Thursday, October 23, 2008

Skin Cancer Prevention with Coffee?

WOW!

That morning cup of Java may do more than lift your tired eyelids.

Recent work done by researchers has shown that mice given caffeine are protected against UV-induced (sun) skin cancer.

This research is being done by M. Allen Conney at the State University of New Jersey.

So, if you drink coffee, maybe you should have an extra 'cuppa' in the morning. If you drink tea, you might consider a caffeine pill as a booster.

Excuse me now. Have to go get another cup of
morning Joe. The sun isn't up yet.

For more information about matters relating to skin health and cosmetic surgery, stop a spell to read Dr. Brueck's web site.

You could do it over coffee

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Bionic Breasts?

We all remember the famous TV hit of manyyears ago, called "The Bionic Man".

We have bionic hips and knees, and may soon have "Bionic Breasts."

A company in Hackney, South Australia is undertaking studies for the new TriBrege titanium coated breast implants (Poly Implants Prothesis or PIP).

Titanium is naturally present in human tissue and is very inert biologically. It is not toxic and induces no inflammatory reaction. This may hold promise to help prevent the unwanted contracture that can occur with normal breast implants.

It currently is undergoing clinical trials. More to come.

Pay a visit to Dr. Brueck's web site for more information about all things plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery.

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Plastic surgery without scars?

News of plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery from Dr. Robert Brueck.

One of the biggest misnomers in plastic surgery is when a patient comes in and says they are coming to me because I am a plastic surgeon and I know there will be no scar.

Sorry. There always is a scar.

Hopefully, on the other hand, the plastic surgeon has in his bag of tricks ways to minimize the scar. In the past 10 years, many new products to minimize scars have come on the market, such as Meslerma, Kelcote and silicone-based products. There also are the "old standbys" such as Vitamin E oil or cream. All are, at best, unpredictable.

But that may soon change. Scientists at Renova Group PLC in Manchester, England are making progress on a host of new compounds that they hope will usher in a new wave of "scar prevention". The crown jewel of this new wave is a product called Juvista.

The key ingredient is called "transforming growth factor beta - 3 (TGFB3). In phase II clinical trials this, when injected directly in wounds, has shown promise to dramatically reduce scars.

Final Phase III clinical trials are set to begin in the second half of this year. This same company also has other products that are showing progress as well, Prevascar and Juvidex.

Keep your fingers crossed - an answer may soon be forthcoming for scar reduction.

For more information about plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery procedures and the latest developemnts in the field, visit Dr. Brueck's blog at Beauty-by-Brueck.com

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Sunday, October 12, 2008

News for women considering breast augmentation cosmetic surgery

Breast augmentation continues to be one of the leading, if not the leading, cosmetic procedures in my office. It is a wonderful operation.

Perhaps the major drawback is the fact that one or both breasts can become hard due to encapsulation. Every patient will get a capsule in response to a foreign body. This is a normal response.

The key is to keep the breast/implant soft. There have been many theories bantered about as to why one breast will suddenly get hard 3 or more years after surgery.

Recently, one plastic surgeon who did implant exchanges submitted the capsules for microscopic analysis. They saw cotton fibriles through out the capsular tissue studied.

One plastic surgeon recently stopped using cotton products during the course of his operations and saw capsular contracture reduce from 10% to less than 0.5%.

That's impressive.

So we are looking into getting non-cotton sponges for our procedures. Who knows - it all may help.

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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Cosmetic Surgery on No Interest Credit by Dr. Brueck

In spite of our slowing economy, many people are pursuing cosmetic procedures by using credit cards.

One important option now available is NO INTEREST FINANCING.

One of these available to our patients is CARE CREDIT. It works like a credit card with two main differences. It can only be used for medical treatments and every transaction on the card qualifies for no interest on extended payment plans.

If you are even a little curious, why not call Eileen at our office, 239-939-5233, for more information? There is no obligation attached to your questions.

This update is offered by Dr. Robert J. Brueck, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, in the interest of happier, more informed patients.

For more information about many cosmetic surgery procedures, surgical and non-surgical, visit the Dr. Brueck's web site at http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com

Monday, October 6, 2008

Now comes another dermal filler - news from Dr. Brueck, Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon

Just when you thought things were simple, a NEW dermal filler has recently received FDA approval. The name is EVOLENCE.

WOW! They just keep comin' and comin' don't they?

What's special about EVOLENCE?

This filler is designed to replace lost collagen (yes, that's part of aging!) with a long lasting natural source of porcine collagen.

It does not require skin testing. It supposedly will give you immediate results with minimal swelling or bruising.

Because of a special cross-linking between collagen molecules, it purports to last longer. It has a duration of 12 months. It was approved for use in Europe several months ago.

Dermal fillers really came on the scene in 1981 - believe it or not. It has been that long, with the advent of ZydermI, Zyderm II and Zyplast. Attempts to fill soft tissue defects are NOT of recent vintage. Believe it or not, they date all the way back to 1883 when a Dr. Neuber used fat to reconstruct tuberculosic scars. Things have changed. But who would have thought these procedures have been in use for so long?

This update is brought to you by Dr. Robert J. Brueck, Board Certified Plastic/Cosmetic Surgeon practicing in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Florida, who offers more information about cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures at http://www.BeautybyBrueck.com

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