UNDATED (CBS)--It's an innovative tissue implant that uses donated human skin for women undergoing reconstruction after a mastectomy.
Texas doctors are using a product called "Alloderm" to shape new breasts and keeps them in place. It acts like a sling, of sorts. It's made out of the dermis of donated sking from a cadaver.
It takes a piece of the second layer of skin and processes it in a way so there are no cells in it. The body recognizes it, so there's not rejection factor.
Dr. Howard Wang, with U.T. Medicine plastic surgeon says, "The Alloderm does provide better coverage for the implant. But really also it allows me to define the shape of the implant and where the implant's going to stay."
The texture feels kind of like leather. And it stretches. Breast cancer patient Angela Quintanilla says it was reassuring that part of her reconstructive surgery used a natural product. She says, "I didn't like the idea of having something foreign in my body. So it was appealing that there were parts that were more natural, if you will. That I was going to be very green (laughs)."
Alloderm's original use was actually for burn patients.