Arlington Heights, Ill. – A “body sculpting” technique using high-intensity focused ultrasound to eliminate unwanted abdominal fat effectively reduces waist circumference, with only minor pain and side effects, reports a study in the July issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Body sculpting is defined as “the optimization of the smoothness, definition, or silhouette of the human physique, particularly the torso.” The most common medical procedure for body sculpting is liposuction, which can remove relatively large volumes of fat. High-intensity ultrasound provides a nonsurgical alternative to liposuction for removing unwanted fat in nonobese patients, according to the study led by ASPS Member Mark L. Jewell, MD of Oregon Health Science University, Eugene.
Before and After Liposuction in Argentina
Body Sculpting Technique Eliminates Fat with Few Side Effects
The researchers evaluated the outcomes of high-intensity focused ultrasound for body sculpting of the abdomen and flanks in 180 patients. All patients sought treatment to eliminate excess abdominal fat; only patients who were not obese (body mass index less than 30) were eligible for the study. The average age was 42 years, and 85 percent of the patients were women.
Alexandria, VA – New survey results released by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) showed three-fourths of the procedures performed by the Academy’s surgeons in 2010 were non-surgical procedures, highlighting a trend that more people are choosing non-surgical procedures to delay more invasive surgical procedures. The survey results also showed that the number of procedures performed annually has risen 45 percent over the last two years, with a 16 percent increase in non-surgical procedures.
A majority of surgical procedures, including facelift, revision surgery, rhinoplasty, forehead lift, chin augmentation, lip augmentation, and scar revision, increased in cost from 2009, which may be one reason why people opted for less invasive surgeries. In addition, surgeons reported performing fewer lip augmentations, hair transplants and collagen/cosmoderm/cosmoplast procedures in 2010.
“Non-surgical cosmetic procedures are an excellent option for some people, with the added benefits of lower costs and shorter recovery time; two things that are consistently important to those considering facial plastic surgery,” said Jonathan M. Sykes, M.D., President of the AAFPRS. “We have been seeing a trend over the past few years that people who want to look and feel younger and rejuvenated are turning to non-surgical, less invasive procedures to obtain the refreshed look they want.”
The most common non-surgical procedures last year were Botox and hyaluronic acid injections. Surgery is still popular, with the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in 2010 being rhinoplasty, facelift, and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery).
Plastic Surgery Team Perform First Full Face Transplant in USA
A Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) plastic surgery team, led by Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, performed the first full face transplant in USA last week, the second face transplant procedure to be performed at BWH.
The team of more than 30 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists and residents worked for more than 15 hours to replace the facial area of patient Dallas Wiens, including the nose, lips, facial skin, muscles of facial animation and the nerves that power them and provide sensation.
- Bohdan Pomahac, MD, of BWH Plastic Surgery
“Today’s tremendous news marks a new milestone in Brigham and Women’s legacy in transplant surgery. The pioneering achievement accomplished by the entire transplant team is a gift made possible by the most selfless act one human being can do for another, organ donation,” said Betsy Nabel, MD, president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“This remarkable, anonymous gift is another example of the life-affirming power of organ and tissue donation,” said Richard S. Luskin, president and CEO of New England Organ Bank. “As always we are immensely grateful to the donor and the donor family for their generosity.”
Below you will find the press conference highlights:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Botox injection (onabotulinumtoxinA) to prevent headaches in adult patients with chronic migraine. Chronic migraine is defined as having a history of migraine and experiencing a headache on most days of the month.
“Chronic migraine is one of the most disabling forms of headache,” said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Patients with chronic migraine experience a headache more than 14 days of the month. This condition can greatly affect family, work, and social life, so it is important to have a variety of effective treatment options available.”
Migraine headaches are described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. The headaches are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Migraine usually begins with intermittent headache attacks 14 days or fewer each month (episodic migraine), but some patients go on to develop the more disabling chronic migraine.
Top 5 Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Procedures in 2009
According to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), nearly 5.2 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed last year. Reconstructive plastic surgery, which improves function and appearance to abnormal structures, increased 5 percent in 2009. The top five reconstructive procedures in 2009 were:
* Tumor removal (3.9 million)
* Laceration repair (332,000)
* Scar revision (171,000)
* Hand surgery (110,000)
* Maxillofacial surgery (90,000)
“Reconstructive plastic surgery is an important part of what we do,” said Dr. McGuire. “We know that 70 percent of women eligible for breast reconstruction after cancer are not aware of their reconstructive options. We would like to see this change to the point that we can report this procedure is now among the top five reconstructive procedures.”
Top 5 Cosmetic Plastic Minimally Invasive Procedures in 2009
Cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures increased 1 percent, to nearly 11 million procedures in 2009 according to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Minimally-invasive procedures are up 99 percent since 2000. The top five minimally-invasive procedures in 2009 were:
* Botulinum toxin type A (4.8 million)
* Soft tissue fillers (1.7 million)
* Chemical peel (1.1 million)
* Microdermabrasion (910,000)
* Laser hair removal (893,000)
“Skin is in,” said Dr. McGuire. “Chemical peels and soft tissue fillers like hyaluronic acid are up 9 percent, microdermabrasion is up 8 percent – these are the procedures that patients are opting for despite the economy.”
“It would seem, as innovations in cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures increase, surgery will continue to decrease,” added Dr. McGuire. “However, as the economy rebounds, more patients and Boomers will continue to seek surgical body contouring procedures (liposuction, tummy tuck), eyelid surgery and breast augmentations. In fact, breast augmentations are up 36 percent since 2000. Silicone implants are now used in 50 percent of all breast augmentations.”
Although it’s been a sluggish year for plastic surgery due to the economy the long-term outlook is more encouraging. According to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 12.5 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2009.
Cosmetic surgical procedures decreased 9 percent, with more than 1.5 million procedures in 2009. Surgical procedures are down 20 percent since 2000. The top five surgical procedures in 2009 were:
FDA Approves First Sclerosant to Treat Small Varicose Veins in 60 Years
Washington – Merz Aesthetics makes its debut at the prestigious American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) annual meeting with the announcement of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of Asclera™ (polidocanol) Injection, a sclerotherapy treatment for uncompplicated spider and reticular veins.
“Spider and reticular veins are a common, often embarrassing condition that can be treated safely and effectively,” said Robert A. Weiss, M.D., director of the Maryland Laser, Skin, and Vein Institute and Associate Professor of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. “Asclera™ is a minimally-invasive option for patients who are unhappy with the appearance of their legs.”
The FDA approved Asclera™ (polidocanol) Injection on March 30, 2010 to sclerose uncomplicated spider veins (varicose veins less than or equal to 1 mm in diameter) and uncomplicated reticular veins (varicose veins 1 to 3 mm in diameter) in the lower extremity, making it the first sclerosant to be approved in over 60 years. Once injected, Asclera™ acts by damaging the cell lining of blood vessels, causing them to close and eventually be replaced by other types of tissue. Asclera™ is safe and effective when used as directed. Commonly observed local adverse events included injection site hematoma, irritation, and discoloration. Asclera™ has not been studied in varicose veins more than 3 mm in diameter.
“We are very excited about the approval of this treatment, expanding our aesthetics portfolio with products that really matter to patients,” said Dennis Condon, President of BioForm Medical, Inc., a Merz Aesthetics company. “Merz Aesthetics is committed to bringing forward true innovation to solve real problems that impact the lives of aesthetics users, and this takes us in the right direction.”
During the meeting, the company will also unveil the first phase of a unique national consumer survey of women’s experiences and perceptions of minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures. The results shed some light on the underlying motivations behind these women’s cosmetic procedure choices.
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