Feb Newsletter News and Upcoming Events

It's been a busy winter season at MCSC. In January Dr. Weinberg was one of a handful of top Canadian cosmetic medical specialists to be invited to an educational meeting to introducing Voluma, a new product from Allergan, the makers of Botox. Voluma promises to be an exciting addition to to our clinic in the very near future, offering our patients yet another excellent option in fillers for restoring lost volume. February 18 to 22 Dr. Weinberg will be one of the 35 top plastic surgeons and dermatologists invited to attend the prestigious Cosmetic Update, an intensive conference sponsored by leaders in the industry , designed to explore the latest advances in the field of aesthetic medicine.

Dr, Weinberg was interviewed for CBC television in January, on the subject of the safety of Botox cosmetic. The interview can be viewed on CBC.ca. He was also interviewed for Rogers television local news, on trends in cosmetic medicine for 2009, and that interview should appear on this site in the media section by next week.

Promotions

On until the end of February , you can enjoy a deep cleansing and exfoliating medical facial , complete with a soothing and revitalizing mask by Sesderma, makers of exclusive skincare products from spain, for $49.99! ( regularly $115.00). Also on now, all wrinkle injection patients will receive a FREE gorgeous lip pencil from Glominerals, makers of fine mineral cosmetics. Don't miss out, quantities are limited. And, if you haven't yet found your special someone a Valentine's gift, why not give them the gift of looking and feeling beautiful, with a gift certificate from MCSC. We also offer Valentine's Gift baskets chock full of great La Roche Posay products to help skin stay silky smooth, all at discounted prices. Come and take a look.

Current Topics in Cosmetic Medicine

Liposuction

It's hard to believe, but before we know it, it will be spring. Off come the heavy winter coats and layers, and on go the shorts and T shirts, and not too long after that the bathing suits. Is your body ready for the big unveiling? Well, now is the time to start thinking about the spring tune up. If you're someone who gets frustrated by that stubborn tummy, or "saddle bags" that won't go away no matter how many crunches and leg lifts you do, you may be a good candidate for liposuction.

According to many statistics, Liposuction is the most frequently performed cosmetic procedure in North America. Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, Liposuction is the permanent removal of fat tissue from under the skin with a suction device. To understand the longterm effects of liposuction, it is important to understand that fat is not just an inert substance, but rather it is a living tissue made up of living cells, or lipocytes. The number of lipocytes we have does not change with fluctuations in weight, but rather the size of these cells increases or decreases when we gain or lose weight. The contours of an individual's body is determined by the location or distribution of our fat cells. Liposuction is not designed as an overall weight loss technique, but rather as a means of changing and smoothing our contours by removing localized accumulations of fat cells. Cells that are removed do not grow back. That is not to say that individuals won't gain weight after liposuction. They can, and if they do the remaining fat cells will enlarge, but because of the removal of fat cells in certain discrete locations, the body's contour remains altered.

After liposuction , the overlying skin must shrink in keeping with the new body shape. That is why the ideal candidate for liposuction is a person in good health with good skin elasticity. All prospective Liposuction patients need to be evaluated by an experienced surgeon, and part of that evaluation will involve a "pinch" test, in which your doctor pinches the skin to test it's elastic properties and to see how much subcutaneous fat there is.

As with all surgical procedures, there are some risks to liposuction, but with the development of the tumescent technique under local anaesthesia, it is a very safe procedure. A large study in 1995 of many thousand patients showed no serious complications.What is the tumescent technique? Liposuction is carried out by means of a surgeon making very tiny incisions through which a cannula ( a hollow tube) is inserted . The fat is then siphoned off through the cannula by means of suction.In the Tumescent technique , before the fat is removed, a large quantity of a salt water solution containing local anaesthetic and epinephrine, a drug that reduces bleeding, is first introduced into the tissues via the cannula. This method results in minimal discomfort, and minimal blood loss, such that patients can often tolerate the procedure with only minimal local anaesthetic. As a result patient safety is much increased and recovery times much reduced. Because a lot of body fluids are lost during liposuction, it is necessary to replace those fluids with an intravenous.

After Liposuction, bruising and swelling are reduced and recovery expedited if the fluids in the area can drain readily. Dr. Weinberg therefore usually leaves the tiny incisions open to allow drainage.Patients wear support garments for a week to 6 weeks depending on how extensive their procedure was. Many patients are able to return to work within a day or two, and can resume exercise in 2 weeks. While people may feel a bit achy, discomfort is often minor and tylenol is often sufficient to treat it.

The key factors that determine the success and safety of a liposuction procedure are the skill, artistry and experience of the treating surgeon. An average procedure involves the removal of about 1 to 1 1/2 litres of fatty tissue. Knowledgeable surgeons would consider amounts in excess of 5 litres too risky for an in office procedure. A properly qualified liposuction surgeon such as Dr. Weinberg is well versed in the appropriate large quantities of fluid replacement needed in liposuction cases. Too little fluid could lead to serious complications. An experienced and properly trained plastic surgeon like Dr. Weinberg is also intimately familiar with all the details of anatomy and therefore very unlikely to injure any internal organs during liposuction, injury that could occur in the hands of a less experienced or well trained physician.

You may read about various different types of Liposuction machines, including ultrasonic Liposuction Power assisted liposuction and Laser Liposuction like Smartlipo. All of these different types of machines simply employ different ways of breaking up the fat tissue to make it easier to suction away. Each of these has their pros and cons, and each surgeon will have their particular favorite. Dr. Weinberg prefers a power assisted device. Of course the companies that produce these machines will tout their technology as superior, but the truth is that the outcome is primarily dictated by how adept the surgeon is at "sculpting" with the liposuction cannula of his choice. A sophisticated machine in the hands of an inexperienced or untrained physician will not yield you the results you want. Having treated hundreds of patients over the last 15 years, Dr. Weinberg is very adept at these procedures, and considers them one of the most satisfying for his patients.

 In addition to tummy and thighs, liposuction can be used in many other areas to improve the figure including the back, buttock, hips, knees, arms, under the chin and in the chest, where it can achieve results comparable to surgical gynecomastia treatment in some men.

Now is the perfect time of year to think about liposuction, so If you think Liposuction may be right for you, come in for an in depth consultation.