Alma Lasers Appoints New CEO
Alma Lasers, a global manufacturer of laser and light-based systems for the aesthetic market, has announced the appointment of Howard Kelly as its new CEO. Formerly vice president and project leader for Europe with Boston Scientific, as well as CEO of Whatman plc, Mr. Kelly holds a BSc in bioengineering and an MBA in international management.

“Howard possesses the right skill set at this stage of growth for Alma Lasers,” says Ajit Nedungadi, chairman of the board of Alma Lasers. “We are delighted to welcome him to the company and believe that his strong managerial and commercial experience in the medical industry will contribute greatly to Alma Lasers’ future development, as the aesthetic medical device market continues to expand.”

AACS Announces Survey Results
The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) announced the results of its 2006 Consumer Perception Survey, which showed that 6% of adults have had plastic surgery, and nearly 20% aspire to do so at some point in their lives. The survey also provides insights into perceptions and myths surrounding cosmetic surgery, and includes the following findings:

• Five out of six consumers believe that personal appearance is key to professional success.
• When asked how open they would be about a cosmetic surgery procedure, 33% of consumers polled revealed they would tell only those who asked, while 18% said they would only tell close friends or family.
• Given a choice of uses for disposable income, 46% of consumers said they would choose cosmetic surgery over an expensive vacation or luxury vehicle.
• While 54% of consumers cited cost as a deterrent to having cosmetic surgery, 18% cited pain as a deterrent.

The AACS Consumer Perception Survey was conducted by Synovate. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Academy at 312.981.6769 or by visiting www.cosmetic-surgery.com.

ABCS Practitioners Gain Equivalency Status
The California Superior Court has ruled against a decision by the California Medical Board, thereby granting equivalency status to those practitioners board-certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS) in the state of California.

The decision allows board-certified cosmetic surgery practitioners to advertise their certification by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, just as those who practice specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The Court determined that the ABCS’s certification requirements meet or exceed the training requirements maintained by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

ABCS president and academy fellow Robert Jackson, MD, applauded the the Court’s decision: “This Board has spent several years and taken every step to assure its certification requirements meet or exceed the requirements maintained by the American Board of Medical Specialties. I believe and hope this decision, and the recognition that ABCS’s certification requirements meet or exceed those of other ABMS boards, will raise the bar for cosmetic surgeons. This can only lead to higher quality healthcare and greater patient safety.”

For additional information about this decision, please contact the AACS at 312.981.6769 or visit www.cosmeticsurgery.com.

SkinMedica and Galderma to co-promote Desonate Gel
SkinMedica announced an agreement with Galderma Laboratories for the co-promotion of Desonate Gel 0.05%, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Desonate, developed in collaboration between SkinMedica and Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences, is a low potency topical steroid formulated in Dow’s proprietary water-based Hydrogel vehicle. SkinMedica will promote the gel to the dermatology market while Galderma will focus its promotion towards pediatricians.

For more information regarding Desonate, including its approved labeling, please visit www.fda.gov/cder/whatsnew.htm.
 

Vbeam Laser Offers Improved Results
A study published in The Journal of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine shows that the new micropulse technology of Candela Corporation’s Vbeam Perfecta Pulsed Dye Laser improves efficacy to safely treat vascular and epidermal pigmented lesions while reducing or eliminating undesired effects such as purpura. “Candela’s Vbeam has always been known as the gold standard for treatment of vascular lesions. We were able to improve upon the gold standard with the introduction of epidermal pigmented lesions as well as the advanced micropulse technology that allows our customers to treat cosmetic patients without downtime,” explains Gerard E. Puorro, president and CEO of Candela Corporation. For more information, visit www.candelalaser.com.


Annual ASDS Meeting Highlights
The annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) was held in Desert Springs, California, in October 2006. Nearly 1,000 of the country’s leading dermasurgeons attended. Topical highlights from the conference included:

• Acne and Surgical Scars
• Advanced Dermasurgery: Techniques for the Aging Face
• New Advances in Botox
• Neck and Hand Rejuvenation
• Skin Resurfacing and Laser Controversies
• Fillers to Create the Perfect Face
• Advanced Medium and Deep Chemical Peels

The conference also offered the opportunity to witness live cosmetic surgery techniques and injection procedures such as blepharoplasty, laser resurfacing and threadlifting.

For more information on future events, visit www.asds.net.

Lasting Proof for Sculptra
In late October 2006 Dermik Laboratories announced the results of a study showing that its dermal filler, Sculptra, proved more effective and longer lasting than Inamed Corporation’s CosmoPlast. Sculptra was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 for restoration and/or correction of the signs of lipoatrophy and is currently under investigation for the treatment of nasolabial fold wrinkles. These data were presented at the 2006 American Society of Dermatologic Surgery Annual Meeting in Palm Desert, California.

In the randomized, evaluator-blinded, parallel group, multicenter study of 233 patients, Scultpra demonstrated consistent, progressive and significant improvements over baseline, using wrinkle assessment scores beginning three weeks after the last treatment and continuing through 13 months of follow up. At 13 months 49% of the Sculptra patients had wrinkle assessment scores of 2 (no wrinkle or just barely perceptible wrinkle).

“The 13-month duration seen with Sculptra was significantly longer than that seen with Cosmoplast,” said study investigator William Philip Werschler, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine/dermatology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. “The data build on what is already known about the effect of Sculptra for its approved use.”

Both treatments had acceptable safety profiles. There were no serious product-related adverse events. The most common mild to moderate events were erythema at the injection site (26.5% in the Cosmoplast group, compared to 2.6% with Sculptra). Rates of product-related application site nodules were comparable between the CosmoPlast (6.0%) and Sculptra (6.9%) groups.

Esthetician Certification Receives Endorsement
The National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/ Distributors and Associations (NCEA) secured the use of the National Esthetician 2nd Tier test at the Annual Conference of the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology, held August 26-28 in Portland, Maine. The test is intended for use in the NCEA Esthetician Certification program that will be launched in early 2007.

“The endorsement of the NCEA’s Esthetician Certification by the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology gives esthetician licensing boards the opportunity to recognize the NCEA Certification in their own state,” explains Susanne S. Warfield, executive director. “The NCEA Certification is the first true certification for the skincare industry and will provide a tool for our state boards to help bolster NCEA’s efforts in raising the standards of estheticians in this country.”

“This is a step in the right direction as other countries want to be able to recognize estheticians trained in the United States,” says Larry Walthers, National Examination Committee chair, of the possibilities that certification will provide.


Quantum Devices Receives Tibbetts Award
Quantum Devices was one of only 54 companies honored with the national Tibbetts award. The award was named for Roland Tibbetts, acknowledged as the father of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, and the winners were selected from over 4,000 companies receiving contracts and grants under the SBIR Program each year.

With support from NASA and follow-on grants from DARPA, QDI and the Medical College of Wisconsin developed the Warp 10 (Warfighter Accelerated Recovery by Photobiomodulation) a new, noninvasive medical device. The Warp 10 is an FDA-approved, high intensity, hand-held LED unit used for the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain, arthritis, stiffness and muscle spasms. It also promotes muscle relaxation and temporarily increases local blood circulation where applied.

While the WARP 10 was designed to aid armed forces personnel on front lines with first-aid care for minor injuries and pain as well as the treatment of laser eye burns in the battlefield, QDI has introduced an FDA-approved consumer version. It shares the same power and properties of the military model, and acts as an alternative to the cost and complications associated with overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for persistent pain relief.

For additional information, contact Quantum Devices at 608.924.3000.

FDA Modifies iPLEDGE Program
Devised by the FDA in 2006 to reduce fetal exposure to isotretinoin (Accutane), iPLEDGE originally required a 23-day “lock-out” period for men and for women of non-childbearing potential. Whether a prescription was filled or not, a patient could not start the qualification process for another prescription until 23 days after the end of a 7-day window. Effective October 6, 2006, the lock-out requirement was eliminated for males and females of non-childbearing potential. This change allows patients the ability to have a new prescription filled after the 7-day window expires. Both patient and prescriber must still complete the qualification process to ensure that the patient has met all the qualification criteria, including patient counseling in the iPLEDGE system.

For more information, call iPLEDGE at 866.495.0654 or visit www.ipledgeprogram.com.

La Jolla Spa MD CEO Chairs Benefit
Dianne York-Goldman, CEO of the La Jolla Spa MD, recently chaired a black tie benefit for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Cocktails and dinner started the evening, which was capped off with a very special runway fashion show.

Fashion designer Isabell Kristensen premiered her collection of haute couture for the first time in the United States. Kristensen has dressed and designed for many notable celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Liza Minnelli, Kate Moss and Ivana Trump.

York-Goldman first met Isabell Kristensen during a trip to Monaco and was immediately taken with her designs. “When I invited her, she agreed upon the condition that proceeds would benefit a worthy cause,” says York-Goldman, “I immediately thought of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and one of our own, Stephanie Strauss.”

York-Goldman’s former La Jolla Spa MD employee and Honorary Chair, Stephanie Strauss, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005. The benefit raised more than $50,000 for the NOCC.

Alyria Compared to StriVectin
A paper published in the October 2006 issue of Cosmetic Dermatology compared Alyria Intense Wrinkle Correction/Wrinkle Repair with StriVectin-SD in a double-blinded, single-center, parallel-group study designed to compare the antiwrinkle efficacy of the two products. Changes to wrinkle parameters were assessed by profilometry of the eye contour area at baseline, 28, 56 and 84 days. Patients treated with the Alyria product “effected significant improvement in fine, medium and deep wrinkles” and results were significantly superior to those among patients treated with the StriVectin product. Study Investigator Amy B. Lewis, MD, observed that the use of palmitoyl peptides (one of the ingredients in the Alyria product) in facial creams can bring about “visible improvements in the appearance of wrinkles of multiple depths and lengths.”

For more information about Alyria, call 800.636.3644 or visit www.alyria-med.com.

Shed Your Skin
Time Magazine has named Rhytec’s Portrait PSR3 device as one of the top new skin care technologies of 2006.

The Portrait PSR3 device delivers nitrogen plasma energy, which works both at and below the skin surface to modify its architecture and generate new collagen. The skin’s outer layers remain intact and act as a protective cover until new skin regenerates. The old skin peels away, taking with it brown sun spots and actinic keratoses, fine lines and deep wrinkles.

Mark Goble, MD, CEO and founder of Rhytec, commented “Our Portrait system is a uniquely versatile technology that can be optimized to meet patient expectations in the treatment of a variety of cosmetic indications."

Events

2007

January 12-15 Orlando Dermatology & Aesthetic Conference, The Peabody Orlando, Orlando, FL. Contact: Heather Sote, 212.213.8784; www.orlandoderm.org.

January 25-28 The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting, Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix, AZ. Contact: Moira Murphy, 312.981.6762; www.cosmeticsurgery.org.

January 28-29 National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors & Associations (NCEA) Meeting, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, LA. Contact: Suzanne S. Warfield, 201.670.4100; www.ncea.tv.

February 1-3 Association of Dermatology Administrators & Managers (ADA/M) 15th Annual Meeting, L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington, DC. Contact: Dre Aliquo-Varela, 866.480.3573; www.ada-m.org.

February 1-4 Dermatology Nurses’ Association (DNA) 25th Annual Convention, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Washington, DC. Contact: Tom Greene, 856.256.2367; www.dna.inurse.com.

February 2-6 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) 65th Annual Meeting, Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC. Contact: AAD Meetings & Events, 847.330.0230; www.aad.org.

February 5-7 5th Annual Society of Dermatology SkinCare Specialists (SDSS) Meeting, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Washington, DC. Contact: SDSS, 201.670.4100; www.sdss.tv.

February 10-11 Cosmetic Surgery Expo, Broward County Convention Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Contact: Mike Colby, 401.213.6313; or visit www.cosmeticsurgeryexpos.com.

February 14 Patients Ulimited Marketing Consultants (PUMC) Jump Start Marketing Symposium, Hyatt Regency, Miami, FL. Contact: Tina Soqui, 323.756.8371; www.pumc.com.

February 15 Patients Unlimited Marketing Consultants (PUMC) Managers Academy, Hyatt Regency, Miami, FL. Contact: Tina Soqui, 323.756.8371; www.pumc.com.

February 15-19 South Beach Symposium, Loew’s Miami Beach Hotel, Miami, FL. Contact: South Beach Symposium, 850.531.8386; www.southbeachsymposium.org.

February 18 Peel Boot Camp, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Phoenix, AZ. Contact: Mary Richey, 561.208.8566 or visit www. medicalesthetics.com. February Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers & Distributors Association’s 3rd Annual Cosmetic Technical/Regulatory Forum, Contact: ICMAD, 800.334.2623; www.icmad.org.

March 3-5 Medical Spa Expo & Conference, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA. Contact: Eileen Baird, 203.840.4800; www.medispaexpo.com.

March 4 Peel Boot Camp, Miami Beach, FL. Contact: Mary Richey, 561.208.8566; or visit www.medicalesthetics.com.

March 11-13 Medical Spa Pavilion at International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference (co-located with IBS New York), Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NY. Contact: Jill Hoivik, 218.279.8872 or visit www.americanspaexpo.com.

March 18-19 The International Congress of Esthetics, Arlington Convention Center, Arlington, TX. Contact: Christele de La Haye, 305.443.2322; www.lneonline.com.

March 22-24 Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress 2007, Grimaldi Forum, Monte Carlo, Monaco. Contact: Catherine DeCuyper, 33.15.683.7800; www.euromedicom.com.

April 11-15 American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS) 27th Annual Meeting, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, TX. Contact: Dianne Dalsky, 715.845.9283; www.aslms.org.

April 19-24 American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) Annual Meeting, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NY. Contact: ASAPS, 800.364.2147; www.surgery.org.

April 26-28 International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine, Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Orlando, FL. Contact: A4M Customer Service, 800.558.1267; www.worldhealth.net.

May 19-21 The International Congress of Esthetics, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL. Contact: Christele de La Haye, 305.443.2322; www.lneonline.com.

June 2-4 International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: Shelby Swanson, 218.279.8871; www.iecsc.com.

June 13-16 Multispecialty Foundation for Facial Aesthetic Surgical Excellence, Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: S. Randolph Waldman, MD, 877.673.3273; www.multispecialtyfoundation.org.

June 29-Jul 1 F.A.C.E. 2007 (Facial Aesthetic Conference & Exhibition), Royal College of Physicians, London, England. Contact: David Hicks, 44.207.491.0150; www.cosmeticconference.co.uk.

July 12-15 Pacific Northwest Dermatological Annual Conference, Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, ID. Contact: Kory Diemert, 206.956.3646; www.dermatologynw.org.