Archive for December, 2010

New RADIESSE® Formulation for Greater Comfort

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
radiesse beverly hills

In Los Angeles, RADIESSE® is a popular dermal filler for those looking to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The product works to replenish lost volume and smooth out wrinkles due to aging and other factors. This filler has been shown to stimulate the production of new collagen, which is found naturally in the skin.

RADIESSE is now being combined with lidocaine to increase patient comfort. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that is commonly used by dentists and for minor surgery. After clinical trials showing that patients saw an increase in comfort during the procedure, RADIESSE is now being packaged with a lidocaine formulation.

This combination is beneficial for both patients and physicians. While numbing creams can be administered before a RADIESSE treatment, studies have shown that patient discomfort is lowered when combining lidocaine and RADIESSE as part of the injection.

Have you had a filler treatment that included lidocaine? If so, how would you rate your level of comfort?

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Posted in Radiesse,Skin Care

FDA Approves Migraine Treatment with BOTOX®

Saturday, December 11th, 2010
botox beverly hills

BOTOX® in Los Angeles is undeniably known for its effectiveness in treating wrinkles and fine lines, but BOTOX in fact has many medical uses and is now adding one more. The FDA has approved BOTOX to treat chronic migraines. It is reported that 36 million people in the country suffer from these migraines, and of this group, 20 percent suffer from chronic migraines. A chronic migraine is described as lasting 4 or more hours, for 15 or more days out of the month.

To treat the migraines, BOTOX is injected into the upper portion of the face. While BOTOX is injected into the same general region as its primary cosmetic use, specific points of injection will differ for migraine treatment. BOTOX is believed to provide migraine relief by relaxing muscles causing spasms in the forehead as well as potentially blocking the transmission of pain from nerve receptors. It needs to be injected every 3 to 4 months to treat migraines.

This treatment could help decrease the severity and amount of migraines people experience, and I’m excited to see that new uses for this very popular pharmaceutical continue to be found.

What do you think about using BOTOX to treat migraines? Will it replace medication or even migraine surgery in the years to come?

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Posted in Botox,Skin Care

Los Angeles Breast Implant Study Released

Monday, December 6th, 2010
breast implant beverly hills

Even after silicone gel breast implants were approved by the FDA in 2006, surgeons across the country have been participating in trials of a newer “fifth generation” silicone gel breast implant, also referred to as a “form stable” or “gummy bear” breast implant. This latter nickname is derived from their texture– they are both soft and solid, resembling the texture of a gummy bear candy. If cut in half, the implant would retain its same form.

My colleagues and I have been participating in studies of form-stable cohesive breast implants and recently completed a review of the efficacy of this implant type. For our study we examined 355 Los Angeles breast implant patients over a 60-month period, which included women who had primary augmentation, primary reconstruction and revision breast surgery.

The results of our study concluded that these implants had similar complication profiles to other types of silicone gel breast implants. Our study also found that the fifth generation silicone implants have a lower rate of capsular contracture and a decreased incidence of wrinkling compared to fourth generation silicone gel implants, as well as other published studies of fifth generation silicone implants.

As of right now, fifth generation silicone implants are not cleared to be marketed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning that they are only available to the women who have chosen to participate in the clinical trials. Our study may provide more information that will help this implant type become widely available in the years to come.

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Posted in Breast Implant,Breast