Liposuction, stem cell studies top aesthetics reads for September

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons president’s response to an International Business Times article investigating the performance of plastic surgery procedures completed by non–board-certified plastic surgeons was September’s most-read article on Healio.com/Aesthetics.

Other widely read articles included results of studies warning that patient education needs to improve on the use of stem cells in the aesthetics industry and finding that liposuction significantly increased quality of life in lipedema patients:

ASPS president responds to “Medical Turf Wars” article

American Society of Plastic Surgeons President Scot B. Glasberg, MD, responded to an International Business Times article titled “Medical Turf Wars” where the performance of plastic surgery procedures completed by non–board-certified plastic surgeons was investigated.

“We [the ASPS] are interested in protection — of patients, of the reputation of our specialty and of an essential component of our mission — advancing the highest standards of training, ethics and physician practice,” Glasberg wrote in the letter to the editor, which was released by the ASPS. Read more

Researchers: Consumers should be wary of stem cell products ‘scienceploitation’

Patient education needs to improve on the use of stem cells in the aesthetics industry, to ensure an understanding of relevant science on the topic, according to a study in Aesthetic Surgery Journal.

Researchers conducted a content analysis of 100 webpages identified using a Google search with the following terms: “(stem cell) AND (anti-aging or cosmetics)” and “(stem cell anti-aging product).” Read more

US Court of Appeals affirms dismissing 2013 lawsuit alleging damaging plastic surgery patient safety advertising

The Tenth District Court of Appeals affirmed the September 2013 dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a group of nonplastic surgeons alleging that patient-safety education advertisements in Utah were monopolistic efforts and messages causing them direct financial damages.

The nonplastic surgeons, calling themselves “cosmetic surgeons,” filed suit against the Utah Plastic Surgery Society, the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) and the American Board of Plastic Surgery, claiming that the Utah Plastic Surgery Society’s advertising, including billboards and media interviews similar to the ASPS “Do Your Homework” campaign violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and claimed false advertising in violation of the Lanham Act, according to a press release by the ASPS. Read more

Liposuction significantly increases quality of life in lipedema patients

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — After treatment with liposuction, patients with lipedema showed a significant reduction of subcutaneous fatty tissue, which improved body proportions and overall shape, according to a study presented at the 23rd Annual World Congress of Dermatology.

A total of 164 patients who underwent conservative lipedema therapy over several years were treated with liposuction in tumescent local anesthesia with vibrating microcannulas. Read more

ASAPS: Autologous fat grafting is a viable option for calf augmentation

Fat grafting is an effective way to correct slender calves due to deformities or for cosmetic purposes, according to a press release from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

“Autologous fat augmentation offers a number of advantages over calf implants, including liposuction in adjacent areas to improve calf contour, smaller incisions, additional augmentation through subsequent fat grafting, durable results, lack of foreign body reaction, and precise patient-specific adjustments not possible with off-the-shelf implants.” James E. Vogel, MD, said in the release. Read more