New Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Board for IMSA
At its annual Board and Sustaining Members meeting in San Francisco, the International Medical Spa Association (IMSA) elected the 2005-2006 Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Board.
“I am honored to have a Board that collectively has literally hundreds of years of experience in the spa and medical fields,” says Hannelore R. Leavy, IMSA founder. “The individuals and their companies are the ‘who’s who’ of the medical spa industry. They all are committed to the vision of merging medicine and spa for the total well-being of their clients and patients.”
The Board’s first order of business was to appoint a new medical advisory board for the organization. Appointees include: Paul Benchwick, DO, PCA Skin Center; Dion D. Chavis, MD, FACS, Beyond the Image MedSpa; Aurora DeJuliis, MD, The Aurora DeJuliis European Medical Spa; Ira D. Koeppel, DDS, Smiles; Brian P. Maloney, MD, FACS, The Maloney Center; R. Stephen Mulholland, MD, Spa Medica; Annie-Claude Sanchis, BA BSN/RN MPH; Lawrence A. Schiffman, DO, DermDx Centers for Dermatology; Lynn Watanabe, DDS, The Dental Spa.
The Board of Directors includes Leavy, who will retain her title as executive director, and Eric J. Light, founder of the Strawberry Hill Group, who will serve as president. Also elected to the Board are Catherine Atzen, Atzenâ; Reinhard R. Bergel, PhD, H-e-a-t Spa-Kur Therapy Development Inc; John Buckingham, Solana MedSpas; Roger Ignon, Edge Systems Corporation; Gina K. Meyer, Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers; Lyn Ross, Institut DERMed; and Rada K. Tierney, Physician’s Choice of Arizona, Inc.
Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2005
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) offers its predictions for cosmetic surgery in 2005, based on interviews with leading plastic surgeons around the country.
• National attention to issues of patient safety will result, in some states, in more stringent requirements for physician credentials to perform cosmetic surgery.
• Endoscopic (arthroscopic) facial rejuvenation procedures may become more popular. Suture suspension techniques, promising facial rejuvenation with minimal downtime, may also increase in popularity.
• Experimental techniques for non-invasive fat removal, as a future alternative to liposuction (lipoplasty) surgery, will be tested in clinical trials.
• The number of patients seeking plastic surgery for body contouring after dramatic weight loss will rise by at least 20%, reflecting growing public awareness of significant long-term health benefits of weight loss for the morbidly obese.
• Cosmetic surgery for racial and ethnic minorities in the US will continue to increase, most likely exceeding 20% of the total procedures performed.
• Hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Hylaform) will surpass collagen as the most popular soft tissue filler for lines and wrinkles. Additional hyaluronic acid products developed specifically for facial volume enhancement and for improvement of depressed scars will be introduced.
• Fashion and beauty will emphasize nostalgia and elegance. In cosmetic surgery, more patients will express a preference for classical facial features, and a growing number of women will opt for smaller-size breast implants.
• More plastic surgeons will offer lifestyle assessment and counseling to their cosmetic surgery patients. The focus will be on wellness basics, with support from nutritionists and weight management specialists.
• A new generation of breast implant fillers and coatings, advanced lasers that rejuvenate the skin from the inside out, new products for scar management and prevention of keloids, and permanent injectable treatments for facial lines and wrinkles may be the biggest buzz in cosmetic plastic surgery.
• The proliferation of reality TV programs featuring plastic surgery may lose their public appeal. The long term psychological effect of undergoing a dramatic change in appearance from simultaneous multiple-procedures, as is common for participants of reality shows, may surface.
Industry Watch
• The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is sponsoring the 2005 Journalistic Achievement Awards (JAA), which will honor talented journalists who have written stories on aesthetic plastic surgery that have been published or broadcast in 2004.
JAA recipients receive a cash award and a framed certificate, as well as travel and accommodations to attend the ASAPS annual convention in New Orleans, LA from April 29—May 4, 2005.
A Patient Safety category has also been added to the 2005 awards in recognition of the importance of understanding steps patients should take to ensure their safety when undergoing cosmetic surgery.
For additional information, please call (212) 921-0500 or visit www.surgery.org/press/journalistawards.php.
• Candela Corp has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Smoothbeam® diode laser to treat sebaceous hyperplasia, a common skin condition most often seen in middle-aged to older adults, which usually appears on the skin, near the nose, cheeks, forehead, and chest as small, soft, yellowish papules.
“The FDA clearance is great news for Candela,” says Suzanne L. Kimer, MD, director of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of Northern California. “Existing therapies for sebaceous hyperplasia are often ineffective and more invasive. I have used the Smoothbeam for this application in many patients with great success and long-lasting results.”
This is the fifth FDA clearance for Smoothbeam.
Book Review
Your Complete Guide to Facial Cosmetic Surgery
$19.95; ISBN 1-886039-70-4.
Millions of Americans seek facial cosmetic surgery. The number of face-lifts increased 46% last year, while other procedures such as rhinoplasty and eyelid lifts have also increased dramatically over the years. Perhaps your patients are considering plastic surgery, but they are nervous about undergoing surgery or they are apprehensive about the results. “Your Complete Guide to Facial Cosmetic Surgery” by Jon Mendelsohn, MD, William Truswell, MD, and Kriston Kent, MD, will answer all their questions about cosmetic surgery and offer descriptions of various procedures, along with dozens of before and after photos. In this book, Mendelsohn and his co-authors reassure readers of how simple many of the sought-after procedures are. They offer tips on how to choose a qualified facial cosmetic surgeon, say what to expect before and after the surgery, and take the mystery out of popular procedures, such as rhinoplasty, otoplasty, and Botox injections.
“Cosmetic surgery is a gift you give yourself,” says Mendelsohn. “It’s not just for celebrities or reality show contestants. It’s for real people with normal lives and dreams and hopes and fears. People just like you.”
Cosmetic Surgery is No Longer Just for Women
According to market research, spending on men’s grooming products and the number of men undergoing Botox cosmetic treatments are increasing. In 2003, nearly one million men underwent plastic surgery.
A new trend in grooming and aesthetic therapies, ThermaCool® Facelift, helps men regain and maintain a more youthful, confident appearance with a knifeless technique. Unlike surgery, ThermaCool has little downtime and moderate discomfort, yet subtle and effective improvements.
“Many of my patients who want to improve their appearance shun the idea of having surgery with weeks and weeks of recovery time before seeing results,” says Grant Stevens, MD. “What makes the ThermaCool Facelift so appealing to these patients is that they can achieve excellent results without the lengthy downtime or potential risks.”
ThermaCool Facelift has a proven track record of delivering safe, yet effective results to patients demanding an alternative to invasive cosmetic surgery.
Association Announces Spa Person of the Year
Linda-Anne Kahn, director and founder of Beauty Kliniek Aromatherapy Day Spa and Wellness Center in California (one of the country’s first day spas) has been named the “Spa Person of the Year 2004.”
“We are delighted that the Day Spa Association has chosen to present this award at Face & Body the second year in a row,” says Marian Raney, publisher of Skin Inc. “We are delighted to have this award as part of our conference and Gala Reception, benefiting the Melanoma Research Foundation.”
Kahn has a long-standing holistic approach philosophy and is committed to health and well-being of the body, mind, and spirit. Her aromatherapy treatments, manual lymph drainage, and hydrotherapy make her a veteran in the day spa industry.
Kahn is a Cidesco Diplomate and a Clinical Aromatherapist. She holds a certificate as a Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist and Lymphedema specialist from the Dr Vodder School in Austria and the Foldi School in Germany.
Skin Glue Earns Highest Satisfaction Rating
Results of an international clinical study has found that Dermabond Topical Skin Adhesive by Ethicon Inc is equivalent to sutures and other epidermal wound closure devices when closing surgical incisions.
“This is the first study that provides the medical community with clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of a surgical adhesive in closing long incisions,” says Phillip N. Blondeel, MD, PhD, University Hospital of Gent, Gent, Belgium. “Furthermore, these findings are of particular significance to specialists, as it shows that Dermabond Adhesive can successfully be utilized to achieve a high rate of satisfaction among both physicians and patients across numerous surgical applications.”
The study examined the use of Dermabond Adhesive to close incisions varying in length from 4 to 69 cm, across six surgical specialties including plastic, general, maxillofacial, neuro, and thoracic surgery.
“The results of this study reinforce my own clinical experience with Dermabond Adhesive as a closure device,” says John W. Murphy, MD, FACS, general surgeon and study investigator. “In addition to serving as a microbial barrier, Dermabond offers a variety of practical benefits to patients as it is less visible than sutures and staples, promotes better healing, and doesn’t require removal.”
