NO SCAR/NO SUTURES

NO SCAR/NO SUTURES

One of the biggest reasons patients come to a plastic surgeon is, “I know there won’t be a scar.”

Sorry to say, there is ALWAYS a scar. But medical science keeps plodding along with new ideas, new products, and new innovations.

The next thing on the horizon are “nano sheets” that are ultra thin and may replace conventional sutures. This research comes out of Waseda University in Japan (I wonder how their football team is? just wondering).

By applying this thin sheet of poly/L/Lactid (PLLA) to incisions in mouse stomachs the tiny “miracle sheets” healed the incision with NO SCAR. These nano sheets could replace conventional sutures someday.

But hold on. They said it will be several years before this material is developed enough for clinical trials.

It’s like those so-called big, ugly, nasty, rich pharmaceutical companies who have been vilified for “excessive” profits. They can spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing a new drug and then after clinical trials. Oooops. Sorry. It doesn’t work.

Development of new drugs, new products is not cheap. But look how far we have come in the last 20 or 30 years.

Changes are constantly happening in medicine, including plastic cosmetic surgery. We try to stay up with them. Stay up with us by a) setting up an RSS feed of this blog, b) subscribing to our email alerts and c) regularly visiting http://www.Beauty-by-Brueck.com. Thank you.

Facial Cleansing - What's the latest view from cosmetic surgery

If you were to ask the man or woman “on the street” to get their take on a facial cleansing, you might get an overly simplistic answer.

They might respond, take a bar of soap, any soap, lather it up and wash your face, rinse, towel dry, whoosh, facial cleansing.

But, we all know in today’s world of high tech gadgetry that just won’t do. There has to be a better mousetrap, surely and particularly for facial cleansing.

Finally, there is. Sonic technology.

One of the newer, methods to cleanse the skin relies on sonic technology. This has been shown to be very effective in removing sebum and environmental dirt from the face.

The Clarisonic is a patented sonic oscillating skin cleansing brush developed by Pacific Bioscience Laboratories. By using ultrasonic technology the brush works to unclog pores, loosening sebum, dirt and oil.

By properly cleansing your skin, any skincare products or regimen you use, such as Obagi or NIA24 will be more affective. It will enhance the overall effectiveness of lasering and light based therapies to your face.

Consider putting the soap and washcloth away and “Sonicing” your way to cleaner healthier skin.

To stay up to date on what's happening in all subjects beautiful, check in here regularly - with an RSS feed - visit our website at http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com

The Breast Reconstruction Information Void: Dr. Brueck comments

According to sources in the field, almost 70% of patients who may be eligible for breast reconstruction following breast cancer surgery are not informed of its availability. Tens of thousands of women undergo breast reconstruction each year. Yet, many women who might want to choose reconstructive surgery are not counseled about the options available.

It becomes important that any woman undergoing cancer-related breast surgery consult with a Board Certified plastic surgeon before undergoing the initial surgery. The plastic surgeon's pre-op input may help the patient and the patient's general surgeon make the best decisions about how to proceed.

I can't overstate the importance of the plastic surgeon being Board Certified for plastic surgery. The depth of training and experience involved in Board Certification in the specialty is key in assuring the best outcome.

I offer free consultations to all my patients before recommending an appropriate next step. If you, or someone you know is facing breast cancer surgery, please contact me at 239-939-5233. This will be a confidential consultation and will incur no charge or obligation on the patient's part.

If you can't call, visit my website at http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com

You can't have too much information when it comes to breast surgery.

The Future of Plastic Surgery - Dr Robert Brueck

WHAT’S IN THE FUTURE?

Unfortunately we don’t have a crystal ball, but a new report released by Industry Analysts Inc. in San Jose, California, paints a somewhat rosy picture for the future in the cosmetic surgery products and surgical procedures industry.

The cosmetic surgery products market is expected to grow to 3.07 billion dollars by 2012 while the cosmetic surgery procedures market is projected to reach 15.3 billion dollars by 2012.

Compared to our growing national debt this is like finding a penny in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. My, how things can change in just a short period of time.

New products and services are coming out almost daily.

As baby boomers mature and gain discretionary dollars, cosmetic procedures will see a nice, steady, healthy growth. The greatest growth will be with injectables because of lower cost and minimal downtime. We now have an alternative to Botox, i.e. Dysport. As the competition heats up over the months and years ahead the prices will certainly fall and become more affordable.

The lure of injectables and things such as Botox is the fact that they can be done on a Friday and a person can go right back to work.

If you are dedicated to doing something to delay the appearance of aging, you will have plenty of affordable options in the future.

Stay up with the changing market by making this blog an RSS feed, and check out my web site, http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com

Fat? Chillout. - Plastic Surgery News

“IT’S SUMMERTIME, BE COOL”

Just like I said, every time I put my head on the pillow/sleep/wake-up, vavoom! there is a new toy, laser, whatever on the market.

One of the latest toys or gadgets is to “chill” your fat cells. Sounds cool, no pun intended and with the hot summer heat maybe it’s a good way to really cool down.

The machine cools the fat cells to a temperature just above freezing which triggers apoptosis.

Apoptosis, now that is a great word for scrabble.

Basically it is a programmed cell death that occurs slowly over 3 to 4 months. Hence, there is no instant gratification.

The cooling causes the lipids and the fat cells to gradually cool, crystallize and eventually lead to the death of the fat cells. The treatment requires no anesthesia and no downtime.

This new “cryolipolysis” is new and yet not available to patients. More studies are currently being done as we speak.

It’s important to know that fat reduction isn’t tremendous so it will not replace traditional liposuction. Oh well, good thought, something easy, quick and fast. Sort of like drive through fast food.

Maybe it’s just a novel way to “cool down” for the summer and maybe lose a few fat cells on the way. Have a great summer.

To keep up with the changing world of cosmetic surgery and non-surgical techniques, create an RSS feed to receive updates of Dr. Brueck's blog and visit Dr. Brueck's website at http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com

The Stem Cell Facelift - Plastic Surgery

Stem Cells. Two words that can start heated conversations and end friendships. It is certainly a hot political as well as religious topic but it need not be. Here, however, we are talking about adult stem cells and their use in “stem cell” face lifts.

What are stem cells?

Basically a stem cell is a cell with multiple options. A stem cell may become a bone cell or "osteocyte" or a "collagen cell", or other types of cell within the body. Stem cells have the ability to differentiate down different cell lines. These cells can help “replenish” old tired out cells in our face.

As adults we have many adult stem cells in our fatty tissue.

These stem cells are harvested through liposuction, spun down and then re-injected into the patient’s face. So in essence you are both the donor and the recipient, which is good because there are no problems with tissue compatibility.

The physician who pioneered this procedure is Dr. Richard Ellenbogen in California.

Interestingly, the highest concentration of stem cells is found in the back fat. Think about it. You not only eliminate "love handles", you transfer them to a "lovelier" face. I knew love handles were good for something. Now we know they are a source of stem cells.

Over the years I have been injecting fat into the face with good results.

I usually use abdominal fat. Now we are considering trying the love handle fat to make sure that I have a higher concentration of stem cells. I think this is a good procedure to use but to say a stem cell face lift is the fountain of youth is a bit premature. To date we have had no double blind studies where we inject stem cells on one side of the face and leave them out on the other side. Perhaps that is in the not too distant future.

It's not just a face lift.

In any event, harvesting stem cells from the flank area and re-injecting them into the face is something I have done. I think it is appropriate because one of the early signs of aging is loss of soft tissue. Maybe we should reiterate that these are not just face lifts but "stem cell face lifts".

Stay tuned. Maybe the term "fat chance" will take on a new, positive meaning.

And check the web site at http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com regularly for updates on these and other plastic and cosmetic surgery updates.

Plastic Surgery- DYSPORT/THE NEWEST MIRACLE DRUG

At long last, a competitor to the ever-long-lasting monopolistic Botox has FDA approval.

The company that will distribute Dysport (the new kid on the block) is Medicis, the same people who distribute Restylane. Their initial studies involved 2900 patients nationwide.

Dysport has been used in the United Kingdom since 1991 with an outstanding track record. Yet, to get approval here in the US, many more millions of dollars needed to be spent so that we could have a “safer drug” and certainly a more expensive drug. Somehow, I believe that 17 years of safe use in the United Kingdom, which included tens of thousands of patients, would be sufficient enough to allow the FDA to go ahead and approve this drug sooner.

How is Dysport different than Botox?

There have not been to date any cross comparison studies between Dysport and Botox. What has come out of the study so far is that Dysport works FASTER and some feel the effects last LONGER i.e. 5 to 6 months versus 4 months for Botox. We are currently in talks with the representatives from Medicis to find out the how’s, why’s and wherefore’s of Dysport.

Keep tuned for more to come. And check in regularly at www.BeautybyBrueck.com for updates about all things plastic surgery. Thank you.