Safety First with Wrinkle Fillers

Loomis Plastic Surgery — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:05:01 +0000

The use of wrinkle fillers has increased significantly over the past few years, with a number of new fillers being approved by the FDA. There is often a great deal of confusion among patients who are looking for a non-surgical treatment of facial aging. “Do I need Botox®? Dysport®? Radiesse®? Juvederm®? Sculptra®? Restylane®?” It can be hard as a consumer to keep them straight much less understand the limitations and risks. What’s more, the flood of advertising from the companies that manufacture the products and the individuals who are offering the injections tends to increase the confusion. In this world of competitive medical marketing it is a breath of fresh air to see a coalition of physicians dedicated to patient safety providing reliable, non-biased information about these products and procedures. That’s what PCIS is, The physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety. Their webpage discussing wrinkle fillers is at http://www.injectablesafety.org/
The project was a joint effort of national and international societies of Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, Otolaryngologists and Ophthalmologists.
They stress the importance of choosing a qualified, experienced physician and what questions to ask them during your consultation. Also, it is important that your physician use the real product that has been approved by the FDA. (Not long ago there was a news story about a physician and several of his staff winding up in the ICU after injecting themselves with a cheap, no-name botulinum toxin.)
The site goes on to provide a nice review of what the injectables do. There are wrinkle reducers (Botox® and Dysport®) which act by relaxing the muscles that cause wrinkles, particularly the frown line between the eyes, forehead lines, and crows’ feet lines. And the wrinkle fillers, hyaluronic acid (Restylane®, Juvederm®, Prevelle®) calcium hydroxyapetite (Radiesse®) and poly-L-lactic acid (Sculptra®), which are used to fill in hollows, lines or grooves in the face that come with aging.

Fillers have been a nice adjunct treatment for facial rejuvenation, sometimes used in conjunction with facelift surgery and other times instead of when it is too early for the face or neck lift. But just because something is non-surgical doesn’t mean it’s simple or without risks. As with all of the procedures we do to improve a person’s appearance, the first concern should always be safety.

Filed under: Fillers and Injectables

“Do you do Super-Lipo?”

Loomis Plastic Surgery — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:30:40 +0000

“Do you do super-lipo?” Questions like this one are not uncommon when my office staff answer calls about Liposuction. Whatever the latest innovation in liposuction surgery is that hits the media becomes the essential buzz word. Personally, I love innovation and am always looking for a way to improve my patients’ results. I also appreciate the advances that lead to new equipment, and currently make us of a number of newly developed items. But choosing a plastic surgeon based on the machine he or she uses doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Liposuction machines, like scalpels, lasers and sutures are tools a surgeon uses, or brushes if you will, in the hands of an artist. We surgeons tend to find the types we like the best, that is, the ones which help us get the best results for our patients. I think a more appropriate question for a potential patient to ask would be, “May I see some photographs of your previous liposuction patients?”

That being said, this is an exciting time for liposuction. Innovations in the design of liposuction equipment has helped us, but even more so, innovations in technique and more versatile applications of the procedure. We still have and will always have the limitations; liposuction is not a method of weight loss. But in the right patient with realistic expectations it can be a great way to improve areas that won’t go away no matter how many crunches you do or how long you’re on the elliptical. We are also able to combine liposuction safely with other body contouring procedures such as abdominoplasties and lower body lifts. In addition, we can perform fat-grafting to other areas such as the buttocks or dimples from cellulite using the fat that we would otherwise have thrown away.

What about claims of faster recovery, less pain, better results…? Everyone heals differently, and there are no guarantees in medicine, so I would be wary of any claims that seem to be “over the top.” From what our patients tell us, there is not a lot of pain after liposuction, especially compared to other surgical procedures. They get back to work quickly, and good results can be obtained with any number of techniques and tools. We have video patient testimonials on our site from patients who volunteered to share their experience, because it’s always nicer to hear it from someone who has had it done.

So if you’re thinking about liposuction, remember there’s a lot of good innovation out there, but in the end, it’s the surgeon, not the tool that will be doing your surgery. If you like a surgeon’s work and get along well with them, I’d say you’re better off letting them choose the tools that they feel have the best chance of giving you the result you looking for.

Filed under: Liposuction

All About Plastic Surgery

Safety First with Wrinkle Fillers

“Do you do Super-Lipo?”