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ASAPS WARNS SURGEONS TO AVOID MESOTHERAPY/INJECTION LIPOLYSIS TREATMENTS
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) recently issued a warning against the use of injection fat-loss treatments, advising surgeons to avoid these procedures until more is known about their safety and efficacy.
Commonly known as lipolysis, mesotherapy, or the brand names Lipodissolve and Lipostabil, the treatments are marketed as fat-loss treatments, but ASAPS says the procedures are scientifically unproven. In addition, none of these procedures has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval because the ingredients are poorly defined, according to the ASAPS statement. The procedures may also be offered by persons without sufficient medical training, thereby putting patients at risk of harm, says ASAPS president Foad Nahai, MD. That means that plastic surgeons must not only avoid offering these treatments, but also must warn their patients not to seek the treatment elsewhere.
"Safety needs to come first. We do not have definitive information on injection fat-loss treatments. All we have is a few small studies and anecdotal evidence. Until we know more, we cannot recommend these procedures to patients, " Nahai says. "The bottom line for patients is this: Don't allow yourself to be injected with an unknown and untested substance."
Despite media and advertising claims that mesotherapy or injection lipolysis treatments can safely and effectively eliminate unwanted fat, Nahai says published peer-reviewed scientific reports of properly performed, controlled prospective trials to confirm either safety or efficacy do not exist. Further, Nahai says there are no objective data about how these treatments produce "fat dissolving" effects and there are numerous reports of complications documented in the medical literature, including bacterial infection, granulomas, and localized necrosis, particularly when injections were done by lay people.
Mesotherapy treatment centers are opening all over the country and these consumer outlets may not be staffed by trained medical professionals, says Alan H. Gold, MD., President of the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF). Patients seeking fat-dissolving treatments should be educated about the lack of clinical data supporting these treatments and cautioned to wait until there is reliable information to guide their decision, he says.
"For now, the only proven method for eliminating unwanted fat cells is suction-assisted lipoplasty, a procedure that has a long and successful track record for both safety and effectiveness,"Gold says.
A placebo-controlled study is being sponsored by ASERF to demonstrate safety and efficacy-or lack thereof-of one type of injection lipolysis treatment. The formula that will be used for injection in this 20-patient study-phosphatidylcholine (PPC)/sodium deoxycholate (DC)-is one that has shown the most promise in small, published trials, Gold says. The study, which will be conducted under FDA supervision, will follow patients for 46 weeks to evaluate the efficacy of PPC/DC for injection lipolysis and collect data on local and systemic reactions and long-term complications. At present, neither drug being studied in this trial is FDA-approved for subcutaneous injection for any purpose, Gold says.
Once completed, the results will be published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and presented at an annual ASAPS meeting.
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CoolGlide™ Vantage Laser
We
are pleased to announce the arrival of the state
of the art CoolGlide™ Vantage Laser for non-ablative
skin therapy (no anesthetic needed, no recovery
time) for improving skin texture and fine wrinkles
with a series of 6 treatments over 3 months. This
is not for deep wrinkles or seriously sun damaged
skin which requires C02 or Erbium: yg laser resurfacing
(where you need anesthetic and a 1-2 week recovery
until all the crusts have separated, and at least
3 months of pinkness, which usually fades to a lighter
shade).
The CoolGlide™ Vantage is also unquestionably state
of the art for hair removal in all skin types with
minimal risk of skin color alteration, frequently,
requiring a series of treatments particularly for
light hair colors.
The Vantage is also very efficient for treating
vascular problems anywhere on the face or body (except
for very large varicose veins which require surgery).
Conditions treated efficiently are rosacea, telangiectasis
(dilated or "broken" fine vessels anywhere),
generalized redness, poikiloderma (splotchy pigmentation
from sun damage, usually on the neck), and smaller
varicosities on the legs.
We have added a second handpiece
to the Vantage for treating pigmented spots such
as lentigos, sun spots, and general sun damage pigmentation.
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Call us at 925 937-7100
with any questions
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CosmoDerm™
and CosmoPlast™ Injections |
CosmoDerm™
and CosmoPlast™
Injections
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Before
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After
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Before
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After
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| Now,
for the first time ever, you can replace collagen
through innovative new treatments made from
natural human collagen. They're called CosmoDerm™
and CosmoPlast™, and they're changing the
face of beauty.
Drawing upon
the latest breakthroughs in skin science,
CosmoDerm™ and CosmoPlast™ contain natural human
collagen grown under controlled laboratory
conditions. This natural human collagen is
similar to the collagen normally found in
the skin. So there's no need for a pre-treatment
skin test.
And here's
the best part. No more skin testing means
no more weeks of waiting for the results.
Instead, you can smooth away telltale lines
and wrinkles or add definition to the lip
border with just one quick visit to your physician.
And since recovery time is short, you can
easily sneak in a treatment during your lunch
hour.
As the only commercially available dermal
fillers in the world made from natural human
collagen, CosmoDerm™ and CosmoPlast™ offer important
advantages.
Immediate
treatment – no pre-treatment skin test
required!
Formulated with an anesthetic for comfort
Treatment and recovery usually take less than
one hour
Treatment results typically last three to
six months
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Please call us at 925-937-7100
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| BOTOX® Injections (get yours now) |
BOTOX®-Cosmetic
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Before
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After
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Before
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After
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The most effective
and consistent use of BOTOX® is for lines of expression
of the upper face, not around the lips, cheeks, or
neck, specifically the crow's feet next to the corner
of the eyes, frown lines between the eyebrows, and
for horizontal forehead wrinkles. The risk of complications
or side effects are low. A few cases will have a different
effect between the two sides, an eyebrow "droop"
or even more rarely an eyelid droop. All of these
side effects are temporary.
The only major change
in the use of BOTOX® in the past year has been to drop
the amount to 25 units per area (not the 50 units
previously used). If this is not as effective or doesn't
last long enough, the total units can be increased
the next time. It usually wears off in 3 to 4 months.
It also may take up to 1 to 2 weeks after treatment
to become fully effective. Occasionally a small amount
of bruising may occur. It may cause headaches, flu
symptoms, or some type of allergic reaction. Actually
it more commonly prevents migraine headaches from
occurring for several months. Larger doses, and frequent
treatments also may result in the immune system recognizing
the minuscule amount of BOTOX® used and antibodies
may develop to inactivate the BOTOX®. If this occurs,
we would then have to use botulism toxin type B (onset
more rapid but doesn't last as long). |
Call us at 925 937-7100
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| Updates
from Dr. Jervis |
Updates
from Dr. Jervis
- We utilize the homeopathic medicine SinEcch™ which reduces pain, bruising and swelling caused by trauma or surgery.
- The latest innovation
in reducing bruising and swelling and the use
of drains (in most cases) for facelift and browlift
is Tisseal © (Tissue Sealant) which
literally glues the skin flap back down to the
deeper fascial layers and seals off the small
capillaries. Recovery is consequently much quicker.
- The patients own fat
extracted by a special low vacuum suction
and immediately reinjected after centrifuge
concentration of the fat remains a long lasting
if not permanent viable alternative for deeper
folds and wrinkles, whereas
CosmoDerm™ and CosmoPlast™ are
designed and approved for intradermal injections
into finer wrinkles or depressions within the
skin itself, (just as the bovine collagen is).
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Call
us at 925 937-7100
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