Reflections on Beauty

Long term studies are always interesting because they typically offer a lot of data and can show how trends change over time.  In a 25-year study of 26,000 liposuction procedures, 82% of patients reported satisfaction with the outcome of their procedures. The study was performed by four Cali, Columbia, plastic surgeons to determine if the new technologies and instruments used in liposuction have contributed to a higher level of satisfaction.

Although satisfaction rates over time have remained approximately the same, the study’s authors did find that the traditional tumescent liposuction method carries an increased risk of post-surgical seromas (mass or swelling caused by accumulated fluid) when compared with laser liposuction.  They also determined that ultrasonic assisted liposuction (or UAL) had a significantly higher instance of side effects than other techniques, which led the study authors to abandon that procedure in the study.

At Reflections, we find many of our patients prefer laser liposuction to traditional tumescent liposuction because there is typically far less downtime and bruising associated with laser liposuction.  They can get back to their busy lives more quickly after the procedure, which is an important consideration to many of our patients.  The Columbian study didn’t take these lifestyle factors into account but, if they had, we feel their findings would echo what we’ve seen here.

The study found that the safety of liposuction procedures (both traditional tumescent liposuction and laser-assisted liposuction) have continued to improve over time, reducing the risks of side-effects while still delivering the very satisfying aesthetic results that you see in our liposuction photos.

Looks like things are headed in the right direction.

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Since the invention of liposuction by an Italian gynecologist in 1974, the procedure has undergone numerous changes and innovations to improve both its safety and results.

A report on a liposuction study of 23 patients was recently released in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ March 2010 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the association’s official medical journal. According to the research, a form of liposuction that utilizes high frequency energy waves shows promise in the never-ending quest to safely and effectively rid human bodies of excess fat. Radiofrequency energy uses an electrical energy delivered in the form of high-frequency electrical current. During radiofrequency-assisted liposuction, called RFAL for short, the current heats the fatty tissue to dissolve fat cells with minimal damage to the fat and extremely little damage to surrounding tissues, particularly when compared to traditional types of liposuction.

The pilot study followed 23 patients over a 6-month period. Information as to the attractiveness of their results and notation of any complications were gathered both immediately after the procedure was performed, at 6 and again at 12 weeks postprocedure. There were no reports of scarring, burns or excessive postoperative discomfort. All patients reported skin tightening along with body contour improvements and significant weight and circumference reductions.

Researchers claim that the study suggests that removal of moderate amounts of fat using radiofrequency liposuction is achievable, safe and effective. We’ll be watching this over time to see if the RFAL device is approved by the FDA. In the meantime, our patients have been ecstatic with their Slim Lipo results!

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Anyone who’s suffered with scars as a result of teenage acne, or childhood chickenpox or measles knows the ongoing embarrassment those lingering marks have upon them as adults.  Facial pits are the pits but modern skin treatments can help them disappear or at least fade.
These kinds of scars can be removed with a special instrument, filled with dermal fillers, plumped by subcision to release the scar or smoothed down with microdermabrasion or laser resurfacing, depending upon the scar’s depth. Our lasers for scars, such as the Smoothbeam, Vbeam and Fraxel, are particularly effective at repairing acne scars and pock marks, as well as fillers such as Restylane and Radiesse. Both laser treatments and fillers provide an excellent solution with minimal or no downtime involved.

We all know that nicotine is a primary ingredient in tobacco products, and is the primary agent of addiction in cigarettes. Tobacco is known to speed up the development of facial wrinkles, but a recent discovery by Italian scientists might put tobacco in the anti-wrinkle category.

Wild tobacco is known to contain high levels of proline and glycine, amino acids that are found in abundance in human collagen. In the Italian study, wild tobacco was tested on keratinocytes, a major component of the skin’s dermis, and fibroblasts, the most common cells in human connective tissue, to identify potential anti-aging properties. Not only was tobacco found to be a powerful anti-oxidant, but its mix of amino acids, sugars and peptides positively impacted skin cells at the genetic level.

Although further tests are needed to confirm power of tobacco to contribute to beautiful skin, it’s currently available in several products under the ingredient name Bionymph.

Because our culture admires a rosy blush to the cheeks, rosacea, a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin, can exist unnoticed while it creates more damage to the skin.  Dry, bumpy and rough skin with red blotches can escalate to an acne-like appearance, resulting in permanent scarring.

Rosacea tends to run in families, so if either or both of your parents or siblings had or has rosacea, you’re more likely to get it. Although it can occur at any age, rosacea is more likely to become apparent after the age of 40, and is exacerbated by stress, spicy foods, alcohol and heat.

Rosacea can be improved with a series of intense pulsed light treatments, called IPL, which reduce the redness of rosacea while repairing the deeper layers of the skin. Check out our rosacea photos. Creams or gels containing the product, metronidazole, available by prescription, can also help.

For all our patients who love tattoos, we’ve recently come across of a new kind of body art called “augmented reality tattoos.”  Basically it’s a barcode that’s tattooed on your skin and, when viewed through a webcam, the tattoo turns into three-dimensional art and animates. Check out the video above to see what we’re talking about. This was created by a Buenos Aires firm called ThinkAnApp, which specializes in augmented reality.

Augmented reality (AR) is poised to become big over then next few years. There are AR business cards, AR games and toys, and even slightly cheesy AR card tricks.

The tattoos are a natural progression of this trend, but it’s still a little mind boggling to see.

There are a few downsides to this otherwise pretty cool tattoo technology.  Let’s start with aesthetics. The tattoo seen in the video isn’t particularly pretty or interesting, so the only people who are going to say “cool tattoo” will be on the Internet (unless you can get it to work with your iPhone – expect that to happen soon).  Second is that tattoos tend to fade and bleed over time.  We’re not sure how this will affect the long-term functionality of the tattoo, but it’s something to consider before taking the plunge.  And finally there’s the idea of being bar-coded.  Maybe it’s just us, but there’s something a little sinister about having a barcode permanently imbedded in your skin.  But there’s always tattoo removal, so things are less permanent than they once were.  But still, it’s a little creepy.

Don’t expect to see these tattoos go away any time soon.  As the web continues to push itself into the center of our relationships, body art like this will continue to grow in popularity.  We hope that as this happens, the barcodes can be integrated more naturally into tattoo designs.  And we look forward to seeing what comes next. After all the nature of these tattoos should allow their online AR art to be modified and changed to fit your mood, match your outfit or to “erase” the name of that “special someone” who is no longer worthy of being displayed on your body. The only thing left will be your imagination.

According to Sarah Stefanson’s recent article on AskMen.com, manscaping is the new buzz word for metrosexual men and may soon become as normal a practice for men as hairless legs are for women.

What’s “Manscaping?” It’s the removal of hair in places such as the chest, underarms, shoulders, back and genital area. Some men remove it all, including “down there” while others focus on just the most rampant of hairy spots such as the chest, shoulders and back.

Here are some manscaping tips for your man (and you!) to consider:

• Remove the hair first that looks the worst

At one time, lots of chest hair was “the look” (think 1970’s) of the manly male. In some subcultures in America, that’s still the case. However, even though most women love to run their fingers through a bit of chest hair, the carpeted look is definitely out. Judicious (and careful!) shaving can solve the harriest chest problems, but if your man is going to do this for the long-term, we recommend laser hair removal for the best results. Shaving leaves stubble, risks cuts and nicks, and becomes a real drag on one’s grooming time. Laser hair removal, on the other hand, can select the right areas to remove hair, leaving a little bit for that finger-running!

• Shoulder and Back Hair is a no-no

Even in the 70’s, shoulder and back hair was—there’s simply no better word than this—icky. It’s unsightly in anything but a full-coverage shirt (and can show through white ones), looks nasty at the beach or pool, and suggests a Neanderthal or worse, a simian—that’s ape in normal-speak. No woman wants her man to resemble King Kong. Again, laser hair removal can get rid of should and back hair for good!

• Hairy necks are out, too

A little hair at the front of the neck is a nice little teaser, but a full neck of hair that continues behind the nape of the neck in the back is unattractive.

• Armpits?

Unless your man is a competitive swimmer or bodybuilder, even the most metro of metro-sexual men leave their armpits hairy. Having said that, if your man has a forest that foments bacteria and contributes to underarm odor, a little bit of laser can do the trick, leaving enough to avoid accusations of femininity while getting rid of enough hair to make applying deodorant effective.

• Going Brazilian?

No woman expects her man to be completely nude of any body hair—especially “down there,” but some athletes do go full-Brazilian to control chafing from their protective undergarments.  At any rate, it’s nice for a gal to find a well-groomed area on a man in the nether regions, which can be controlled with a pair of scissors once a week after showering. As a bonus, less hair down there controls the potential for unpleasant odors.

Manscaping has certainly come more and more into the mainstream over the past few years, as men have begun to realize that they have options when it comes to looking their best in the buff.  One final piece of advice is to start slow – there’s no need to go from hirsute to hairless in a single session.  Trim a bit at a time and see how you like it.  You can always do more manscaping later.

We’re excited to announce our latest Quick Deal!  Anyone who books a facial in Livingston tomorrow (Tuesday 2/23/10) will get their choice of 30% off the list price of their facial – or – a free LED treatment, great for smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles. Eligible treatments include our Reflections Signature facial, Dermasweep, Sapphire 3 photoabrasion and more.  Treatments can also be performed on areas other than the face, such as the back.

Just call 973-740-2444 to book your appointment and we’ll take care of the rest.

As always, certain conditions apply.  There are only so many appointments available tomorrow, and we’ll be booking them on a first-call, first-served basis.  Once they’re gone, so is your chance to get this great offer, so please act quickly.  Also, this offer cannot be combined with any others and is only valid for appointments that occur on 2/23/10 in our Livingston office.

Finally a note about the LED treatment – it’s a great thing to try and many of our clients love them.  We typically administer them in a series of treatments, so you won’t see the full benefit from a single free session.  But this is a great way to try it out risk free and see what it’s all about.  If you fall in love with it, we’re happy to extend you special package pricing.  This isn’t meant to be a sales pitch here, we just want to make it clear that the free LED treatment is usually part of a larger series so you’re fully informed when choosing your deal.

Did you know that liposuction was invented in 1974 by an Italian gynecologist? It’s true. It was then brought to America, but it wasn’t until the 80’s that tumescent liposuction was created, giving patients a softer and safer method of body sculpting by adding salt water to the process. Like every medical discovery or device, time brings more technological advances. The latest and safest liposuction available today is provided by laser technology.

What’s the difference? There are key differences in function, safety, discomfort, results and recovery time.

Let’s talk about function first.
Although the function of both traditional and laser liposuction is to remove fat deposits, laser lipo is best for mild to moderate fat removal plus skin tightening, while traditional, surgical liposuction can eliminate larger amounts of fat. Traditional liposuction cannot tighten the skin like laser body contouring can.

There are big differences in discomfort and safety between traditional and laser liposuction.
Discomfort is higher in traditional liposuction, hands down. Incisions must be made and then sutured closed. Sometimes drains are also inserted and removed a few days after the procedure. With laser body contouring, the cannula is much thinner, often requiring no incisions at all, just tiny insertion points that will heal with nothing more than a steri-strip or a small band-aid. Traditional lipo usually requires going under general anesthesia, making the procedure more expensive and adding the risk of anesthesia-related complications. Laser lipo is performed under local anesthesia; you’ll be awake, alert and comfortable during the procedure.

The differences in results from laser vs traditional liposuction
Laser liposuction provides a level of skin tightening that does not occur with traditional liposuction. The high-energy beams of laser liposuction penetrate into the skin and heats up the innermost structures, stimulating new collagen and elastin growth in the skin. This creates better skin function and appearance, which improves over time. Less fat + better skin is, in our minds, the definition of a great result! Here are some laser lipo photos that show the excellent results one can get without surgery.

Another difference between laser and traditional liposuction is the timing of results. Traditional liposuction patients see results immediately. Laser liposuction patients will also see a change immediately, with more changes occurring over several months, as the collagen and elastin proliferate to smooth out the skin.

Recovery is vastly different
Laser liposuction is, by and large, much better tolerated than traditional liposuction. There’s no nausea and headache from general anesthesia, as laser lipo is done under local anesthesia. There are no large incisions and sutures. Also, there is far less bruising with laser liposuction. Generally, patients feel able to be up and about almost immediately, if not immediately, from laser body contouring.

Which type of liposuction is best for your needs?
The best thing is to talk to your physician about which form of liposuction will best help you achieve your body contouring goals.  With its ease of tolerability and minimal downtime, laser liposuction has become the far most popular option with patients at Reflections. You can find more information about the differences between these two procedures on our site, including frequently asked questions about laser liposuction.

We were surprised to learn that a number of our regular patients haven’t heard about Thermage.

If you’re suffering with signs of aging, such as sagging around the jaw line or crêpe-y skin on your neck, the Thermage radio-frequency procedure might be just the thing you need to avoid a facelift for as long as possible. Thermage can also be used on the abdomen to tighten up loose belly skin after weight loss, childbearing or simply aging. In fact, Thermage can be used anywhere you need a better contour and smoother, tighter skin.

Thermage works by applying radio-frequency waves that heat up the collagen beneath your skin’s surface. It doesn’t hurt and there’s no downtime involved. It takes only about an hour per treatment, so you can get right back to your schedule.

You’ll see some change immediately in the skin’s tightness, with more to come in the ensuing weeks and months—improvements continue up to six months.

Thermage can be applied on the face, hands, abdomen, arms, thighs and buttocks. We also use Thermage to enhance the results of laser liposuction because of its ability to tighten skin.

To review, Thermage is

• A non-invasive way to lift, tighten and shape almost any area of the body
• Not surgery and not an injection
• Painless and fast
• A great way to eliminate unwanted areas of fat and improve the appearance of cellulite

Of course, these are just the basics.  We’ve seen great results with Thermage and encourage you to learn more about Thermage in New Jersey at our office and check out the before and after pictures.  You can also contact our office for more information or to request a complimentary consultation with one of our physicians.