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New Treatments to Chase Away Wrinkles, Frowns
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 "It is important that the injection be done with expertise. Doctors will have to attend training courses to learn how to do it," he said, adding those courses are one of the conditions required by the FDA before approval becomes final.
Another, semi-permanent soft tissue filler moving toward approval is called Radiance, said Georgia plastic surgeon Dr. Miles Graivier. It is already FDA-approved for vocal cord paralysis and urinary incontinence. The product, reported to last from two to five years, consists of calcium particles that are made into a paste and injected under the skin. There, the body forms collagen around the calcium microspheres and smoothes out wrinkles.
"Thirty-five hundred patients have been treated" with Radiance, said Graivier. He reported that in two-year, follow-up studies in Italy and 16-month reviews in the United States, side effects included some swelling and bruising. And in 10 percent of patients, nodules that formed around the lips required further treatment.
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None of this beauty comes cheaply. Health insurance companies usually don't cover cosmetic procedures. And one cubic centimeter of Radiance, the amount needed for a standard procedure, can cost the patient between $1,200 and $1,900, Graivier said.
But people with discretionary income are willing to spend to look better, the same way they get their hair colored or pay for other beauty regimens, said Dr. Caroline Glicksman, a plastic surgeon in Sea Girt, N.J., who is not affiliated with any of the new injectible products.
"These new generation of fillers may last longer and offer alternatives for patients, because not one product is good for every patient," she said. But, Glicksman adds, she won't use them until they've been FDA-approved.
"I see my patients in the supermarket, and my husband plays golf with their husbands, and I don't want to see harm done," Glicksman said. "I really care about safety, so until it's been used for a while, I won't recommend them."
More information
The Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.org) discusses cosmetic surgery. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (www.facial-plastic-surgery.org) explains some of the terms used to describe cosmetic treatments. Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3
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Copyright © 2003 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 9/19/2003
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SOURCES: James Wells, M.D., president, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, Ill.; Caroline Glicksman, M.D., plastic surgeon, Sea Girt, N.J.; Miles Graivier, M.D. plastic surgeon, Roswell, Ga.; Gottfried Lemperle, M.D., Ph.D., clinical professor, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of California, San Diego;
Z. Paul Zorenc, M.D., plastic surgeon, assistant professor of plastic surgery, New York University School of Post Graduate Medicine, New York City; Sept. 17, 2003, meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, New York City
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