Celebrity Laser Spa Blog

Juvederm Voluma

Dr. Kaplan — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:23:27 +0000

Juvederm Voluma is the newest product in the Juvederm line of products, made by Allergan. It is currently under FDA review and may be approved in 2012. It is already in use in other countries, including Canada. Voluma uses more small molecule hyaluronic acids that are more tightly cross-linked, yielding a highly viscous product that is better for deep injection to correct age-related volume loss and lipoatrophy. Unlike other volumizers, such as Radiesse, Voluma is reversible with hyaluronidase, as is the case with the other Juvederms. One study noted the presence of Voluma in 76% of patients at 12 months after injection.

You can be assured that once Juvederm Voluma becomes available, Celebrity Laser Spa will be one of the first esthetic practices to offer it to our patients. Stay tuned!

Ultrashape for Non-Surgical Fat Reduction

Dr. Kaplan — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:34:48 +0000

Ultrashape is a platform for non-surgical fat reduction using focused ultrasound. It is similar to Liposonix in that ultrasound is focused below the skin to non-invasively destroy fat and reduce the thickness of the fat layer of the skin. It is made in Israel and the company was recently acquired by Syneron, another manufacture of lasers and aesthetic devices. Unlike Liposonix, Ultrashape uses ultrasonic cavitation rather than thermal destruction to target fat cells. As such, fat is destroyed less efficiently, and more treatments are required. At the time of this posting, Ultrashape is not yet FDA-approved and has not begun to be marketed in the US. A search on the Ultrashape website shows no clinics offering it in Los Angeles or elsewhere in the US. It is used in Europe, Canada, Latin America, and other regions.

R20 Tattoo Removal Technique at CLS

Dr. Kaplan — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 02:28:46 +0000

Recently, the “R20″ laser tattoo removal method has been much in the medical news. See the link to the recent MSNBC story here. Since first reading about the technique over a year ago in the Journal of American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery, we have been performing this removal procedure in select patients at Celebrity Laser Spa. R20 entails 3-4 passes with a laser over the tattoo during the same session, rather than a single pass, as in traditional laser treatments. The passes are done 20 minutes apart. The benefit is a much faster clearance rate of the tattoo with a single office visit, however, the cost is three times the regular price and the office visit takes much longer. Also, there tends to be more bleeding and there is a slightly higher (although theoretical) risk of scarring.

If someone is trying to get a tattoo removed as quickly as possible and doesn’t mind spending 1-2 hours getting their tattoo removed in our medical spa then R20 is a good alternative. When making an appointment, R20 must be specified, or not enough time will be scheduled to allow this much more involved treatment.

Belotero Hyaluronic Acid Filler | Belotero Los Angeles

Dr. Kaplan — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:28:39 +0000

Belotero is the new hyaluronic acid (HA) filler from Merz Aesthetics. Currently available at Celebrity Laser Spa on a pre-launch basis, Belotero sets itself apart from the other hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Restylane and Perlane (Medicis) and Juvederm (Allergan) in being better able to fill fine lines. Using the other HA’s superficially has a greater chance of causing a mildly blue tint to the skin, which Belotero avoids. It also spreads into the superficial layers of the dermis more easily. The ability to erase fine lines with smaller amounts of filler placed more superficially is certainly an advantage. Generally, HA fillers last anywhere from 3-12 months, depending on what area is treated and how much filler is used.

During our initial evaluation of Belotero at Celebrity Laser Spa, we noted that there may be a little more bruising than with the other HA fillers, although this is probably due to the more superficial injection technique. Also, Belotero does not come pre-mixed with lidocaine anesthetic at this time, which is a slight disadvantage when compared with the previously available fillers, all of which are able to be injected together with lidocaine. Celebrity Laser Spa is pleased to be one of the first medical spas in Los Angeles to offer Belotero during the pre-marketing period in May and June.

Belotero 1 ml syringe price $499.

Blog Question: Does Liposonix work better than liposuction?

Dr. Kaplan — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:25:27 +0000

Liposonix is an amazing new device that can reduce fat entirely without surgery and in one easy treatment. Liposonix works by focusing a high-energy beam of ultrasound down to a point below the skin. For it to work properly, at least one inch of fat thickness is required. Although one inch does not seem like a lot, many people considering liposuction for specific areas do not have even that much. On the other hand, Liposonix is great for someone with a moderate amount of fat who does not want to undergo liposuction surgery and does not want even a day of downtime. If you consider that with one or two Liposonix treatments, you may equal liposuction results, without any penetration of the skin at all, then the argument in favor of Liposonix is quite compelling. Although Liposonix works just as well if you have a lot of fat, since only a pre-determined thickness of fat is removed with one treatment, results may not be as marked as with one liposuction treatment which does not have such limits. In such cases, another treatment after 12 weeks would be expected to yield additional benefits. Another advantage of Liposonix is that if you are not a good surgical candidate due to medical problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, you are probably still a candidate for Liposonix. Unlike the near-instant gratification with liposuction, 8-12 weeks are required for the fat to be completely removed from the body.

How Celfix Repairs Your Skin’s DNA

Dr. Kaplan — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:11:33 +0000

Celfix DNA Youth Recovery is an exciting new product at CLS from the people at Precision MD. I was at first skeptical about a cream being able to rejuvenate the skin through DNA repair. This brought to mind claims of shark cartilage and chondroitin repairing joints when we knew very well that all of it is broken down into sugars in the digestive system. However, looking further into the mechanism, I found that the science behind it is sound. The DNA repair aspect of Celfix is based on enzymes derived from bacteria that repair DNA damage accumulated from exposure to ultraviolet light and from free-radicals. This damage is reflected in abnormal skin color, wrinkling, pre-cancerous lesions and other changes of photo-aging. The enzymes in celfix are delivered to the basal layer of keratinocytes (skin cells) with specialized liposomes that allow the enzymes to enter the cells there. Once in the cell, the enzymes can do their work of repairing damaged DNA. With ongoing use of Cellfix DNA Youth Recovery, there is improvement in the signs of aging and this has been documented in clinical studies.

A Cure for Hair Loss may be close!

jpak — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:30:58 +0000

A lot of press coverage recently about the latest protein (prostaglandin D2 or PGD2) identified that may hopefully bring a cure for androgenic alopecia (AGA) or male pattern baldness (MPB). Based on a study published in Science Translational Medicine. This is all in the research stage and we will have to wait out the FDA process and see where this is all going to take us. To be clear there is treatment available (yet).

However, the research may be a cure to prevent the balding process. Unfortunately it does not imply that this can reverse the damage from hair loss in the past. The team of researchers was lead by dermatologist Luis Garza (then of the University of Pennsylvania, now at Johns Hopkins University) and by Penn dermatologist George Cotsarelis. Here are some quotes from articles around the web:

From MedPage Today
“To explore the possible mechanisms, Cotsarelis and colleagues examined scalp tissue from 22 white men ages 40 to 65 who underwent hair transplantation for male pattern baldness. None of the men were taking either of the two approved medications for baldness — minoxidil and finasteride. Through genetic analysis of bald scalp tissue and hair-covered scalp tissue within the same individuals, the researchers discovered that levels of prostaglandin D2 were about three times higher in the bald scalp tissue.”

Marketing of Xeomin Blocked by Injunction

Dr. Kaplan — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:44:27 +0000

We were surprised to learn last week that Allergan (the maker of Botox) had obtained an injunction against Merz (the maker of Xeomin), blocking US sales of Xeomin for 12 months. Allergan alleges that intellectual secrets related to Botox and its marketing were misappropriated by Merz. The official product launch of Xeomin had been planned for March 12, 2012 at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting in San Diego, but Xeomin was already in use to a partial extent prior to this. See the original article in Bloomberg here.

What does this mean for the patients of Celebrity Laser Spa who get botulinum toxins, such as Dysport, Botox, and Xeomin? Fortunately, there is little to no difference among the products. Xeomin was the newest kid on the block and demonstrated similar safety and efficacy vs. the other two. With Xeomin out of the ring for now, there will be less competition on price. At Celebrity Laser Spa, we will continue to offer patients our stock of Xeomin until supplies run out. The rebates offered this month will also continue to be offered.

Future Directions in Beauty and Wellness

Dr. Kaplan — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:56:46 +0000

The last 10 years has seen amazing advances in health care and wellness. We are using stem cells for various regenerative treatments and additional applications seem limitless at this time. Many non-invasive energy-based treatments for rejuvenation have been brought to market, including radiofrequency and fractional lasers. Genetics science is identifying genes used to regulate aging and this is also being investigated to improve longevity. Enzymes to repair DNA damage from ultraviolet light are now available (Celfix). Bio-identical hormone replacement to improve health and longevity is also becoming more common.

It seems that technological advancements in beauty and health are accelerating. It is quite possible that within the next 20 years. we may achieve the ability to regulate our physiologic age much more than previously and live significantly longer at a higher quality of life. Look for additional advances in the next 5 years to pace the rate of change.

Liposonix Non-Invasive Fat Removal

Dr. Kaplan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:24:59 +0000

The dream of removing fat without surgery has been long in the making. Some devices have promised this, including low-level laser (Zerona) or freezing the fat (Zeltiq), but reaction among patients and doctors seems to have been mixed and the dream not fully realized. Non-invasive ultrasonic body contouring using transducers applied to the skin was first introduced by 2 companies, Ultrashape and Liposonix.

Ultrasonic fat destruction works by targeting fat under the skin at a precise depth, causing the fat to melt and gradually be removed by the body. A layer of fat below the skin has been shown to be destroyed by both systems. Ultrashape, based in Israel, has been in use in outside the US, including Europe and Latin America, but has still not obtained FDA approval, despite years of trials and application to the regulatory body. Liposonix has worked on a similar technology that is just now being released in the US after recent FDA approval. The company was acquired by Medicis a couple of years ago, then recently sold to Solta, the makers of Thermage and Fraxel, which is marketing it.

In contrast to other non-invasive fat burning technologies, it appears that Liposonix really works and has both the clinical as well as the pathologic data to show that it does. In a company study, an average of 1 inch of circumference was removed in a single one-hour treatment of the abdomen with Liposonix. There is some mild discomfort with the treatment that pain medication can be used for. The destroyed fat is gradually removed by the body’s immune cells over 8-12 weeks. A minimum of a centimeter of fat thickness under the skin is required for Liposonix to work.

Liposonix is coming to Celebrity Laser Spa in the next several weeks. Check out the CLS Liposonix page! Please contact us if you are interested so we can notify you when it is here.