Study Reveals Rise in Noninvasive Procedures
A survey conducted by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (AAFPRS) of 1,336 of its member surgeons revealed a 69% increase among women and a 91% increase among men undergoing nonsurgical facial plastic surgery since 2000. The study also confirms that Americans want beauty instantly with shorter recovery time. Peter A. Hilger, president of the AAFPRS, comments, “We’re seeing that minimally invasive treatments that offer patients less downtime are increasing in popularity. The goal is to have a nice, natural-looking outcome—you don’t want to look like you’ve had surgery.”

As for the future of these procedures, 96% of surgeons polled predict more filler introductions into the market, and 94% foresee an increase in cosmetic surgery for ethnic populations. Dr Hilger concludes, “We hope the results of this annual survey give some understanding of the untiring dedication of AAFPRS members to making the highest possible quality of facial plastic surgery available to the public.”

For more information, call 703.299.9291 or visit www.facemd.com.

CoolTouch Issued Two Patents
CoolTouch, a laser manufacturer of light-based aesthetic and medical products, announced the issuance of two patents by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. The first patent is for enhanced noninvasive collagen remodeling, which combines a wound healing compound with a source of electromagnetic energy to produce enhanced rejuvenation; the second patent is for thermal tissue quenching, which is a method of treating skin disorders with nonablative energy.

For more information, call 877.858.COOL or visit www.cooltouch.com.

Syneron and Obagi Initiate Collaboration
Syneron Medical announced the initiation of a multicenter clinical study with Obagi Medical Products. As part of the study, doctors who are actively performing Syneron elos procedures will begin evaluating Obagi’s newly developed Nu-Derm Condition and Enhance skincare systems, prior to or following elos treatments to measure improvement in overall patient outcome for the treatment of fine lines, photo damage and hyperpigmented skin attributable to the combination therapy. “Energy-based skin rejuvenation treatments have a strong and growing presence among cosmetic and plastic surgeons,” said Steve Carlson, president and CEO of Obagi Medical Products. “Given Syneron’s innovative technology and understanding of this space, they are the ideal partner to undertake this study. Our goal is to demonstrate the advantages of adding complementary topical treatments to existing medical aesthetic procedures in order to improve patient outcomes.”

For more information, call 866.259.6661 or visit www.syneron.com.

Iridex Appoints New CFO
Iridex announced that Meryl A. Rains has joined the company as CFO, replacing Larry Tannenbaum who served as the CFO since April 2004. Tannenbaum has been named the company’s chief business officer and will continue to assist with investor relations. Barry Caldwell, president and CEO states, “Meryl has over 17 years of senior financial management experience as a certified public accountant and has extensive experience in managing the financial operations and compliance requirements of publicly traded companies. We believe Meryl’s skill set, which includes SEC financial reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, financial planning and analysis and international finance make her specifically qualified to succeed in this role.”

For more information, call 650.940.4700 or visit www.iridex.com.
 

Committee Calls for Retraction
The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association (ATTIA) has issued a call for the Journal of New England Medicine to publish a retraction of the article “Prepubertal Gynecomastia Linked to Lavender and Tea Tree Oil.” The ATTIA argues that the article is unscientific and that its conclusions regarding the connection between tea tree oil and prepubertal gynecomastia are not only unsupported by scientific fact but may be damaging to the tea tree and lavender oil industries.

For more information, call 02.6674.2925 or visit www.attia.org.au.


Lumenis Appoints Chairman of the Board
Harel Beit-On has joined Lumenis as chairman of the board. Beit-On has more than 20 years of management leadership experience and is a general partner at Carmel Ventures, with $372 million under management. Prior to joining Carmel, Beit-On was president, CEO and chairman of the board of Tecnomatix Technologies. During his tenure, the company grew to $100 million in revenues and more than 650 employees. Beit-On is chairman of the board of CogniTens and Pulsar and he serves on the board of directors of Red Bend, Shunra, Optimal Test, Clarizen and MyThings. He is a frequent lecturer at high tech conferences in Israel and abroad, and holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For more information, call 866.569.0597 or visit www.lumenis.com.

AMMG Hosts MediSpa Conference
The Age Management Medicine Group and The Medical Spa Summit are hosting a combined conference at the Sheraton Yankee Trader in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, May 17-20, 2007. There will be a full day devoted to medspa technology and practice management, followed by three days of office based aesthetic medical protocols and procedures taught by physicians who have demonstrated success in using minimally invasive, office-based procedures to expand their practices. The course is designed for physicians, healthcare professionals and estheticians.

For more information on this and future conferences, call 847.579.1088 or visit www.agemed.org.

CEO Comments on State of the Industry
John Buckingham, CEO and co-founder of Solana MedSpas released his comments on the state of the medical spa industry. “According to the International Medical Spa Association (IMSPA), the Medspa movement has been closely linked to the growing baby boomer generation,” he explains. “Baby boomers are the wealthiest, best educated and most sophisticated consumers in history and are the single largest consumer group in the U.S.” Buckingham also addressed ways to capitalize on boomers’ immense buying power and how to apply it to the medspa industry. He also outlined components for success, case studies and current trends driving the industry.

For more information, call 888.476.5262 or visit www.solanamedspas.com.


Alma Lasers Opens Chicago Office
Alma Lasers announced the relocation of its domestic headquarters from Ft. Lauderdale to Chicago, where it will be near a major airline hub. The sales, marketing, logistics, finance and warehousing capabilities of the company will work in the new facility and the offices of CEO Howard Kelly will be located there. “It is the right time for this move,” said Howard Kelly. “Alma Lasers has grown rapidly in the past three years, and we need more space. It is important that we are located centrally to best serve all our customers in the Americas.”

For more information, call 866.414.2562 or visit www.almalasers.com.

Events

2007

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 8-11
Cosmetic Boot Camp, St. Regis, Aspen, CO.
Contact: K. Dennis, 877.456.2668; www.cosmeticbootcamp.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-July 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.

August 1-5
American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Academy ‘07, Hilton New York, New York, NY.
Contact: Robin Downey, 866.503.SKIN; www.aad.org.

August 2-4
15th International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago, IL.
Contact: A4M Customer Service, 773.528.1000; www.worldhealth.net.

August 15-19
American Dermatological Association (ADA) 127th Annual Meeting, Ritz Carlton Bachelor’s Gulch Resort, Beaver Creek, CO.
Contact: Michelle Gratz, 914.923.8540; www.adameeting.org.

August 25-27
Face & Body Expo and 4th Annual Medical Esthetic Conference, Moscone Center (South), San Francisco, CA.
Contact: Maureen Ckuj, 630.653.2155, ext. 561; www.faceandbody.com.

August 25-27
Face & Body Expo and 4th Annual Medical Esthetic Conference, Moscone Center (South), San Francisco, CA.
Contact: Maureen Ckuj, 630.653.2155, ext. 561; www.faceandbody.com.

September 8-9
Cosmetic Surgery Expo, TBA, Dallas, TX.
Contact: Mike Colby, 401.213.6313; www.cosmeticsurgeryexpos.com.

September 8-10
The International Congress of Esthetics, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA.
Contact: Christele de La Haye, 305.443.2322; www.lneonline.com.

September 8-10
Medical Spa Expo & Conference, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NY.
Contact: Eileen Baird, 203.840.4800; www.medispaexpo.com.

September 17-21
American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) Fall Meeting, Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, Washington, DC.
Contact: Meetings & Education Coordinator, 703.299.9291 ext. 237; www.aafprs.org.

September 29-October 1
International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference 10th Anniversary, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL.
Contact: Shelby Swanson, 218.279.8871; www.iecsc.com.

October 7-8
The International Congress of Esthetics, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Contact: Christele de La Haye, 305.443.2322; www.lneonline.com.

October 11-14
American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Annual Meeting, Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago, IL.
Contact: ASDS, 847.956.0900; www.asds.net.