Yesterday the FDA said in a statement that procedures such as lipodissolve, mesotherapy, lipozap, lipotherapy, and injection lipolysis all involve unproven injections of drugs, and that “We are concerned that these companies are misleading consumers.”  The FDA reports that none of the drugs used in these therapies have been shown to work in clinical trials.

What does this mean for plastic surgery patients?  As most of us plastic surgeons have said all along, there are really only two ways to remove fat- healthy living, and surgery.  I’m a fan of both, and have been doing a lot of body reshaping for my patients recently.  That being said, I emphasize to my patients, as to myself and my family, that eating well with a healthy diet, and a great exercise program is such an important aspect in weight loss and body contouring… so eat your vegetables and get on your bike!  And if persistent areas of fatty deposits still bother you, I will be happy to see you in my office for liposuction or tummy tuck or any one of the many plastic surgery procedures that I perform in Santa Barbara for body contouring.

Plastic surgery in Santa Barbara- what’s in a name?

The term plastic surgeon is getting more confusing to understand, every day.  Cosmetic surgery, cosmetic medicine, plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, facial plastic surgery- many patients, and unfortunately some physicians, are using these terms interchangeably.

This is largely because any physician with a medical license can call themselves anything they want.  A general surgeon can advertise themselves as a plastic surgeon.  So can a physician who is trained in obstetrics and gynecology.  A family medicine physician, who has a very limited training or experience in invasive medicine, nonetheless surgery, can even advertise under a variety of self-deemed terms from cosmetic surgeon to plastic surgeon.  And in fact, it’s hard to blame them. (more…)

When is Liposuction the right answer?

Yesterday I did a liposuction operation on a young woman here at my Plastic Surgery Center in Santa Barbara.  She was in her mid 30’s, and she’s going to get a great result because she was an excellent candidate for the operation.  A lot of my patients come to the office looking for a change in their body form, often in the abdominal region.  Some patients are excellent candidates for the liposuction procedure, and some are better off with actual excisional body contouring plastic surgery.  Often I spend a good deal of time explaining the difference.

Liposuction is a process where extra fat is removed- literally “suckedâ€� out of the areas where it has inappropriately accumulated- without significant manipulation of the overlying skin. (more…)