Have you heard about Belotero, the new filler?
Posted on May 10, 2013
While most people are familiar with Restylane and Juvederm, you might want to get to know the new kid on the block, Belotero Balance. Just like Juvederm and Restylame, Belotero is an FDA-approved filler that is also made from hyaluronic acid gel. But it’s manufactured a little differently, and has a smooth and soft consistency. It’s quite […]
New study on Omega-3 supplements shows no benefit
Posted on May 9, 2013
In the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a new study casts serious doubt on the benefit of taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements for heart health. The study found that after 5 years of taking the omega-3 supplements daily, there was no reduction in the rates of heart attack, stroke or death, compared to those […]
New fillers on the horizon: Juvederm Voluma
Posted on May 2, 2013
Here in the U.S.A., it seems we’re the last to get new medical devices. Sometimes, that’s a good thing – as in the FDA preventing the notoriously problematic PIP silicone breast implants from being sold here. Other times, it’s just a frustrating and slow wait for good products. As a plastic surgeon, you can feel […]
Prozac & Zoloft increase bleeding risk at surgery
Posted on April 22, 2013
It’s been suspected for a while that Prozac and its cousins in the SSRI family have a nasty side effect that’s pretty important for people who are having surgery to know about: there seems to be more bleeding, and a higher chance of postoperative hematomas requiring a second surgery, if you take these medications around the […]
Unnecessary medical tests and procedures – the Choosing Wisely initiative
Posted on April 17, 2013
It’s not a surprise to anyone that all medical tests and procedures are not created equal. Some tests are more accurate, others less so. Some medications are very effective, and others not so much depending on the situation. With this in mind, the American Board of Internal Medicine and its associated specialties have recently developed […]
Allure Magazine’s 11 most overrated cosmetic procedures
Posted on April 1, 2013
Allure Magazine’s senior editor, Ms. Joan Kron, recently published an article called the “11 most overrated cosmetic surgery procedures”(link), and I thought this was well worth commenting on. Ms. Kron has received several awards from our plastic surgery societies for journalistic excellence in covering our field – so her articles are always worth a read! Here […]
Does an asthma medication Lithera hold the secret to melting fat?
Posted on March 27, 2013
Answer: it very well might. Almost under the radar, a company named Lithera has been quietly investigating the idea of manipulating fat cell metabolism with a simple injection of two drugs that are already FDA-approved, but traditionally used for other purposes. They’ve discovered that two asthma medications, Advair and Servent, which we have used for […]
ASAPS hits the “Big Apple”: 2013 Annual Meeting
Posted on March 22, 2013
Yes, it’s that time of year: time for the biggest gathering of aesthetic plastic surgeons from around the world, the annual American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting. This time, it’s back in New York City, at the Convention Center, starting in about 3 weeks. I’ll be there, listening to the latest on technical improvements […]
Beware: Lipotron 3000 – a bogus fat treatment
Posted on March 20, 2013
This week a patient came to my office, and told me about her treatment here in Orlando with a gadget called the Lipotron 3000. It’s advertised as being a radiofrequency machine that can melt both subcutaneous and visceral fat, and is promoted as part of a weight loss treatment called Lipo-Ex or LipoFast. It’s also called […]
Caution: the “scarless” suture suspension breast lift
Posted on March 8, 2013
Every few years, there seems to be a return of an old concept that didn’t work the first time around: trying to lift a droopy (ptotic) breast with internal sutures. This was first developed around 2001 by the Bulgarian cosmetic surgeon Serdev, who applied internal suture lifting techniques to almost every part of the body […]