Cosmetic Surgery Spending Back on the Upswing
from the Los Angeles Times
The $12 billion to $20 billion cosmetic surgery industry had been tracking with the economy, taking a major hit last fall. Procedures in California declined even more than the national average -- they were off 30 percent to 40 percent between June and December 2008, compared with the previous year. But the industry started making a comeback in the spring, spurred by doctors' reduced rates and a sense that the economy's death spiral may be slowing. More

The New Rules for Outpatient Surgery
from The Wall Street Journal
In the burgeoning market for outpatient surgery, doctor’s offices have often flown under the radar when it comes to safety oversight. But last week, a new office-based surgery law went into effect in New York, requiring that physician’s offices that perform surgery with moderate or deep sedation be accredited by one of three independent agencies to make sure they are meeting standards of safety and care. More

The Informed Patient: Seeking a Safer Surgery
from The Wall Street Journal
A growing number of states are regulating outpatient surgical procedures in doctors’ offices, or weighing measures to do so, including Calif., Ind., Fla., Ariz., and Nev. This month, a law took effect in New York that for the first time requires the state’s approximately 3,000 doctors’ offices that perform surgery under moderate or deep sedation to have their facilities inspected and accredited by independent review agencies. Violators face penalties from the New York state medical board. More

Gel for Laser Skin Resurfacing Helps Reduce Redness
from The Plastic Surgery Channel
A new gel for laser skin resurfacing helps reduces redness, allowing skin to look and feel better more quickly. The pretreatment gel contains vitamins, as well as additives that prevent bruising. The result, reports say, is a gel that desensitizes the skin and makes it less prone to the usual irritations. More

Dysport Will Give Botox Some New Competition
from Chicago Daily Herald
Consider it a milestone in the war against wrinkles: Dysport, the first alternative to Botox, is now available in the United States. More

Weighing Implant Options
from Philadelphia Metro
Ever since silicone gel breast implants were put back on the market in 2006 after a 14-year FDA ban, the silicone vs. saline debate has raged. Both types of implants have a silicone shell; the difference is what’s inside. More

Permanent Injectable Fillers Have More Complications, Study Says
from The Plastic Surgery Channel
Permanent injectable fillers have more complications than other fillers, according to a study in the U.K. And both U.S. and U.K. plastic surgeons cite unqualified practitioners as the reason patients experience undesirable results. More

Woman's DIY Plastic Surgery 'Nightmare'
from ABC News
A scarred Midwestern mom says injecting her own face with silicone was "insane". In search of an inexpensive, do-it yourself version of a silicone injection she had gotten from a doctor to smooth a scar, a woman injected her lips and face with silicone she purchased over the Internet. More