Mentor, the largest breast implant manufacturer in the world, will be acquired by Johnson and Johnson.

According to Marketwatch, the medical giant J&J announced the deal on December 1st at a reported 1.12 billion dollar total value.

Dr. David Dreyfuss of Plastic Surgery Experts was recently interviewed about the possible consequences of this deal.

What shortcomings at Mentor do you believe J&J can or should address?

Dr. Dreyfuss: Certainly the marketing strategies of the Mentor/Inform group will get the most needed updating.  This is an area that started to take off significantly about 2-3 years ago and promptly fell into disarray.  J&J should provide the necessary technology upgrades to the system and solidify their workforce to allow the product to regain

How do you think the acquisition will affect breast augmentation patient product choices?

Dr. Dreyfuss: The J&J acquisition of Mentor should speed up the process for cohesive gel products being available to the US market.  Not unlike the Allergan acquisition of Inamed, it changed the FDA focus away from a breast implant company to a pharmaceutical company.  This provides an “inside track” for approval of new products.  This should allow Mentor to compete on a level playing field with Allergan/Natrelle.

What companies will feel new competitive pressure from this acquisition, and how?

Dr. Dreyfuss: Clearly the most impact will be upon Allergan from this acquisition.  It will put significant pressure on Allergan’s sales staff from a new influx of cash and marketing strength from J&J.  The other facial implant and liposuction equipment manufacturers will feel excessive pressure.  This has been an area somewhat neglected by Mentor, which will change in the future.

One American surgeon from UCLA appears during the segment to criticize the procedure for being somewhat unpredictable.

Over the last six years, the United States FDA has received about 900 reports concerning injectable wrinkle-filler complications.  Now as consumer demand for fillers has reached an all-time high, officials have decided to organize a discussion with a panel of outside experts to go over possible changes in labeling of the products.

Those in question are fillers like Radiesse, Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane and others that continue to enter the market.  While it may sound alarming, the complications and side effects associated with these products are extremely rare.  There are well known issues like minor swelling and then there are serious allergic reactions, with the latter being a subject of FDA interest.

According to a recent MSNBC news article, Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said “no serious problems were seen in clinical trials of Juvederm, and the most common complaint since its approval was swelling in 0.4 percent of patients.”

Also, Food and Drug Administration officials noted that the “reports had several limitations such as failing to say when the problems started.”  The majority of industry professionals will attribute most reported complications to unqualified persons administering the injections.

Safety and proper training is of the utmost importance with almost any cosmetic procedure, so we recommend that all patients seek a trained and knowledgeable Illinois plastic surgeon with the right qualifications.

For more information on the FDA panel discussion, the briefing is located here.

Last summer at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, bio-ethicist Arthur Caplan gave a lecture about why the desire to live longer and look better is not immoral.  The lecture included some interesting perspectives on the future of cosmetic surgery and anti-aging.

Early on in the speech, Caplan recalls a story about a woman who had received harsh criticism for getting a facelift.  A younger female counterpart said of her, “that’s terrible, you should simply accept the changes [of aging] as they come.”  For Caplan, this attitude reflects a certain “puritanical” attitude toward medical technology and the possibilities it holds for humanity.

In his broad philosophical argument, Caplan presents many reasons why we should use medical technology and pursue new discoveries in the science of stem cells.  If we push for adequate funding and achieve public approval, it may be possible for us to achieve methods of whole-body anti aging, through the regenerative capabilities of stem cells.

The lecture can be found here on Minnesota Public Radio.

Most women know how to focus on prevention and are aware of the statistics - that “about 1 in 8 women will have to face breast cancer in their lifetime.” However, many aren’t informed about the positive developments of recent years. Family ‘genetic markers’ have become excellent risk indicators, narrowing the search for a definite cause. Also, as Bosshardt says, breast implants, bras and high-fat diets have never been shown to have any correlation with increased breast cancer risk.

There are new reasons to be optimistic: Doctors have begun practicing “breast conservation” rather than outright removal, chemotherapy is more advanced and reconstruction has become more sophisticated than ever, with patients often looking better as an end result. Read the original article here at the Orlando Sentinel.

With the recent discovery that fat is rich in stem cells, the possibility of grafting it to different parts of the body is becoming a reality. Surgeons are rethinking the idea of fat transplantation for use in breast augmentation procedures. In this type of breast augmentation, stem cells are harvested from the patient’s own fat stores, so the controversial aspect commonly associated with stem cells is not relevant.

New York plastic surgeon Dr. Sydney Coleman, an international expert in fat grafting, claims he has been using fat in breast augmentations for years and once published his findings in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. A Japanese surgeon has reportedly been performing breast augmentation procedures using stem cell fortified fat from the patient’s body.

The reason this process hasn’t been established as a reliable option is the tendency for fat to die once it enters another part of the body. Fat can then calcify and turn hard. With stem cells, the theory is that a new blood vessels will form and bond with the reintroduced tissue, creating what might be considered a ‘natural implant.’

The Wall Street Journal reported that San Diego based Cytori Therapeutics Inc. has been marketing a device for combining fat with stem cells to other countries and has intentions to do so in the US. Cytori has begun working with plastic surgeons in Japan, Israel, Italy and France who are using its device, and has given Dr. Sydney Coleman a unit for testing.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s research arm is recruiting patients for a breast augmentation study at ClinicalTrials.gov.

LifeWeigh Bariatrics
2801 Finley Road, Suite 220
Downer’s Grove, IL 60515

Please Call (630) 261-9393 and reserve your spot today.

Dr. Dreyfuss and Dr. Gelman are pleased to announce two spring time specials now through June 13th, 2008.

For those women wishing to have a renewed self-image, Plastic Surgery Experts is offing a special on Breast Augmentation with saline filled implants for $4,995. (An additional charge of $850 will be applied for silicone breast implants). This discounted fee is all inclusive and cover’s surgeon’s fees, implants, On-Q pain relief system, all visits (pre-op and post-op), surgical bra, anesthesia and surgical center.

Plastic Surgery Experts is also offering a laser hair removal package, buy one area and get 2nd area at 1/2 price. (e.g. bikini and get armpits at 1/2 off)

These specials are good through June 13th, 2008. Contact Plastic Surgery Experts today from our website or call us at (815) 806-9400.

Plastic Surgery Experts serves the greater Chicago, IL area including, Frankfort, Hazel Crest, Homer Glen, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Palos Park, Tinley Park, Illinois and Munster, IN.

*Surgery can be scheduled after June 13th but will require a consultation and surgery date.