Medesthetics

NOV-DEC 2015

MedEsthetics magazines offers business education and in-depth coverage of the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures for physicians and practice managers working in the medical aesthetics industry.

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64 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 | Med Esthetics NEWS & EVENTS BELLAFILL EFFECTIVE THROUGH FIVE YEARS Suneva Medical has announced that dermal fi ller Bellafi ll (polymethylmethacrylate) demonstrated safety and effi cacy through fi ve years, following completion of its fi ve-year post-approval study for nasolabial folds. The post-approval study included 1,008 patients enrolled across 23 study centers in the U.S. At fi ve years, an 87% retention rate was observed, with the majority of patients (83%) rating a "satisfi ed" to "very satisfi ed" outcome with their treatments. The incidence of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) in patients was 11.7%, the majority of which were mild in severity and resolved by the conclusion of the study. The most commonly reported TRAEs were lumpiness at the injection site (~4.5%) and redness (1.8%), and there was a 1.7% incidence of granulomas. FDA WARNS AGAINST SKIN LIGHTENING INJECTABLES The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning against injectable products marketed to whiten or lighten the complexion, saying that they are potentially unsafe and ineffective, and may contain unknown harmful ingredients or contaminants. There are currently no FDA- approved injectable drugs for skin whitening or lightening. "These products pose a potentially signifi cant safety risk to consumers. You're essentially injecting an unknown substance into your body—you don't know what it contains or how it was made," says FDA pharmacist In Kim. "We have noticed a number of online companies marketing injectable products for skin whitening and are concerned that these products and their ingredients may cause serious harm to consumers." Such products may contain ingredients such as glutathione, vitamin C, collagen and human placenta. In addition to potential harm from the product itself, the FDA warns that improper or unsafe injection practices may transmit disease, cause infection and result in serious injury. To report an illness or injury you believe to be related to the use of these products contact: 800.332.1088, fda.gov. FDA CLEARS FOUR-WAVELENGTH PICOSECOND LASER Zarin Medical's PiQo4, the fi rst picosecond laser system with four wavelengths (1064nm, 532nm, 650nm and 585nm), has received FDA clearance for laser tattoo removal. The PiQo4 treats all tattoo colors, traumatic tattoos and amateur tattoos, as well as pigmented lesions such as nevi, lentigines, café-au-lait birthmarks, melasma and seborrheic keratosis. The system, designed and manufactured by Focus Medical, offers up to 2,000mJ of energy in a single pulse and spot sizes up to 15mm in diameter for enhanced speed and greater depth. It also includes a Q-Switch mode, providing more options for picosecond and nanosecond pulse durations. "This robust platform has been widely used in Asia for years. Therefore, our company is confi dent in the system's reliability and durability," said John Lee, CEO of Focus Medical. For more information visit zarinmedical.com. UPDATED PRACTICE MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING GUIDEBOOK NOW AVAILABLE Cheryl Whitman, president of Beautiful Forever Aesthetic Consulting, has released an updated fourth edition of her practice management and marketing guide, Beautifully Profi table/Forever Profi table. The book includes practice management and marketing tips based on her two decades of work helping aesthetic medical practices achieve greater profi tability. "We have added several new chapters, expanding the reach of our subject matter while, at the same time, updating our sections on social media marketing—a marketing specialty that seems to change almost daily," says Whitman. "We now cover project management, the fi nancial opportunity that comes from adding stem cell treatments to your service mix, and the vital importance of patient relations services to generate profi table word of mouth. In this new edition, we also reveal the three key steps to generating and sustaining strong media relations with radio, TV, news, magazines and internet media—all vital (and free) ways of attracting new business."

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