Got Fat?: Plastic Surgeons Review Fat-Melting And Fat-Grafting Procedures

New techniques and devices
for surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic enhancement are being introduced at a
rapid pace, but do these innovations really deliver what they promise? Are
the results of minimally invasive treatments, offering the benefit of
little or no downtime, comparable to more extensive procedures? Are these
new modalities safe and cost-effective for patients? These are the
questions that leading aesthetic plastic surgeons will explore during the
Hot Topics seminar at the annual meeting of the American Society for
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), May 2-6 in San Diego, CA.


"Presentations at the annual Hot Topics seminar focus on some of the
most intriguing innovations in both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic
treatments," says New York plastic surgeon Alan Gold, MD, president of the
Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF), co-sponsor of
Hot Topics with the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation (PSEF). "Every
year the Hot Topics seminar proves to be one of the most popular sessions,
so this year we there will be two Hot Topics programs - one at the
beginning of the Meeting and one at the end."



The following are among the presentations included in this year's Hot
Topics program:



-- Injection Lipolysis (Otherwise known as Mesotherapy or LipoDissolve):
V. Leroy Young, MD, a plastic surgeon in St. Louis, IL, will be
discussing ASERF's Clinical Trial on injection lipolysis. The
trial will study 10 patients receiving four injection lipolysis
treatments to one side of their abdomen. MRIs and biopsies will be
performed on the patients, and photographs of the patients will be taken
before and after injections are administered. The goal of this study is
to find out if injection lipolysis actually works -- and how exactly it
works. Safety concerns will be reviewed during the study.



-- Lipo-Transfer: Kotaro Yoshimura, MD, a plastic surgeon from Tokyo, will
be presenting new advances in Lipo Transfer. One common problem with
this procedure is the difficulty predicting the survival rate of
transplanted fat or the risk of fibrosis and calcification. To overcome
the problem, Dr. Yoshimura has developed a strategy called Cell-Assisted
Lipotransfer (CAL), which employs patients' adipose-derived stem
cells and can be applied to breast augmentation. He expects that this
technique will improve the survival rate and prevent post operative
atrophy of transplanted fat tissue.



-- Laser-Assisted Lipolysis: Arturo Prado, MD, Barry E. DiBernardo, MD,
and Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD, will present on laser-assisted (fat
destroying) Lipolysis. Dr. Prado, a plastic surgeon in Chile, will
report on his randomized double-blind study that compared traditional
lipoplasty and laser-assisted lipoplasty. Dr. DiBernardo (Cutera,
Cynosure, Lumensis and Apira Science), a plastic surgeon in Montclair,
NJ, is going to discuss the first preliminary clinical trial of
SmartLipo. Dr. Kenkel (Palomar), a plastic surgeon in Dallas, TX, will
discuss his clinical experience with CoolLipo and ProLipo.
















As plastic surgeons concerned about patient safety, we want to be sure
that the treatments we recommend are backed by good science and sufficient
clinical experience," says Foad Nahai, MD, ASAPS President and a plastic
surgeon in Atlanta, GA. "Many of these innovations in aesthetic surgery may
prove to be widely beneficial, but at the beginning they must be used
cautiously and, of course, only with the patient's full informed consent.



The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), the
Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF), and the Public
Surgery Education Foundation (PSEF), do not advocate or endorse the
procedures or technologies presented at the Hot Topics seminar. This
seminar is strictly for the purposes of research and education in cosmetic
plastic surgery. The reporting, advertising or clinical use of these
procedures and technologies should be conducted cautiously, responsibly and
with full disclosure of their unproven nature.


About ASAPS



The 2400-member American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)
is the only plastic surgery organization devoted entirely to the
advancement of cosmetic surgery. ASAPS is recognized throughout the world
as the authoritative source for cosmetic surgery education. U.S. members
are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Canadian members
are certified in plastic surgery by the Royal College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Canada.


American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

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