Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Zeltiq and Photodynamic Therapy star at AAD meeting

Dr. Pozner and I have just returned from the 67th annual American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) meeting in San Francisco and what a meeting it was. Over 18,000 people attended the meeting that dealt with all aspects of dermatology. It should come as no surprise that among the most exciting aspects of the meeting was the ever changing world of cosmetic dermatology.

Fat removal and body contouring are exciting new topics as is the evolving world of photodynamic therapy. Cryolipolysis by Zeltiq continues to show enormous interest. This totally non-invasive method of melting fat is currently undergoing FDA trials, but has just received regulatory approval in Europe, as Dr. Pozner reported below this post. Presentations showed remarkable melting of love handles simply by selectively applying “cold” to the areas of fat. This approach added to other future methods of non-invasive body contouring by UltraShape and Liposonix (now owned by Medicis the company that sells the Restylane wrinkle filer) only add to the excitement.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) also was another exciting area of discussion. This approach of applying a medication to the skin that is then activated by a laser or light source has been used for years to treat pre-skin cancers. More recently the technique has been shown to promote better skin quality and lead to improvement in acne. What is most exciting was the suggestion that newer PDT approaches currently being studied may ultimately lead to a cure for acne and better ways to remove unwanted hair. Stay tuned!

David J. Goldberg, MD
Skin Laser and Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center

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