Five-year follow-up data suggests that a single treatment from the Cellfina® System helped improve the appearance of cellulite on the thighs and buttocks for 5 years. Merz presented these results recently at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) Annual Meeting in Phoenix.

This new five-year data builds upon Cellfina’s duration of effectiveness, which was previously three years – the longest FDA clearance for a cellulite treatment, according to a media release from Merz North America Inc.

According to the study, of the patients who completed the 5-year follow up, evaluators rated 100% of the patients as having noticeable improvement after 5 years.

“With this new five-year data, patients and physicians should feel confident that Cellfina is the right step toward proven, noticeable, and lasting results in the improved appearance of cellulite,” says Dr Michael Kaminer, cosmetic surgeon and Cellfina 5-year study group member.

“Creams and other cellulite treatments lead to limited patient satisfaction2, while Cellfina patients experience enduring results. The study results confirm what we regularly see in practice,” he adds in the release.

Merz also presented new guidelines for improving Ultherapy® Treatment results and patient satisfaction developed by a panel of expert aesthetic physicians called the Ultherapy Treatment Consensus Group (Group). The Group, formed to provide physicians with a framework to customize their treatment approach, declared Ultherapy the gold standard treatment for lifting and tightening skin on the chin, neck and chest.

Ultherapy is an FDA-cleared non-invasive treatment to help lift skin. The treatment uses the body’s own regenerative response to gently and gradually lift skin on the eyebrow, under the chin and on the neck, and smooth lines and wrinkles on the décolletage. The cosmetic procedure uses ultrasound imaging/visualization, which allows practitioners to see the layers of tissue targeted during the treatment to ensure the energy is deposited to where it will be most beneficial for skin lifting.

“The expert physician panel agreed that Ultherapy is a key foundational aesthetic treatment and the gold standard for nonsurgical lifting of the skin,” states Dr Sabrina Guillen Fabi, cosmetic dermatologist and lead author of the Ultherapy consensus guidelines, in the release. “The guidelines extend the clinical data and valuable evidence available for physicians to be confident that treating patients with Ultherapy leads to proven outcomes.”

The Group concludes that the use of ultrasound visualization is the single-most important factor for selecting optimal treatment depth to achieve ideal outcomes and increase patient satisfaction.

In addition to the two oral presentations, Merz will present key updates on leading aesthetics products at the ASDS meeting, including:
· Diluted and Hyperdiluted Calcium Hydroxylapatite (RADIESSE®) for Skin Tightening: Guidelines from a Global Consensus Panel
· Comparison of XEOMIN® to botulinum neurotoxin type A formulations in Asia
· Escalating Doses of IncobotulinumtoxinA (XEOMIN®) for Extended Treatment of Glabellar Frown Lines: Results from a Randomized, Double-Blind Study
· The DESCRIBE® PFD Patch in Picosecond and Q-Switched Laser-Assisted Tattoo Removal: Safety in Fitzpatrick IV-VI Skin Types

“We are pleased to have a strong presence at the ASDS meeting with 15 data presentations,” comments Dr Kristina Yu-Isenberg, vice president, North America Medical Affairs at Merz, in the release. “We are committed to delivering useful, relevant data to dermatologists and plastic surgeons to inform their practice and best meet the needs of the patients they treat.”

[Source: Merz North America Inc]