Aesthetic Cosmetic Surgery » liposuction

Injection Lipolysis Not Proven to be Safe or Effective, FDA Warns

newseditor — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:21:03 +0000

Official FDA warnings were issued to several medispas last week regarding their marketing claims about the safety and effectiveness of injection lipolysis, i.e. lipodissolve.

Although none of the spas in question were located in Kentucky, the procedure is likely available in our area. Consumers should be cautious according to the FDA. With an injection of certain chemicals (phosphatidylcholine, deoxycholate, and others) practitioners claim that lipodissolve can remove areas of persistent fat. However, The procedure lacks supporting scientific evidence as a fat removal treatment.

The Medspas involved were apparently claiming that Lipodissolve was “superior to other fat removal procedures, including liposuction” and making misleading claims about the safety record and effectiveness of lipodissolve.

Given the lack of supporting evidence for lipodissolve and the side effects reported by consumers, officials in the FDA felt it was necessary to crack down on these misleading claims and warn consumers about them. The medical spas are being instructed to “correct these violations and prevent similar violations in the future.”

Surgical Enhancement: A Career Perk?

newseditor — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:39:46 +0000

Medical practices in Prague are offering free surgical enhancements to nurses as an employment incentive, according to this NY Times article. One nurse opted for breast augmentation and liposuction, free of charge.

The piece raises some interesting ethical questions: While the procedures could certainly be beneficial to individual nurses in the short term, would such a practice harm the nursing profession as a whole?

According to reporter Dan Bilefsky, nurses in the region “insist they are under enormous pressure to look good in a society where attractiveness is often as highly prized as clinical skills.” Critics argue that the incentives could promote an idealized body image for nurses, in a profession already suffering from misconceptions about technical competence. A spokeswoman from the Czech nurses association argues that nurses are still perceived as “low level workers” with little to offer besides manual labor. Nurses after all, aren’t intended to be models, but caregivers that provide an enormous benefit to the medical profession and the public they serve. A misplaced emphasis on their physical appearance could undermine public perceptions of their competence and value.

Still, others may not see any problem with offering incentives through procedures like breast augmentation or rhinoplasty; perhaps they’re analogous to employee discounts at a retailer, vacation packages, or other career perks.

The ethical issues being discussed probably aren’t a product of the incentive programs alone, but rather an objection to the sexism and discrimination that underlie them.

Breast Implants Surpass Liposuction in Popularity

editor — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:22:42 +0000

Industry statistics from 2008 indicate a shift in the popularity of certain cosmetic surgery procedures, most notably with breast implants. According to the ASPS, last year marked the first time that breast augmentation procedures surpassed liposuction procedures.

341,144 liposuctions were done in 2008, while breast augmentations numbered a surprising 355,671 during the same time period. “For the first time in the twelve years these statistics have been collected, liposuction is a runner up in popularity to breast augmentation”, said ASPS President Alan Gold.

Dr. Gold theorizes: “Changes in fashion, i.e. décolletage baring styles, might be a factor in bringing about this change. This turnabout will generate discussions in the medical community and the public at large”, he predicts.

We’re curious about what our readers think. Is this change surprising? Is it an obvious result of “changes in fashion”?