“ONE HOUR BOOB JOB?”

"It's always something", as Dr. Robert J. Brueck MD FACS, who practices plastic surgery in Fort Myers, FL, comments in this blog message. Dr. Brueck covers all sorts of information and issues about plastic surgery at his website, www.Beauty-by-Brueck.com

I guess in plastic surgery we do “a lot” of jobs – a nose job and now a one hour breast job. I recently was asked about this and had to do a little research.

This procedure has enjoyed some popularity overseas but it may be waning.

The product involved is called Macrolane and it is made by 0-Med, a Swedish biotech company who has also brought Restylane successfullyto the market.

Macrolane is an injectable gel made of highly degradable hyaluronic acid. It received a lot of fanfare and publicity.

Unlike Restylane, where maybe one or, at most, a few cc’s are injected, Macrolane was for “big” injections, eg.100,000 or more cc’s per breast. It has been done as a simple one hour outpatient procedure in the doctors office. Can imagine going back to work after a one hour lunch break with a new “profile”?

Well, several of the patients are now surfacing with pain, lumps and assymetrical breasts. It’s one thing to inject a few cc’s of hyaluronic acid versus a few hundred.

In the UK, this procedure cost about $5,000.00 and will last around 18 months or you can get a breast augmentation that lasts years for $8,000.00.

You be the judge – some bandwagons are best staying off of – this maybe one.

If you've had a cosmetic procedure...

...you were in good company, as these just-released 2007 Statistics on Cosmetic Surgery demonstrate:

In 2007, there were 11.7 million surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in the U.S.

18% were surgical

82% were non-surgical

From 2006-2007, cosmetic surgical procedures increased 8%, non-surgical procedures increased 1%.

Top Five Cosmetic Surgical Procedures:

1) Liposuction- 456,828

2) Breast Augmentation-399,440

3) Eyelid Surgery-240,763

4) Abdominoplasty-185,335

5) Breast Reduction-153,087

Top Five Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures:

1) Botox - 2,775,176;

2) Hyaluronic Acid (Restylane, Juavaderm) - 1,448,716

3) Laser Hair Removal - 1,412,657

4) Microdermabrasion - 829,658

5) IPL Laser - 647,707

Women had 91% of cosmetic procedures.

Cosmetic Procedures by Age Group:

35-50 - 46%

19-34 – 21%

51-64 – 25%

65> - 6%

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Americans spent just under $13.2 billion on cosmetic procedures.

Of course, these are national numbers. Statistics for the local Charlotte County, Fort Myers, Bonita, Naples, Marco Island area will be proportionally smaller. Nevertheless, it appears that large numbers of your neighbors and friends are taking advantage of the rejuvenating possibilities with cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures.

As always, however, anyone you know - including yourself - should never undergo a cosmetic procedure without a thorough consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Why Plastic Surgery Board Certification? Because many doctors receive Board Certification in other specialties. While they may perform plastic surgery procedures, they do not have the specialized training that comes with Board Certification in the specialty of Plastic Surgery.

There are several Board Certified Plastic Surgeons in Southwest Florida. I encourage you to consult with one of them before going forward with any procedure. I offer a complimentary, no charge, no obligation consultation to any patient considering my practice for a cosmetic procedure.

You can visit my website, Beauty-by-Brueck, for more information and use the secure, confidential "Ask the Doctor" form to ask a specific question, or call my office at 239-939-5233 to arrange an appointment. Ask for Dr. Brueck or my aesthetic assistant, Judy.

Thank you.

Dr. Robert J. Brueck MD FACS

Great new non-surgical technology is now available in our office.

A patient recently sent me a copy of a British newspaper called the Daily Mail. They interviewed some of Europe’s leading cosmetic surgeons. Here are some excerpts from what they had to say:

First, Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh – he is the Botox “king” of England and is credited with popularizing Botox in the UK. He obviously uses a lot of Botox and his favorite fillers are the hyaluronic fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm. Of the newer technologies, he really thinks the pro fractional treatments, which remodel the dermis, may be as important and popular as Botox.

We now offer pro fractional treatments.

A series of pro fractional treatments can bring long term benefits to remodeling the dermis which is just below the surface.

Dr. Mike Comins, one of the noted British cosmetic surgeons, is also very excited about fraxel resurfacing. The downtime is minimal as compared to standard CO₂ resurfacing which can take weeks to heal, not to mention the weeks or months for the redness to fade. He also likes short term dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvederm.

Also Dr. Nick Lowe, a dermatologist with offices in London and L.A. (how’s that? I guess I should open a clinic in say, Paris? Rome?) favors “combination therapy.” This consists of laser treatments, including fractionated, along with Botox.

We encourage anyone who has an interested in fillers to inquire by calling me at 239-939-5233 or by using the "Ask The Doctor" form on our Web site. For more general information about plastic surgery, visit my web site at http://www.Beauty-by-Brueck.com .

As a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, I can advise you concerning all the options based on your personal needs, condition and goals. Initial consultations, of course, are without charge.