COSMETIC SURGERY & AESTHETICS

BREVARD COSMETIC SURGICAL CENTER: Dr. Frank Venzara, right, and Dr. Robert Bashore, left, with Physician Assistant Dan Daniels, center, in one of their two fully equipped surgical suites. Drs. Venzara and Bashore are Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and have over 50 years cumulative experience. Daniels is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and holds hospital privileges with several local hospitals.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – I attended the Aesthetic Meeting given by and for members of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS).  It was a busy meeting and I took several courses on the new techniques and technology that have arrived on the scene in this ever-changing world of Cosmetic and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

With that said, the main focus was economy, economy, economy! What are the best ways for you to use your money?  Everyone is cutting back but still want to maintain his or her youth.

Best bang for your buck

• Botox is still the number one seller. The more it is used, the more uses we find for it. It's not just for the forehead and crow's feet anymore. ASAPS members have found many uses for Botox in the lower face as well. It must be used cautiously, but in the hands of a skilled injector, the results are amazing.

Botox should have some competition real soon. There are several new companies ready to release their new botulism toxin A products, such as Dysport, Reloxin and Purtox to name a few. Keep an eye out for these products. Perhaps the competition they bring to the market will help bring down the cost.

• Dermal fillers are still big. Juvederm is releasing their product with lidocaine (a local anesthetic) which should make the injections much more comfortable. However, one of the other players in the filler market, which manufactured Artefill, became a casualty of the economy and went out of business last year.

There are many products on the market to enhance your eyelashes such as lash extensions and transplants. These are invasive procedures, which tend to be more popular on the West Coast and which we do not offer to our patients.

• My office staff has started using a product called LATISSE by Allergan to stimulate lash growth. Our patients have had very favorable outcomes with this FDA approved product. We are now carrying LATISSE, which requires a physician's prescription, in our office. Although there are other less effective lash stimulators available over the counter, they run about the same price as the LATISSE.
• Lasers continue to become more advanced, but I believe there is still nothing better than fractionated CO2 for facial resurfacing. People who want their tattoos removed have something to look forward to with the new multi-wavelength technology. It has definitely improved the removal of the blacks, dark blues, reds and green colors, however there is presently still no laser that will take out the yellows or light blues.
• With all the new trendy names in liposuction such as Smart Lipo, Smooth Lipo, Slim Lipo, Laser Lipo, just to name a few, one can get very confused as to what gives the best results. Most new techniques are now using laser light to add a touch of heat for dissolving fat that still must be suctioned out by the traditional method. These "laser lipos" are effective when used as an adjunct to the traditional liposuction procedure.

The newest and most unusual technology presented at the meeting was Cryolipolysis. This external cooling technique is an innovative technology that uses precise cooling rather than traumatic heating or shock waves to reduce fat layer thickness. Although Cryolipolysis is still under research investigation, it appears to have great promise and is certainly a concept to watch.

Trends & Fads
The meeting was fun and informative, and I look forward to the next one. There are trends and fads in Aesthetics Surgery, more so than any other medical specialty.  It will be interesting to see which concepts, products and techniques stay the course and which ones fall by the wayside. Our office will continue to be vigilant at closely investigating and assessing the value of new techniques and technologies to ensure we are providing the most up-to-date, cost effective, quality service to our clientele.

Dr. Fank Venzara

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Frank Venzara was born in Chicago and has resided for the majority of his life in South and Central Florida.  He is a graduate of both University of Miami's Undergraduate Program and Medical School.  He trained as a surgical resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and as a plastic surgery fellow at the University of Missouri's Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri.  He has practiced in Brevard County, Florida,  for 29 years as a Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon.  When not attending to his surgery schedule, Frank enjoys surfing and fishing. Dr. Venzara can be reached at 321-452-3882.

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