Cosmetic Surgery Chains

You will hear people mention the "art of medicine" or the "art of surgery", although these terms are used infrequently by those who want to homogenize medicine and are more comfortable with the term "health care providers" than the terms "doctor" or "physicians". Nevertheless, there are clearly differences between physicians as well as well as between physicians and non-physician "providers". There is considerable skill that is required for the proper performance of many procedures, and this is especially true of cosmetic surgery. That makes the existence of cosmetic surgery chains problematical.

SunSpheres: A New Form of Sun Protection

With the observation that the sunscreens currently in use prevent burning, but still allow considerable sun damage to accumulate, there has been ongoing research in finding ways to improve the effectiveness of sunscreens. A new product that may play a role is SunSpheres, a product that uses "hollow sphere technology".

Laser Assisted Liposuction (LAL)

Despite receiving FDA approval over two years ago, there is still relatively little information available about the benefits of performing liposuction with laser assistance. The first device introduced was the SmartLipo, by Cynosure, but now there are multiple devices on the market, some using the 1064nm wavelength (SmartLipo, ProLipo) & some using the 1320nm wavelength (CoolLipo, SmartLipo MPX). The ThinLipo operates at 924nm and 975nm. In many laser devices the laser light is preferentially absorbed by the target cells. This is not the case with fat cells, which are destroyed by photoacoustic and photomechanical effects.

Reloxin Approval Put Off Again

Approval for Reloxin, a competitor for Botox, appears to have been delayed again. Reloxin, like Botox, is Botulinum Type A. It is to be marketed by Medicis, now part of Johnson & Johnson, while Botox is manufactured by Allergan. Reloxin was supposed to be approved in the summer or fall of last year, but the FDA rejected the application because they felt that Medicis had not developed sufficient plans to follow up potential side effects. The new approval date was to be this month, but the FDA has now extended the approval period until April 13.