I recently attended our national plastic surgery meeting in Chicago. One of may favorite sessions is called hot topics. In this full day course, all of the new technologies and products that are already or soon to be available are reviewed with regard to the science, effectiveness and proven results. We spent a fair amount of time discussing the newest Botox like injectables. Reloxin and Puretox will both be available sometime later this coming year. While they are not exactly the same as Botox, it will be nice to have some choices and this may keep the cost of Botox in check. There were some new ways of melting fat using ice and targeted high power ultrasound. The results after one treatment with these modalities were modest at best but if they can be done in an office setting without the need for anesthesia or cutting, they may have a place. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months. None of the cellulite treating machines (Velasmooth, Velashape, and Smoothshape) generated any positive lasting results. I’m glad we did not buy into any of these technologies as the vast majority of patients are disappointed in their results after multiple treatments. Laser lipolysis did however look very promising. In the technique I have helped to develop using a blended mode of two different laser wavelengths, many nice results with better skin retraction were demonstrated. Many of the newest fractional lasers that use an ablative wavelength to improve the appearance of wrinkles, discoloration and texture were compared. It is still not clear what depth and size of injury will produce the best result with the shortest downtimes. We are going to try a few of these and pick the best one. All in all it was a day well spent to reinforce to me that we try to evaluate and choose the best technologies for our patients.
