Today, the FDA announced the approval of the “MemoryShape” breast implant, made by Mentor. This is the teardrop-shaped implant, filled with the latest generation of form-stable silicone gel. It’s certainly a home-run for breast reconstruction patients, and may be useful for some breast augmentation patients as well. Mentor now joins Allergan and Sientra with implants […]
Daily use of sunscreen can prevent wrinkles and slow the aging of the skin, according to a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers looked at 900 Australian adults younger than 55 (mean age, 39), and randomized them to four treatments: – daily broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 15+) plus beta carotene supplementation, – daily […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
