The ever-changing role of biofilms in plastic surgery

The goal of this article is to present a brief background of biofilms and how they pertain to plastic surgery. Of particular interest are how biofilms affect breast prosthesis and their subsequent complications. The authors also present information on how biofilms are involved in soft-tissue filler complications. After a brief review of the pathophysiology of biofilms and their effect on plastic surgery, the authors propose a revised algorithm to assist in guiding the plastic surgeon when faced with complications that involve biofilms that involves more rapid diagnosis and treatment using polymerase chain reaction technology. This article is a review of recent literature.