According to the National Institutes of Health, we are spending about $1 billion a year on stem cell research in the United States, and the findings to date have been extraordinary. Research in mouse models suggest that stem cells may be able to restore memory, cure epilepsy, and boost the immune system.

At the Mayo Clinic, stem cell therapy has been shown to delay or even eliminate the need for joint replacement surgery. Their research strongly indicates stem cells have the ability to repair wear and tear damage to cartilage in the hips and knees, thereby foregoing painful and debilitating surgical procedures. All signs in this space suggest that we are on the cusp of a medical revolution, and stem cells are leading the way.

In the aesthetic industry, we have been actively using stem cells from fat for years, as a natural soft-tissue filler for volume replacement or for augmentation of the breasts, lips, buttocks and more. But given growing indications of the potential value for stem cells in a broader scope — that of regenerative medicine and cell therapy — should we be recommending our patients do more?

The largest source of adult stem cells in the human body is fat. Whether it’s liposuction, tummy tuck or breast reduction, we are removing fat from our patients and have the opportunity to offer them possibilities beyond simultaneous cosmetic replacement with a growing trend: stem cell banking.

Stem cells from adipose tissue are pluripotent. They have the ability to differentiate into cartilage, bone, nerve, blood vessels, muscle, ligament and more. As a result, there are increasing numbers of men and women seeking out stem cell banking options in what is being called “bio-insurance” for their health and well being down the road, when regenerative medicine becomes a viable medical specialty. Because our stem cells age along with us, those who store them now will preserve their current youth, health and vitality for future medical applications — cosmetic or clinical.

Stem cell banking is also known as cryopreservation, and multiple labs approved by the Food and Drug Administration offer services to safely and effectively bank adipose tissue and stem cells for cosmetic treatments, augmentation procedures, reconstructive surgery, and potential use in the emerging field of regenerative medicine and cell therapy.

Today’s companies offering stem cell banking services make it easy to incorporate this option into our regular procedural process. Using the temperature-stable kits they provide, clients simply overnight the collected tissue to their laboratory. A unique ID, data collection form and real-time tracking and monitoring ensure there are no stem cell identity errors. Once at the lab, tissue is assessed for cell count, processed to ensure long-term viability, and lowered to cryogenic temperatures to be stored.

Patient stem cells are available at any time upon request by patient or physician. So the question is, should we be doing more to educate and advise our patients on the option to bank the stem cells from that unwanted fat we’re removing? This dermatologic surgeon says, absolutely yes.

A company providing facial rejuvenation services has reached a settlement with the Florida attorney general’s office over claims related to the company’s marketing practices.

The agreement calls for the company to remove language from its marketing and promotional materials that call its practices a “revolutionary procedure” and it must refund some customers’ money, USA Today reports.

“Lifestyle Lift has agreed to change its marketing materials and practices to eliminate any possible consumer confusion about its services,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in a news release.

As part of the agreement, Lifestyle Lift must disclose its payments to models used in ads and other marketing materials, and also must disclose the facial rejuvenation services that were performed on the models in those materials. The company will be required to comply with Federal Trade Commission guidelines on the use of before-and-after photos of models in marketing materials, according to the statement.

The attorney general’s office noted that customers who paid for Lifestyle Lift services from June 1, 2009 to June 10, 2013 may be entitled to a refund. Eligible customers must submit a claim to the company no later than Sept. 8, 2013.

Lifestyle Lift must pay more than $151,000 to the state to cover its legal fees, and must make a charitable contribution of $25,000 to the Seniors v. Crime project, a nonprofit organization that works to educate senior citizens in Florida about how to avoid being scammed or cheated.

There is no doubt that with the exponential growth of cosmetic surgery it is difficult for the average practitioner to stay abreast of the latest trends, key meetings, relevant clinical studies and expert input on patient care and cosmetic practice management.

Staying abreast of what is happening and what is on the horizon is a challenge for the time-strapped cosmetic surgeon. If you are like me, you jump online in the rare breaks between patients and try to see what is going on in the cosmetic world.

Most of you remember Cosmetic Surgery Times, the “throwaway” journal that docs did not throw away. This was a great little publication because it encapsulated the pulse of cosmetic surgery, aesthetic medicine and the aesthetic business in general.

Our goal is to rekindle that spirit in a digital format. I was proud be a member of the editorial board and was sad when mergers and economics caused its demise. I really enjoyed reading Cosmetic Surgery Times because it was hip, credible and trendy in terms of reporting on cosmetic surgery.

I am equally honored to be included on the editorial board of Cosmetic Surgery Times Trends with some of the most prolific cosmetic surgery practitioners in the country.

The charge of this new cosmetic digital forum is to discuss innovative approaches to surgical and noninvasive cosmetic practice.

The editorial board and staff are committed to provide new perspectives and strategies in aesthetic techniques and technology, such as face, breast, body, minimally invasive techniques and injectables.

Having an online version of cosmetic karma will allow the busy practitioners to peruse our site and get the basics of what is new, what is hot and what is not. In addition, we encourage high-grade input from our readership to make this an interactive, informative forum.

Joe Niamtu III, D.M.D.
Cosmetic Facial Surgery
Richmond, Va.

According to the National Institutes of Health, we are spending about $1 billion a year on stem cell research in the United States, and the findings to date have been extraordinary. Research in mouse models suggest that stem cells may be able to restore memory, cure epilepsy, and boost the immune system.

At the Mayo Clinic, stem cell therapy has been shown to delay or even eliminate the need for joint replacement surgery. Their research strongly indicates stem cells have the ability to repair wear and tear damage to cartilage in the hips and knees, thereby foregoing painful and debilitating surgical procedures. All signs in this space suggest that we are on the cusp of a medical revolution, and stem cells are leading the way.

In the aesthetic industry, we have been actively using stem cells from fat for years, as a natural soft-tissue filler for volume replacement or for augmentation of the breasts, lips, buttocks and more. But given growing indications of the potential value for stem cells in a broader scope — that of regenerative medicine and cell therapy — should we be recommending our patients do more?

The largest source of adult stem cells in the human body is fat. Whether it’s liposuction, tummy tuck or breast reduction, we are removing fat from our patients and have the opportunity to offer them possibilities beyond simultaneous cosmetic replacement with a growing trend: stem cell banking.

Stem cells from adipose tissue are pluripotent. They have the ability to differentiate into cartilage, bone, nerve, blood vessels, muscle, ligament and more. As a result, there are increasing numbers of men and women seeking out stem cell banking options in what is being called “bio-insurance” for their health and well being down the road, when regenerative medicine becomes a viable medical specialty. Because our stem cells age along with us, those who store them now will preserve their current youth, health and vitality for future medical applications — cosmetic or clinical.

Stem cell banking is also known as cryopreservation, and multiple labs approved by the Food and Drug Administration offer services to safely and effectively bank adipose tissue and stem cells for cosmetic treatments, augmentation procedures, reconstructive surgery, and potential use in the emerging field of regenerative medicine and cell therapy.

Today’s companies offering stem cell banking services make it easy to incorporate this option into our regular procedural process. Using the temperature-stable kits they provide, clients simply overnight the collected tissue to their laboratory. A unique ID, data collection form and real-time tracking and monitoring ensure there are no stem cell identity errors. Once at the lab, tissue is assessed for cell count, processed to ensure long-term viability, and lowered to cryogenic temperatures to be stored.

Patient stem cells are available at any time upon request by patient or physician. So the question is, should we be doing more to educate and advise our patients on the option to bank the stem cells from that unwanted fat we’re removing? This dermatologic surgeon says, absolutely yes.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the MemoryShape Breast Implant (Mentor Worldwide) for breast augmentation and breast reconstruction procedures.

The MemoryShape implant is cleared for breast augmentation in patients age 22 and older and for breast reconstruction in patients of any age, according to a news release. Regulators reviewed six years’ worth of data on 955 patients who received the implants. The product demonstrated complication rates and outcomes that were similar to those of previously approved breast implants, the FDA noted.

Complications from Memory Shape implants included capsular contracture, asymmetry, wrinkling, implant removal and reoperation. Gel fracture — cracks or fissures — were seen in the gel of some MemoryShape implants.

Conditions of the FDA’s approval of MemorsyShape implants require Mentor to continue to follow the 955 patients who received the products as part of the premarket core study. These patients will be followed until they complete 10-year evaluations. The company also must follow approximately 350 subjects who received MemoryShape Medium Height Moderate Profile Breast Implants as part of a continued access study, which was not related to the premarket core study.

The FDA is also requiring Mentor to collect data on long-term complications by conducting a new study of about 2,500 patients who receive MemoryShape Breast Implants.

Other silicone gel-filled breast implants approved by the FDA are manufactured by Allergan, Mentor and Sientra.

In a news release, Mentor says its MemoryShape product gives a “more natural shape and youthful feel” from breast augmentation or reconstruction procedures.