On Wednesday, November 19, CNN reported on Japanese surgeon Kotaro Yoshimura and his somewhat controversial breast augmentation method.

Yoshimura has received notoriety for using stem cell assisted lipotransfer in his breast augmentation procedures. The regenerative capabilities presentin stem cells are supposed to make fat grafting more effective. Clinical trials are apparently underway in the U.S.

On November 18, Food and Drug Administration officials will meet with a panel of outside experts to discuss possible changes in the labeling of cosmetic dermal fillers like Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse and others that continue to flood the market.  Within the last six years, the FDA has received 930 reports about complications related to injectable wrinkle-fillers.

While it may sound alarming, the complications and side effects associated with these products are still very rare.  There are known issues that occur like minor swelling, and then there are serious allergic reactions, with the latter being a subject of greater FDA interest.

Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove told MSNBC that “no serious problems were seen in clinical trials of Juvederm, and the most common complaint since its approval was swelling in 0.4 percent of patients.”

Also, Food and Drug Administration officials noted that the “reports had several limitations such as failing to say when the problems started.”

The majority of industry professionals will attribute most of the reported complications to unqualified persons administering filler injections, since consumer demand for them has recently risen so dramatically.  Safety and proper training is of the utmost importance with almost any cosmetic procedure, so we recommend that all patients seek a knowledgeable plastic surgeon with the right qualifications.

For more information on the FDA panel discussion, the briefing is located here.

The Silicon Valley-San Jose Business Journal recently named Reliant Technologies Inc. one of the fastest growing private companies in the area.  Reliant has become the industry leader in fractional aesthetic laser systems. The Fraxel laser system has rapidly gained popularity in the U.S. and abroad over the last three years.

Their ranking of 38th is based on dramatic revenue and growth increases between 2005 and 2007 - a 109 percent increase!

Chief operating officer Jeffrey Jones says, “Our success can be attributed to the revolutionary Fraxel laser technology, coupled with a fantastic team that possesses a ‘let’s get it done today’ sense of urgency and a commitment to customer care.”

Fraxel lasers are incredibly versatile for a variety of aesthetic treatments. They treat deep into the skin or gently resurface and rejuvenate the outermost dermal layers.

Florida plastic surgeon Richard Bosshardt recently wrote on the status of modern breast cancer treatments and the efforts of the medical community to minimize adverse effects through reconstruction and informed prevention.

Dr. Bosshardt writes that social recognition of the breast is an historical phenomenon and many have viewed them as symbolic of “femininity and desirability.” In light of this observation, it is easy to understand how the possibility of breast removal can be almost as frightening as the cancer itself.

Most women know how to focus on prevention and are aware of the statistics - that “about 1 in 8 women will have to face breast cancer in their lifetime.” However, many aren’t informed about the positive developments of recent years. Family ‘genetic markers’ have become excellent risk indicators, narrowing the search for a definite cause. Also, as Bosshardt says, breast implants, bras and high-fat diets have never been shown to have any correlation with increased breast cancer risk.

More reasons to be optimistic: Doctors have begun practicing “breast conservation” rather than outright removal, chemotherapy is more advanced and reconstruction has become more sophisticated than ever, with patients often looking better as an end result.

Read the original article here at the Orlando Sentinel.

A recent episode of the daytime talk show The Doctors, featured an in-studio Thermage procedure done by Dr. Bill Johnson of Dallas based Innovations Medspa. Thermage is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that utilizes radio frequency technology to heat collagen fibers under the skin. Upon being heated, the collagen fibers contract and tighten the skin.

Cosmetic surgeon Andrew Ordon is a regular participant on the program; part of their self proclaimed “medical dream team.” He and Dr. Johnson document the procedure and provide results. Sonia, their guest and patient, loses over 2 inches of her waistline and 5 inches from her hip in just an hour.

At the historic Chautauqua Institution last summer, Bioethics expert Art Caplan gave a lecture about living longer, looking better and why that is permissible from a moral perspective.  His talk included many interesting references to plastic surgery and anti-aging.

In the first few minutes of his speech, Caplan recalls a story about a woman who had received harsh criticism for getting a facelift.  A younger female counterpart said of her, “that’s terrible, you should simply accept the changes [of aging] as they come.”  The story served as a model example of a common attitude present in many people today; a “puritanical” view of anti-aging and surgical enhancement.

In his broad philosophical argument, Caplan rejects the puritanical view and presents many reasons why we should use medical technology to pursue new discoveries in the science of stem cells.  He suggest that if we push for adequate funding and defeat the misguided morality of the “new puritans”, it may be possible for us to achieve methods of whole-body anti aging, through the regenerative capabilities of stem cells.

The entire lecture can be found here on Minnesota Public Radio.

Last August, The Suwanee Democrat, a small time Florida news provider printed an incredible story about a woman named April Pinkard.  She’s a 35-year-old wife and mother of four who has suffered from a never before documented “floating heart” condition.  The treatment for her condition may also be the first of its kind.

In 2005, while undergoing a routine exam, something strange occurred.  Ms. Pinkard recalls the situation saying, “he listened to my heartbeat one day and it just wasn’t there.” Closer medical investigation revealed that her heart had shifted to another area of her body.

At birth, Pinkard suffered from lung disease, requiring doctors to remove one of her lungs at age 4.  Apparently, this condition opened up enough space to mobilize Ms. Pinkard’s heart over the course of 30-some years. The “misplaced heart” was now posing a threat to her life and making her ill.

Pinkard’s doctor referred her to surgeons at the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic, where an interesting solution was formed.  They gave her breast implants, but not in any conventional, aesthetic sense.  They are intended to keep her heart positioned correctly, by preventing float.  Light heartedly, she describes the feeling, “you can hear it move.  If I push on my chest you can feel the squishes.”

Ms. Pinkard still faces the possibility of a lung transplant later in life, as well as other health challenges, but she has a very positive outlook.  With such forward-thinking medical professionals, such as those on April’s side, maybe we can all share in her hope and high spirits.

International demand has prompted San Diego company, Cytori Therapeutics Inc., to develop a device that combines human body fat with stem cells and other cells that are thought to have regenerative properties.

Fat grafting is tricky business, but a New York plastic surgeon claims to have a workable technique. Dr. Sydney Coleman was recently published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery documenting his innovative breast augmentation technique, which employs fat grafting.

In Coleman’s rarely emulated procedure, fat is taken from other body fat stores (commonly done during liposuction) and used to supplement the tissue of the breast.  The technique hasn’t caught on due to certain risks, such as the dying of, and subsequent calcification of the grafted fat.

The latest theory is that introducing stem cells to the fat grafting process will give the transferred tissue a sort of healing/regenerative ability, preventing the tissue from dying or being rejected by the body.  A stem cell-fortified fat product could actually promote the formation of new blood vessels, bonding the reintroduced tissue to its surroundings in the breast or elsewhere.  The results would be the closest thing to natural surgeons have ever seen.

Medical professionals in Europe and Japan have experimented with techniques and reported success. However, in the United States, FDA approval of any stem cell supplemented bio-product would be required.  Research on the effectiveness and longevity of such a product is also necessary.

Researchers at the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery are recruiting patients for a related study.  More information on that trial study is available at ClinicalTrials.gov.

In the meantime, Dr. Lee Daniel will continue to provide breast augmentation in Eugene with saline and silicone breast implants while we’re waiting for the stem cells.

We think Fraxel has changed our world here in Eugene and our patients do too.

Reliant Technologies, the maker of the popular Fraxel laser, has quickly become known as the standard for laser skin resurfacing.

According to Inc. magazine’s editor Jane Berentson, “If you want to find out which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500.”

Inc. magazine’s prestigious list is mostly dependent on dramatic revenue growth. For Reliant, increases of the sales of their Fraxel laser systems (a 1450 percent increase) over the past 3 years has largely contributed to the company’s success.

In response to the ranking, Reliant CEO Eric Stang said, “We are pleased to be included in such a prestigious group of fast growing, successful companies that have been chosen by Inc. magazine.”

Chief technology officer Len DeBenedictis explained their rapid growth and success as a direct result of the success of Fraxel lasers used in aesthetic practices, saying, “We’ve seen continuous dramatic growth in the demand for Fraxel treatments as consumers become more aware of the safety and efficacy of our unique suite of skin rejuvenation products.”

Kathie Lee had Fraxel restore laser treatment over the summer, finally revealing her results live on the Today Show in early August, 2008.

We have the Fraxel Restore in Eugene, the same laser that Kathie Lee used. Our patients have been very happy with Fraxel treatment and it continues to be our most popular non-surgical service.

For a free consultation, call us at 541-687-8900.