LASER ASSISTED LIPO: HELPFUL OR HYPE?

At our most recent ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) meeting in Washington, DC, two board certified plastic surgeon colleagues presented both sides of the laser liposuction debate. Dr. Barry DiBernardo of New Jersey is a proponent of laser liposuction while Dallas-based Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel is less excited about lasers’ inclusion in liposuction.

The ASAPS’ annual statistics show that Lipoplasty (the medical term for fat removal) is the second most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in America. Nearly 300,000 of them were performed in 2009. Since the first laser-assisted Lipoplasty device was approved by the FDA in 2006, surgeons have been in a hot debate about whether it’s a great new tool or just good marketing on the part of companies such as SmartLipo.

Basically, laser-assisted Lipoplasty means that a laser is used to break up the fat cells before they are suctioned out of the body. A tiny incision is made through which a laser probe is inserted and aimed at the fatty tissue to rupture the fat cells. Then the laser is pulled back toward the skin to stimulate the skin cells to tighten, a feature that doesn’t happen in traditional liposuction.

"Over the last two-and-a-half years there has been extensive research and development into laser-assisted lipoplasty, including multiple rounds of research and comparative studies published in peer-reviewed journals," said Dr. DiBernardo, a plastic surgeon in Montclair, NJ. "Ultimately, laser-assisted lipolysis has come to be an important tool in the fat loss armamentarium."

"It is important to note that no device is a magic wand," added Dr. Kenkel, a plastic surgeon in Dallas, TX. "Despite any hype generated by manufacturers, physicians, patients, or the media, results are ultimately practitioner-driven."

The bottom line? Any kind of cosmetic surgery should be done by a board certified plastic surgeon, not someone who has taken a weekend course or two. No tool can replace the skill and experience of a board certified plastic surgeon. Check out my website to see the before/after photos that I’ve shared regarding SmartLipo, a technique I have found to be highly effective!

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Joe Danyo

Fixing Dark Circles Beneath the Eyes Due to Tear Trough Deformity

If you notice dark circles beneath your eyes or a hollow under the lower lid area, you might have what’s called a tear trough deformity. Sounds scarier than it actually is! A tear trough deformity is just a furrow or channel that develops beneath the lower eyelid—usually with aging but some people have this naturally just due to their genetic makeup. When light hits the tear trough area of the eyes, the furrow creates a shadow, which can also look like dark circles beneath the eyes. Now, if the area under your eyes is puffy or baggy, this makes everything look a bit worse. The tear trough area can be remedied with just some injected filler, but if you have puffiness under the eyes, that must be treated with a lower blepharoplasty.

In my Delaware plastic surgery practice, I’ve found Juvederm to be terrific as a filler to get rid of that shadowy area. It fills the area nicely, is an easy gel to insert and lasts long enough to satisfy those with this problem. Call us if this is an issue for you and let’s see how quickly we can help you get rid of it!

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Joe Danyo

Those with vitiligo may experience less skin cancer

How often have you heard the phrase, "Always wear sunscreen!"? Often, right? It's the mantra repeated by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and skincare experts all over the world. Well, in an interesting turn of events, a recent study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that people with vitiligo (a chronic skin problem that removes the pigmentation from patches of their skin) are a bit more immune to skin cancer than the rest of us.

The University of London study involved 4300 men and women, some of whom had vitiligo and some who did not, in an attempt to identify gene patterns to help them know who "might" get vitiligo based on their genetic makeup. What they found were 7 genes connected to vitiligo. There were 2 possible combinations of these 7 genes: one gene pattern for those who had vitiligo and another for those who did not. Oddly, all 4300 tested had one of the two combinations of these 7 genes. Those likely to develop vitiligo had a gene combination that simultaneously decreased their risk of skin cancer, while those with a gene combination that increased their risk of skin cancer also showed a decreased risk of vitiligo.

In laypersons' terms, it means that even if you have the genes most likely to develop vitiligo, that doesn't guarantee that you'll develop it. In fact, only about 1% of the world's population has vitiligo. It just means that you may be more susceptible to getting it--but at the same time, you still have a decreased likelihood of developing skin cancer.

This is important news for those with vitiligo, for whom few treatments really do much good, other than depigmenting the rest of the body to match those areas that have lost pigmentation. Narrow band light has shown to be of some help but other than blister treatments, tattooing and skin grafting, little help is available to most people with this skin disorder.

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Joe Danyo