plastic surgery: Systematic overview of current clinical relevance and ethical considerations

Genomic and personalized medicine is an innovative approach that integrates surgery, such as plastic surgery, in individuals to achieve the best clinical outcomes in plastic surgery reconstruction or aesthetic surgeries. With the help of genomic technologies, including next-generation sequencing and individual nucleotide analysis, also known as single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), plastic surgeons can match an intervention to a particular genetic profile, thereby optimizing wound healing, reducing complications, and enhancing aesthetics. This paper presents a systematic review of the existing clinical knowledge in genomic medicine as it applies to plastic surgery, specifically in the optimization of wound healing, tissue engineering, craniomaxillofacial reconstruction, and pharmacogenomics of anesthesia. It assesses the clinical utility of such improvements. It utilizes studies that have been carried out more recently. Even though at the same time the problem is recognized for further development, including the cost, universality, and necessity to reveal and mentally accept universally acknowledged principles. Significant ethical considerations, including informed consent, privacy of the dataset, equitable access to genetic materials, and the psychological implications of genetic information, are examined critically. This article also discusses opportunities involving CRISPR correlation and artificial intelligence-based predictive models to further customize surgical care. Genomic medicine has the potential to revolutionize plastic surgery. Still, it comes with a price: navigating the dangers of the innovation gap, its malleability, and the ethical implications of its application.