Aesthetics

Boston - The past year has been full of new developments for botulinum toxin (BT), says Neil Sadick, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.A.C.S.

New York - American dermatologists have been ignoring cellulite, but they need to start paying attention, says Mitchel Goldman, M.D., medical director of Dermatology/Cosmetic Laser Associates in La Jolla, Calif.

Newport Beach, Calif. - Anti-aging therapies are shifting as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves an assortment of fillers and as researchers continue to study the use and safety of botulinum toxin.

National Report - Dermatologists have known for years that retinoids suppress the development of skin cancers. Recently this underutilized application has been dramatically illustrated in a case report.

Philadelphia - To plastic surgeon Kenneth Olshansky, M.D., it's as clear a choice as washing hands prior to surgery. Given a nearly 95 percent cure rate, Mohs micro-graphic surgery is the method of choice for treating certain lesions.

FortWorth, Texas - The appearance of most scars can be dramatically improved using resurfacing or ablative types of scar revision, according to Eric M. Finley, M.D., who spoke on this topic at the Texas Dermatological Society's Fall CME meeting here.

Stanford, Calif. - Chin-jowl implants are a valuable adjunct for optimizing the results of minimally invasive facelift procedures and neck liposuction, says Greg S. Morganroth, M.D., who spoke at "The Next Step: Mastering Cutaneous Outpatient Procedures," a continuing education program at Stanford University.

Philadelphia - The state of the art in lip augmentation isn't about fillers or filling technique but a conceptual breakthrough, says Sydney R. Coleman, M.D., a plastic surgeon with a New York City practice.

New York - Facelifts are rapidly becoming obsolete, according to Mitchel Goldman, M.D.

New York - Roger Amar, M.D., a French anatomist, plastic surgeon and inventor of the FAMI (facial autograft muscle injection) procedure, introduced an effective new procedure to enhance aging cheeks at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy '04.

New York - Skin rejuvenation procedures now are being accomplished with the help of some new technology - and a few not-so-new techniques that have undergone their own rejuvenation.

New York - The four recently defined subtypes of rosacea are likely caused by different pathogenic factors, and thus respond to different therapeutic regimens, according to Michelle T. Pelle, M.D.

National report - California pharmaceutical manufacturer Allergan is taking steps to reassure doctors and patients about the safety of Botox after four people became critically ill after they were treated with an unapproved raw botulinum toxin.

Santa Barbara, Calif. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Inamed Corp.'s Captique, a non-animal-based hyaluronic acid gel to combat facial wrinkles. It is the newest dermal filler to enter the U.S. market.

Stanley A. Klatsky, M.D., believed in cosmetic surgery when few of his plastic surgery peers would even discuss its existence.

Many reliable sources will be providing physicians and staff input regarding all the changes set forth by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for fiscal year 2005. Based on the display copy of the Nov. 2, 2004 Federal Register, the 2005 AMA CPT book, and the ICD-9-CM Book for 2005 published by the World Health Organization, pertinent changes for dermatology practices are summarized below:

Philadelphia - The advent of tumescent infiltration in the late 1980’s and its widespread adoption in the 1990’s was a revolutionary event in the history of liposuction, says Gerald H. Pitman, M.D. Since then, theory and technique have been moving forward in graduated steps.

Philadelphia, Pa. - Calling a new laser from Reliant Technologies "one-stop shopping for aging skin," Lawrence Bass, M.D., presented his take on the Fraxel laser as well as a number of intense pulsed light systems as part of a discussion of advances in cosmetic laser surgery at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons here.

A San Francisco-based plastic surgeon says Botox (Allergan), used prior to browlift surgery, actually leads to an improved permanent outcome in that procedure.

Philadelphia - Excising and lifting can give the face a less old, but not necessarily young, appearance. The way to truly rejuvenate is to let go of the idea that gravity drives aging and rediscover the role of atrophy, says Sydney R. Coleman, M.D.

San Diego - Results from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration pivotal trial demonstrate that the injectable wrinkle filler Artecoll, composed of polymethylmethacralate (PMMA) microspheres (20 percent) suspended in an ultra-purified collagen carrier (80 percent) is an equally safe, but longer-lasting, alternative to bovine collagen for the cosmetic correction of a variety of facial contour defects, Steven R. Cohen, M.D., tells Dermatology Times.

National report - Some physicians swear by it. Others call it "bogus." Still, mesotherapy glitters with a bit of the star power that lights up one of its better-known advocates, singer Roberta Flack. Hundreds of U.S. physicians now offer mesotherapy treatments - injections of homeopathic remedies, supplements, drugs or other substances into the mesoderm - starting at $200 to $300 per session.

National report - As the baby boom generation ages, its members will want what they have always wanted from dermatologists - to look younger longer. At the same time, they'll encounter more age-related medical problems, while the supply of dermatologists who can meet these needs continues to dwindle.

Are general, medical derms considering newer, less invasive cosmetic procedures?

New York - A recent study suggests Propionobacterium acnes plays a role in the development of rosacea.