Finally, after months of indecision, consultations and research, you’ve bitten the bullet and gotten a facelift. The plastic surgeon reports everything went perfectly and you are cleared to head home to your fully stocked refrigerator and in-home entertainment system. You anticipate clear sailing until you and your loved ones see your face that has multiple liquid-filled plastic tubes emerging from it, like wires from a cable box. You flinch when someone says, “Honey, you look terrific.”

According to Forbes.com, November 18th, 2011, “Drainage tubes have long been one of medicine’s necessary evils.” After surgery, there is an open wound. Layers of tissue need to be securely reattached to each other before the wound is stapled or sewn. Without this, fluid will accumulate in the wound space. A surgical drain, a tube used to remove pus, blood or other fluids from a wound, may be necessary to drain body fluid so it does not accumulate and promote infection.

A new technology that eliminates unsightly surgical drains became available in Europe two months ago. TissuGlu Surgical Adhesive purports to hold the layers of tissue in place and prevent fluid accumulation, reducing the need for drainage. It is a biocompatible material, which means it can be broken down and assimilated back in the body. This is not the first tissue glue that’s been on the market, but it is said to be five times stronger than any commercially available product used in soft-tissue surgical procedures.

According to the chairman of plastic surgery at a Wesseling, Germany hospital, in using this product, “fluid accumulation was dramatically reduced. The faster an adhesive can seal the wound, so that tissues can’t be pulled apart is what controls fluid accumulation.” TissuGlu is delivered three drops at a time onto the open wound through a handheld applicator that automatically releases it.

If what promoters say is true, TissuGlu certainly beats rubber drainage tubes, which may become infected, clogged or leak. However, TissuGlu Surgical Adhesive is not yet approved for use in the U.S. or any other country outside of the EU. First clinical trials here will be in 2012. If you’re planning to undergo plastic surgery, ask your board-certified plastic surgeon about his use of drains or adhesive materials.