Our Region is a Great Place to Live: High Rankings by Editors

The South Carolina Upstate is a wonderful place to live, play, sightsee, dine, and to practice cosmetic plastic surgery.

Most recently Fortune Magazine rated Greenville one of it's TOP FIVE places to retire. Fortune had this to say: "South Carolina has turned into the home of the halfbacks, folks from the Northeast who retire to Florida and then -- because of heat, high insurance premiums, hurricanes, or all of the above -- move halfway back up north. Greenville and its fellow South Carolina cities still give residents a change of seasons and a stable real estate market that never experienced sky-high prices during the bubble: Greenville has dropped a relatively modest 13% since its peak and has another 1% to fall. One of the biggest draws for Greenville residents is its downtown, which has undergone a 30-year revitalization plan. (Its Main Street has been recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.) "It is so darn cute," says Lori Sperry, 50, who recently bought a retirement home in the Greenville area. A growing number of retirees are buying condos within walking distance of downtown's stores and nearly 100 restaurants. Those looking for a city culture can take advantage of Greenville's proximity to Charlotte and Atlanta." Fortune, June 2010.

Money Magazine also recognized Greenville in 2007 as one of the best places to live.

As you can imagine, we enjoy the recognition. We are happy to serve the cosmetic surgery, skin care & non-surgical / injectable cosmetic needs of many in the area.

Latisse Special Offer

Latisse 1st Anniversary Celebration. Allergan, the company that markets Latisse (eyelashes) is offering up to $100 savings on BotoxCosmetic and Juvederm XC when you purchase a kit of Latisse. Call our office for more details - 864-676-1707.

We received a state business reward (for recycling!): "Green" Plastic Surgery

The South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) has a program to recognize the efforts of businesses save energy, reduce pollution, conserve natural resources: The South Carolina Smart Business Recycling Program. The Aesthetic Center has received a certificate recognizing these exceptional efforts in 2010.

I don't think you should call us "green," but we're trying to help do our part.

We Love Cards & Notes From Patients: Testimonials

The following are two examples of messages sent from happy breast surgery patients. Obviously we are proud to share them with everyone.

First: "After arriving home form my post-op visit today, I gathered the courage to peek beneath the bandages. I am overjoyed by what I saw. Even with all the bruising and the sutures, there is great beauty to your work and I am so excited at what I see as the beginning of a wonderful change in my life. The entire process with you and your staff - especially Gail, Betty, Tina, Terri - has been unbelievably meticulous and handled with extraordinary kindness and professionalism.
I cannot begin to thank you and your staff for making this surgery a life changing event for me."

Second: "Wonderful. You did a great job and I am very pleased with the results. My daughter-in-law visited the office and she did some research and everything she heard about Dr. Graham was very positive. And after I talked with Dr. Graham, I knew I had the right doctor.
The doctor and staff were great. They treat you like you are family. They go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable. Could not have had a better group of people. Thanks for all the care that was given to me. Dr. Graham and staff are the best."

And finally there was simply, "I look fabulous in a bathing suit."

More News About Questionable Procedures or Practitioners

Now both National Public Radio (NPR) and the web company WebMD are alerting the public to concerns about a group of procedures called "injection lipolysis." Other names used in marketing are; lipodissolve, lipozap, mesotherapy, lipotherapy or fat melting. They use a variety of chemicals, but these lack FDA approval for that usage. Quality scientific studies have not been done to prove safety and effectiveness. Proponents have claimed liposuction-like results without surgery.

The FDA contacted several US companies promoting these treatments and warned them to cease. It also notified a Brazilian company about their web marketing.

You can get more information at:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/04/lipodissolve_gets_fda_warning.html

http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/news/20100407/fda-cracks-down-lipodissolve-hype

Liposuction "Buyer" Beware: Lack of formal surgical training

Taken from the LA Times report on an article from the respected journal, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery:

STUDY BLASTS LACK OF TRAINING IN COSMETIC SURGERY MARKETPLACE
April 2, 2010 | 11:38 am
Cosmetic procedures like Botox, facial fillers and liposuction are big money-makers for physicians. Not surprisingly, doctors other than plastic surgeons and dermatologists also offer cosmetic treatments. According to a new study, nearly 40% of doctors offering liposuction in Southern California had no specific surgical training.

The study, published in the April issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, examined 1,876 cosmetic practitioners from San Diego to Los Angeles. Only 495 of them were trained in plastic surgery. Primary care physicians made up the fourth-largest group of liposuction providers following plastic surgeons, dermatologists and otolaryngologists.

There is no law to prevent doctors from offering these services, especially in a doctor's office (doctors need to apply for privileges to perform services in hospitals). Many non-surgeons take a course or participate in some form of limited training to perform liposuction or inject fillers. But such training is not required and is often inadequate, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Though providing Botox or facial fillers is unlikely to be dangerous, liposuction can result in serious complications, the authors state. "We feel that the provision of such a potentially hazardous treatment by physicians with no training in surgery poses a genuine threat to the safety of patients."

Further, the authors state, aesthetic franchises have sprung up that have no association with one particular provider, making it more difficult for patients to know just who is responsible for their care.

"The practices are often named after a geographic location with a cachet of affluence,such as Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills or La Jolla. In these practices, the practitioners are employees of the owner of the clinical facility, and are pushed to produce revenue. The divorce of the practice from the name of the responsible physician has the potential to have a profound impact on the doctor-patient relationship and how patients select a provider," the authors state.

Still, the authors say more legislation is not what's needed, calling government meddling "a guest who may never leave." They suggest more effort to educate the public on who is or isn't qualified to perform various cosmetic procedures.

I vote for whichever method -- education, legislation or perhaps both -- will protect consumer health and safety regardless of professional turf wars.

-- Shari Roan
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/cosmetic-surgery-liposuction.html

The American College of Surgeons has weighed-in on this subject with a public education program titled, "SURGERY BY SURGEONS." Their excerpt:

Surgery by Surgeons
A fully trained surgeon is a physician who, after medical school, has gone through years of training in an accredited residency program to learn the specialized skills of a surgeon. One good sign of a surgeon's competence is certification by a national surgical board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties. All board-certified surgeons have satisfactorily completed an approved residency training program and have passed a rigorous specialty examination.

The letters F.A.C.S. (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons) after a surgeon's name are a further indication of a physician's qualifications. Surgeons who become Fellows of the College have passed a comprehensive evaluation of their surgical training and skills; they also have demonstrated their commitment to high standards of ethical conduct. This evaluation is conducted according to national standards that were established to ensure that patients receive the best possible surgical care.

Prepared as a public service by the American College of Surgeons.
http://www.facs.org/public_info/operation/consult.html

Finally, Dr. Graham is a fully trained, experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). We are happy to offer more information. Contact us at info@expertplasticsurgeon.com or 864-676-1707

Pillow to Prevent Wrinkles? Come By And See the "Save My Face! Pillow"

O.K., everyone knows that Dr. Graham and his staff offer a number of ways to treat facial wrinkles (professional skin care, Botox & Dysport, HA fillers, laser peels and facelifts).

But did you knoe there is a "pillowette" marketed to avoid the squeezing and compression of you facial skin while you sleep? It's called the "Save My Face! pillow. It is designed to cradle your face while sleeping on your back or sides in a way that reduces the pressure pushing your skin forward and down towards your mouth area.

Erin, one of our Skin Care Specailists, found this product and we're offering them to our clients and patients. Come by and see the "Save My Face!" pillow.

Learn more at www.SaveMyFace.com