September 11, 2008

Timeless beauty

Options abound for boosting spa business -- even during an economic downturn

Nancy A. Melville
Staff Correspondent

With the economy teetering towards recession, medspas find themselves in an odd position. On one hand, they may see a dwindling of customers who were already pushing the limits of their budgets for treatments, yet they may see an increase in the form of new customers who, because of the economy, may have decided to put off that $10,000 face lift for a few years and take care of things with a few Botox or laser treatments instead.ng to Isaac Starker, M.D., a plastic surgeon, Florham Park, NJ.

Even before the economy took a serious downward slide, noninvasive cosmetic procedures were soaring, and figures indicate that cosmetic rejuvenation remains a high priority for many baby boomers.

Beauty trend
The number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2007 was up to 11.7 million, after staying steady at 11.5 million procedures in 2005 and 2006, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and the number is expected to continue to grow. Meanwhile the society's statistics also show that while surgical procedures have increased 142 percent since 1997, nonsurgical procedures have increased 743 percent since then -- and that's good news for medspas.

"Nonsurgical procedures have increased 743 percent [since 1997]."

"It would be a key mistake for medspas to assume people will stop spending disposable income on cosmetic procedures," says Cheryl Whitman, CEO of the Beautiful Forever Medical Spa Business Consulting Firm.

"Obviously, no business escapes the impact of an economic downturn," she adds. "However, our aging population is still very focused on appearance and is willing to funnel some disposable income into achieving a more youthful appearance."

For complete article:
http://cosmeticsurgerytimes.modernmedicine.com

Wrinkle Removers, Backed by Science

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

Published: August 18, 2008

NY Times

Nostrums that promise to smooth wrinkled skin are a staple of snake-oil salesmen everywhere, but now there is strong evidence that certain kinds of treatment are effective. Over the past decade, researchers have been learning which treatments work, and why.

The key is a growing understanding of the skin's connective tissue, called the dermal collagen, and a recognition that damage to the mechanical properties of the collagen outside the skin cells, and not necessarily genetic damage to the cells themselves, causes wrinkled skin.

A recent review in The Archives of Dermatology concludes that three anti-aging treatments are proven clinically effective: the topical application of retinol; carbon dioxide laser resurfacing; and injection of hyaluronic acid, a moisture-retaining acid that occurs naturally in the skin. Each depends on the same mechanism, the interaction of skin cells called fibroblasts with the collagen they produce.

"This is an area where there's a lot of hype and not much substance," said David J. Leffell, a professor of dermatology and surgery at Yale who was not involved in the review. But, he said, this study is "good science."

Theory and experiment back these treatments, the authors write. Fibroblasts -- connective tissue cells -- secrete a complex group of polysaccharides and proteins that creates collagen, which gives the skin shape and elasticity and supports the blood vessels that permeate it. The network of collagen tissue is maintained by its mechanical tension with these skin cells.

Skin deteriorates as it ages, but its exposure to sunlight inhibits the ability of fibroblasts to produce collagen. The hands, face, neck and upper chest all suffer more than unexposed skin, and light-pigmented people wrinkle more readily than others. This damage, the authors write, is essentially an accelerated version of chronological aging. Ultraviolet radiation induces production of the same enzymes that degrade collagen with age.

For complete article please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/health/19skin.html?ex=1219896000&en=1f7f67939e7fea9b&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Contemporary cosmetic surgeons need one eye on trends

Sep 1, 2008
Cosmetic Surgery Times

Today's top technology trends capitalize on patient and physician demands. Among those demands are devices that continue to offer less invasive approaches and shorter downtimes, but do not fall as short as previous technologies on outcomes.

FRACTIONAL ABLATIVE

Fractional resurfacing technology won big popularity points for resulting in less downtime than traditional ablative procedures, but its outcomes -- especially for patients with more severe skin damage or acne scarring -- were often less than desirable.

"The [resurfacing] devices did not actually make real holes, so to speak, or create vacuums, where the tissue was removed by the device. Nowadays, we are seeing with fractional CO2 and fractional erbium ... the ability to create ... defects where the tissue is actually removed," says Brian Biesman, M.D., an oculoplastic surgeon in Nashville, Tenn., and president of American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS). "This creates a different kind of wound and can stimulate a wound healing process that can produce very impressive outcomes from both the tightening and wrinkle-reduction standpoints and improvement in color. I call it fractional ablative versus fractional coagulative.

The Reliant company, now Thermage, is among the leaders in the technology and has secured FDA approval for its Fraxel re:pair laser system. Doctors say most laser companies are following suit with fractional ablative options.

"We are at the point where we have demonstrated that there is a real and viable role for fractional ablative devices especially in patients with more advanced photoaging or acne scarring, who are interested in significant improvement with fewer treatments than would be associated with traditional coagulative devices and who are also willing to accept a bit more recovery time in exchange for that improvement," Dr. Biesman says.

The fractional ablative trend means years of mediocre results from fractional resurfacing might be coming to an end, says Vito C. Quatela, M.D., clinical associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, at University of Rochester, NY, and president, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).

"Every time we have deviated from CO2 to another machine in the last five years, it just did not have the horse power. ... patients were left wishing for more. For the first time, we are going to have a series of machines that are going to be capable of doing more and with the fractionation, hopefully with a quicker recovery time," Dr. Quatela says.

For complete article please to to:

http://cosmeticsurgerytimes.modernmedicine.com

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beautiful forever Medical Spa Business Consulting is a cutting edge consulting firm for anyone looking to open a new Medical Spa, Cosmetic Laser Center, Wellness Center or Day Spa.

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