Last week I attended the annual Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting in Las Vegas. Here are some highlights of the newest and hottest things you may soon see (or are seeing) in plastic surgery:
1. Fractional Lasers are everywhere. It seems that nearly every laser company is plugging its fractionated laser. These are basically lasers which are similar to the old CO2 lasers, but instead of focusing on all the skin, they only focus on tiny spots at a time. This causes less downtime and discomfort, but does it create similar results? Time will tell.
2. Will we someday be able to apply Botox as a cream? A company is working on a cream containing a botulinum-type toxin which may work similarly to Botox when applied. This is technically not Botox, but a botulinum-like cream. It is still in the development phase.
3. BodyJet - Water-assisted liposuction. The maker claims that it is less invasive and has less discomfort. Only a handful of surgeons currently have this machine. Is it a flash-in-the-pan or a new device with legs?
4. Removing fat without surgery - I covered this at length on the Rachael Ray Show. Two big players are Liposonix and Ultrashape. Neither is FDA-approved, and likely won't be for some time. There is one other device I am looking into however...
5. Smoothshapes - This is a new anti-cellulite treatment which combines laser with mechanical massage. I don't have any experience with this machine, because I own a Dermosonic anti-cellulite machine instead. I think there are many effective ways to treat cellulite, and these are two of the most prominent. Click here to see a segment I did with the local Fox News affiliate on treating cellulite.
6. Ulthera - This is an ultrasound machine that can target its energy to heat up the platysma (neck muscle) in order to tighten it and therefore create a nicer neckline. The results look promising, but it is still under investigation.
7. Cosmetic Gynecology - There was some interesting discussion on this topic, since many plastic surgeons and gynecologists are entering this new "field." I have absolutely no desire to perform cosmetic gynecologic procedures. A prominent gynecologist weighs in on this subject on his blog here.
8. Rumored to be coming to plastic surgeons' offices soon: Gummy bear implants! This is both a good (great implant for a select group of patients) and bad (hopefully quack cosmetic surgeons won't try to put these difficult-to-place implants in). If they are placed poorly, they can turn upside down and slide around, causing major cosmetic problems.
Much of the meeting focuses on how to improve our plastic surgery techniques, which would be boring for most of the readers of this blog. I always find it a great learning experience to see how other plastic surgeons perform similar surgeries, as I strive to continually improve my technique and results. Thanks to the ASAPS for putting on a great meeting.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
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