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Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2011Faces of Jerusalem
FDA Approves Silicon Implants
FDA Approves new Wrinkle Treatment
Beware of Aesthetic Injections by Unlicensed Practitioners
Eliminating Frown Lines Boosts Confidence
Filler Injection Reduces Depression
Plans are underway to make Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2011 the most successful meeting that Dr. Waldman has produced during his 30 year tenure. As President and Founder of the Multi-Specialty Foundation (a not-for-profit 501c3), Dr. Waldman is in his 7th year chairing the annual Vegas Cosmetic Surgery Symposium that will be held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 22nd - 26th, 2011.
This symposium is the only educational venue that provides truly multi-disciplinary cross talk, sharing, and cooperation by featuring the best and the brightest in the fields of dermatology, facial plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery, plastic surgery, practice management, & business development. The meetings educational offerings span the gamut of specific technique discussion and procedural complications to emerging technology in the aesthetic surgery field. In addition to an extensive clinical agenda Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2011 will also cover 40 hours on the business of running and growing a successful aesthetic practice. Dr. Waldman spends countless hours inviting an all star faculty, preparing an academically intense scientific program, and managing the logistics of this 1,000+ attendee event.
For more information please visit our website at http://www.vegascosmeticsurgery2011.com
Last October Dr. Waldman traveled to Jerusalem to host a unique meeting between the Multi-Specialty Foundation for Aesthetic Surgical Excellence (F.A.S.E.) and the Israeli Society of Plastic Surgery (ISPS). As the President and Founder of the Multi-Specialty Foundation (a not-for-profit 501c3), Dr. Waldman has worked tirelessly to bring these two groups of surgeons together.
Physicians traveled to Jerusalem from all over the world including north America, Europe and the Middle East. For many, this meeting was the must-attend conference for 2010. The cooperative learning environment fostered a spirit of education and good will between the various countries and aesthetic surgery specialties. Over 150 attendees learned from each other during the meetings morning educational sessions and then the attendees and their families spent the afternoons together on guided group tours of the Holy Land. A wonderful time was had by all of the physicians and their families.
The FDA Approves Silicone Implants
The Food and Drug Administration approved the silicone-gel implants made by Inamed Corp., now part of Allergan Inc., and Mentor Corp. The Action opens the implants to much wider use by women seeking to reconstruct or augment their breasts. Since 1992, the silicone implants had been available only as part of research studies.
MemoryGel™ Silicone Breast Implants
These MemoryGel™ implants you've been hearing about have actually been trusted and in use for almost 20 years. In fact, a million women all over the world have them. MemoryGel™ implants feel more like natural breast tissue. After almost two decades of research with surgeons and patient. MemoryGel™ breast implants, exclusively from Mentor, are now available in the U.S. MemoryGel™ breast implants are filled with Mentor's proprietary silicone gel that holds together uniformly while retaining the natural give that resembles breast tissue. A variety of profiles (which refers to the amount of forward projection off the chest wall, in relation to the base width of the implant), allows Dr. Schantz to achieve a better match between desired breast projection and your individual body frame.
What is a MemoryGel™ Implant?
MemoryGel™ implants feature a unique cohesive silicone, not a liquid or semi-liquid. It holds together uniformly while retaining the natural give that resembles breast tissue.
Where are the incisions located?
There are three common incision sites: under the arm (axillary), around the nipple (periareolar), or within the breast fold (inframammary). The incision size with MemoryGel™ implants will be larger than for saline implants. Dr. Schantz will discuss the pros and cons of each of these options for you.
The breast implant can be placed either partially under the pectoralis major muscle (submuscular ) or on top of the muscle and under the breast glands (subglandular).
Are there different types of MemoryGel™ implants I can get?
MemoryGel™ silicone implants feature a wide range of styles that are designed to meet a womans individual needs and wants. Dr. Schantz will discuss in greater detail the implant that is right for you.
What can I expect after the surgery?
Patients will probably feel sore for several days following the operation, and your breasts may remain swollen and sensitive to physical contact for a month or longer. You may also experience a feeling of tightness in the breast area as your skin adjusts to your new breast size. The feeling in the breasts and the nipple area also may be diminished during this time of swelling and immediate post surgery recovery.
To learn more about MemoryGel™ implants and Mentor visit http://www.mentor4me.com
FDA Approves new Wrinkle Treatment
Radiesse is not actually new, having been used since 2002 in facial reconstructive surgeries, but the FDA has now approved it for a couple of new treatments. One is for HIV/AIDS patients who have suffered severe fat loss in their faces as a result of the disease, and the other - more for the mainstream population - is that now it can be used cosmetically to improve the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines. Supposedly Radiesse is longer-lasting than current wrinkle fillers, and has additional properties that stimulate the face to produce more collagen - which in turn gives the face improved structure and fullness.
Beware of injections by Unlicensed Practitioners
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reports that consumers are still unaware of the risks associated with aesthetic procedures performed by unlicensed practitioners. Recent reports from Illinois, California, and Georgia document patients who have suffered from pain and disfigurement - and in one case, death - when a woman was injected with cooking oil.
According to the ASAPS, unsuspecting patients have been injected with silicone, baby oil, and other substances that have no safety or efficacy record. Communities where patients have limited resources or do not speak English as a first language are especially susceptible to false advertising and promotion of potentially dangerous procedures.
"We hear very sad and frustrating stories of patients being taken advantage of by phony doctors and illegal procedures," says James M. Stuzin, MD, ASAPS President. "Patients are being scammed and exposed to great harm. We need to let them know that they should do their homework - find out more information about the procedure, location, and practitioner before going for any kind of cosmetic enhancements."
Eliminating Frown Lines Boosts Confidence
More and more business professionals are turning to aesthetic procedures that have no downtime to get an edge over their competition by looking younger and gaining confidence. According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, since 1997, the number of aesthetic procedures performed in the US has increased by 222%, and one in four of these procedures is requested by men.
"Americans put a lot of value on appearance," says Deborah Sherman, MD, an ophthalmic plastic surgeon and clinical professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "Our Face becomes our calling card in competitive interviews."
Sherman says that the reason people might be perceived as overly tired or angry is due to the lines that form on the forehead between the eyebrows that are caused by the dominant frown muscles on the face.
Sherman says that plastic surgeons should give to their patients the following tips to stay alert and healthy and have a good "face day" every day:
- Never rub the eyes. The skin under the eye stretches and just like an elastic waistband, it can only take so much stretching before the elasticity wears out.
- Avoid tanning beds.
- Wear SPF 25 or higher sunscreen.
Sherman says that before performing any treatment, physicians should have a candid discussion with their patients about whether they are a good candidate for the procedure and should discuss the pros and cons, the side effects, and the patients‘ expectations.
Filler Injections Reduce Depression
A pilot trial, published in the May 15 issue of Dermatologic Surgery, found that botulinum toxin Type A injected into frown lines around the mouth or in the forehead furrow of 10 women eliminated depression symptoms in nine of them and reduced the symptoms in the 10th.
According to Eric Finzi, MD, an aesthetic surgeon in Chevy Chase, MD, and lead author of the study, the facial muscles feed information to the emotion centers of the brain, which in turn responds with chemicals that produce happy or sad feelings. The loop is complete when the brain reinforces the expressions in the face.
Kathleen Delano, 45, of Glenn Dale, MD, was one of the 10 volunteers in the study. Before the injections into five spots on the frown muscles in the face, she scored high on a scale of depression symptoms. Depression was confirmed in an interview by a psychologist.
Two months after the injections, her score and interview showed no symptoms of depression Over several weeks, Delano found herself talking to people more, getting out more, and smiling more.
But the flaws in the study are numerous, according to Maryilynn Hammond, a Mobile, AL psychiatrist.
"This should not suggest that this is in any way a proven treatment for depression," says Hammond. She maintains that future studies should follow patients longer, have a control group of similar people who get a placebo treatment, and use a more thorough psychiatric evaluation.