Nonsurgical cosmetic treatments growing in popularity - skin tightening devices for home use

Dr. W.
Grant Stevens called this his ice room.
With laser ,-
Fat-tightening device
On a recent Wednesday, a 65-year-
The old woman named Helen, the bright corner of Marina del Rey's medical facility is the culmination of the latest non-surgical cosmetic surgery.
In a corner, there is an electronic wand that is not much larger than a pen, plugged in, ready to roll on Helen's face and tighten her skin.
Two square Zeltiq machines sit in another corner as a replacement for non-surgical procedures.
There's the latest version of the radio in the room.
Frequency skin tightening device Thermage, Xeo hair removal device, Zerona laser that should remove fat and Fraxel-a so-
Called graded laser, it is used to re-surface and smooth skin.
"My husband called me when I was young.
"He said I was beautiful," said Helen, an Israeli socialite who flew to Los Angeles. A.
The day before she left Miami to polish her cosmetic surgery from plastic surgeon Stevens three months ago.
"He forgot to call meyafah for many, many years. . . .
Now he asked, "Do you have a boyfriend ? "
You look so good. it doesn't make sense anymore.
Helen asked not to use her last name for privacy reasons, and when the Zeltiq machine was attached to her leg, her cheeks were coated with numb gel, looking forward to Exilis and Fraxel treatment, she is having this conversation.
She holds a book on her leg.
She's ready.
Helen smiles as much as possible when a person's face loses all her feelings, which is evidence of a major trend: growth in non-surgical cosmetic equipment and treatment. Eighty-
3%. 2010 non-surgical operations in all cosmetic cosmeticin offices ,-
The American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and cosmetic surgery also reported similar trends.
What does that mean in terms of volume?
Nearly 8 million non-surgical cosmetic surgeries were performed last year at a cost of $4.
$1 billion.
"There is a huge demand for non-surgical procedures," said the doctor.
Jeffrey Kenkel, president of the American Society of cosmetic plastic surgery.
Ken Kerr, a plastic surgeon in Dallas, said the reason is simple.
"Some patients only want a little change," he said . "
Others are just not interested in the procedure.
"They are looking for programs that are cheaper, less painful and less disruptive than a, and a costs an average of $6,600 and takes weeks to recover.
In the past year alone, they have approved two new devices for fat removal in non-surgical procedures
Zerona and zeltik, the latter quickly favored as an operation --
A free alternative to liposuction.
Zeltiq is a vacuum device.
Attached to the body, provides accurate and controlled cooling through the skin to target subcutaneous fat deposits. The one-
The goal of hourly treatment is to freeze and kill fat cells without damaging the skin or internal organs.
If the treatment is successful, within a few weeks, the fat cells are broken down and treated by the liver and eventually discharged from the feces.
"Typical candidates need to have one or two exposures on the average love handle," said the doctor.
Dieter Manstein, co-
Dr. Zeltiq, inventor. Rox Anderson (
Both of them work at the Wellman light Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of the Center).
"The ideal candidate is someone with a pretty good figure, someone with some love handle, or a back
Pregnant bags or back fat that don't want to disappear, "said Manstein, who also
Developed with Anderson a fractional laser skin surface repair technique promoted by a device called Fraxel.
FDA spokesman Jefferson said the FDA did not track the application rate for medical devices.
But she added that the agency has removed a large number of devices for tightening skin and reducing wrinkles over the past decade.
Number of FDA-approved skin-
In particular, tightening devices have increased significantly in recent years, including products such as Exilis and Pearl.
Exilis devices use RF waves to try to stimulate and enhance collagen (
And reduce fat).
About 100 Exilis devices are being used in the United StatesS.
Included in Stevens's ice room.
"We try to be very comprehensive," said Stevens of the board of directors --
Certified Cosmetic Plastic surgeons practice at Marina Del Rey's Marina Plastic Surgery Society and are there. Dr.
Plastic surgeon Sanjay Grover, an intern at Newport Beach and Beverly Hills, said patients wanted to choose.
"The interesting thing these days is [that]
"If you watch TV or watch magazines, pharmaceutical companies will bypass doctors and go straight to consumers," Grover said . ".
"They create a lot of awareness of the product among consumers.
"In my practice, I offer many different products and services," Grover continued . ".
"Today's beauty surgeons or medical providers need to be able to provide the complete
Shops serving patientsand]
You want to tell them what these ways will bring, because for some patients, it's not worth paying some before they go through certain [other]procedures.
Some devices are unpredictable, says Kenkel.
"This is the frustration of clinicians like me.
It's great to have a device to tighten your skin, but can it do this [Again and again]?
Can it continuously and reliably tighten the skin or remove fat?
If a device only tightens 20% of the skin, but it tightens 90% of the time, the patient can relate to it.
Patients cannot be associated with devices that will produce good results in some people, and not in others, because you don't know which group you will belong.
"Many cosmetic plastic surgeons test the device themselves, or offer new surgery to patients for free or at a lower cost.
Kathy wither wax, 48year-
The four-year-old mother wants her skin to "look brighter, younger and fresher" without surgery.
"I want to get the most results with the least downtime because I have two small results," she said . ".
"When I really needed surgery, when I was about 70, I wanted to leave the surgery," said Weatherwax, who paid $1,500 for ultrasound facial tightening treatment, and her doctor completed the carbon dioxide grading laser treatment.
Weatherwax is expected to decrease
When she was a lifeguard in her teens, she used her break to lie in the sun, deepen her skin and deepen her skin.
Weatherwax offers a range of options, including micro-grilling, fillers, and a, with the choice of ultrasound therapy to lift and smooth the eyebrows, as well as a graded laser to treat sunlight damage.
Wetherwax said her.
"I think I can pass 40 exams," she said . ". susan.
Carpenter @ latimes.