After-Summer Skin Care

Young and old, we have all come to understand the importance of sun damage. Sun (UV) exposure causes injury to our cells the can lead to several types of skin cancer, and to accelerated aging. The aging changes include blotchy pigmentation, surface texture, dry appearance, and loss of elasticity and firmness.

Cosmetic surgery procedures like facelifts, browlifts and blepharoplasty remove some of the lax skin. They offer deeper benefits by resuspending and recontouring underlying structures. However, they still leave behind your natural skin with its sun damage changes.

Our Skin Care Specialists have various ways to improve your skin's appearance. We offer careful, experienced evaluation and important education. There are both occasional procedures we perform and daily care each individual can do to get the best appearance.

Now that summer is over and sun exposure is decreasing, call us to learn more.

Interest in Cosmetic Procedures in a Down Economy

In addition to general reporting on the US economy, many national media reports mention the impact on cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medical procedures.

Greenville and Upstate South Carolina appear to have several advantages. Our regional economy is stronger because of our exporting sector. We continue to have employers expanding and investing. We have not seen the dramatic home price inflation of other areas. Our region remains attractive to families moving from many parts of the country.

In our practice, as summer winds down, Skin Care clients return to continue their routines and minimize the effects of past sun exposure. Minimally invasive procedures (BotoxCosmetic, Restylane, Juvaderm, MicroLaserPeels, laser hair removal, etc.) continue being popular. Breast and facial cosmetic surgery procedures continue to be the most sought after, followed by body contouring (tummy tuck and liposuction). We expect to be busier as fall season approaches.

Breast Enlargment Using Fat?

It's an intriguing idea, since grafting one's own fat cells is established for other areas of the body. We use it regularly to enhance women's lips, cheeks, and buttocks. Can you achieve breast augmentation without an implant using only you own fat?

This idea is not new, but its been in the news lately. One recent variation on the technique has included processing some of the removed fat to try to increase its proportion of cells capable of developing and specializing (stem cells). This procedure is being tried in Japan using US-based technology. There is not yet FDA approval or even trials, so its wide-spread use is a few years away.

Office-Based Plastic Surgery Safety

Over 1 million (1.1) procedures were reviewed by the AAAASF (American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) between 2001 & 2006. Data reveal mortality rates similar to hospitals (0.002%). You can learn more at: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/media/press_releases/July08-PRS-PatientSafety.cfm.

We are accredited by AAAASF and undergo yearly re-evaluation. Fortunately for our citizens, South Carolina is one of the minority of states that require accreditation. All members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons only perform surgery in accredited facilities.

For your safety, if you are considering a procedure ask your doctor which organization accredits their facility.

Recycling: From Cardboard Boxes to Breast Implant Packaging?

Our facility proudly provides cosmetic surgery, non-surgical cosmetic medicine, and professional skin care for several hundred patients per year.

Doing this entails many shipments, plenty of packaging materials, innumerable containers, not to mention soda cans and bottles for our staff and patients, etc. We contracted with an office recycling company since we didn't' like seeing this going to our landfills. Now cartons, plastic bottles & aluminum cans, and yes, even plastic containers from breast implant packaging are recycled.

We also have routine trash disposal. Otherwise, we have unique waste disposal requirements. Documents with personal information are shredded. We utilize a separate regulated medical waste hauler for those materials.

We are glad to be reducing and recycling.

Evolence - New Injectable Filler Material

Johnson & Johnson has just obtained FDA approval to market Evolence, an injectable collagen used to treat facial wrinkles.

This will be interesting for several reasons. First, J&J is the first large pharmaceutical corporation to enter a market populated by smaller specialty companies like Allergan (Juvaderm) and Medicis (Restylane & Perlane). Their marketing will, no doubt, be superb. Second, the new product is made of porcine collagen derived from pig tendon. J&J emphasizes the source as "naturally sourced", rather than synthetic like established fillers. Finally, bovine (cow) collagen has been declining in popularity for 10-15 years. It was the first available filler, but fell out of favor because of rapid disappearance and the need for skin allergy tests.

Evolence has been used in Canada and some European countries, but there is little US experience. We will evaluate its risks and benefits over time before incorporating it into our selection of products.

Oncoplastic Surgery: What Does That Mean To You?

Oncoplastic Surgery is a new and developing subset of breast cancer ("oncologic") surgery which incorporates plastic surgical reconstructive techniques. Breast skin incisions are planned as they would be in breast lift or reduction techniques, rather than simply directly over a lump to be biopsied. Going a step further, internal repositioning of remaining breast gland tissue may be done to avoid dents or contour defects. You may also be offered reshaping surgery on your other (uninvolved) breast, if this will improve symmetry.

When a woman learns she has breast cancer, she will first determine if she is a candidate for lumpectomy or mastectomy. If your surgeon offers oncoplastic surgery, ask whether she/he operates simultaneously with an experienced plastic surgeon. If your surgeon does not, she/he should have had significant additional reconstructive plastic surgical training. Optimum breast shaping, reconstruction, lift or reduction all require substantial plastic surgery experience.