What’s New in Plastic Surgery?

Posted in About Dr. Mills, Body Contouring, Cellulite Reduction, Facial Procedures, Media

One of the hottest trends in plastic surgery is the explosion of non-surgical additions to our options for aesthetic enhancement. This can be extremely exciting and worrisome all at the same time. In the hands of someone who offers the entire array of treatments from beginning to end – and who can diagnose the problem as well as the exact way to take care of the issue – it is exciting. If, on the other hand, the physician can’t offer ALL of the options to the patient, the wrong alternative may be provided.

An example of this would be if a patient has jowling and the doctor offers a treatment that will not fulfill his or her expectations. In this case, what’s best for the patient is not being done. That’s the reason to have your consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in aesthetic surgery, because they know the whole width and breadth of what would be better for the patient in fulfilling their expectations, as well as what is safe. Too many times the sound of the “sizzle” is better than the taste of the steak. The exciting thing is that we now have so many more little niches that get the public excited to enter the aesthetic space at all levels. This can lead to a beauty for life type continuum.

Recently, the most exciting thing surgically is this same beauty for life implementation for facelifting. Someone who is 40 to 45 years old does not generally need all of the procedures or as drastic a procedure as someone who is older – your elasticity is much better and will last longer when you’re younger. Shorter scar facelifts and less invasive measures, when appropriate, have been an exciting nuance. It’s gratifying to be able to offer a patient ways to reach their expectations with surgical expertise using the least invasive measures. However, you won’t find this without going to a true expert.

On the non-surgical side, a brand-new option for submental, or chin, fat removal just got FDA approval within the last month in Kybella^™. It is said that 25% of people have more submental fat than they would like. With a series of injections, this concern could be improved significantly with minimal invasion. I have not personally used this new tool, but I will be within the next month. I applaud the company wholeheartedly in that they are rolling this out to board-certified plastic surgeons who would be judicious in their use and would be expert at taking care of any possible complications for optimal patient safety. As they get more and more data from great aesthetic surgeons, they will then be able to learn how to teach others as well. As a plastic surgeon, this opens up many other possibilities, such as touch-up areas of waviness from CoolSculpting^® or liposuction, just to name a few other applications.

The hottest thing in my practice has been the introduction of Cellfina^™, which is the first treatment that has been able to really work for cellulite. For years we’ve tried lotions, potions, and creams with little or no success. There have been machines with massage and ultrasound or radio frequency that have also fallen way short. I’ve used Cellfina^™ in my practice for a few months, and every patient that has had the procedure has been thrilled. It’s a system that uses local anesthesia and a needle that cuts through the fibrous bands causing cellulite. Most patients can drive themselves to the office and home after the procedure, needing little or no oral sedation. There are some patients who have bruising for two weeks to a month, but minimal change in their routine. To the company’s credit once again, they are starting to train board-certified plastic surgeons to have a good database, as these surgeons would be the best ones to be able to take care of any possible surgical complication. I’m excited to offer something new that really works for cellulite. In the FDA trials, 94% of patients were satisfied after a year of their treatment, and they are very close to their announcement of the two year results.

– Daniel C. Mills, MD, FACS

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