Rejuvenating the Face: An Analysis of 100 Absorbable Suture Suspension Patients.

BACKGROUND: Absorbable suture suspension (Silhouette InstaLift, Sinclair Pharma, Irvine, CA) is a novel, minimally invasive system that utilizes a specially manufactured synthetic suture to help address the issues of facial aging, while minimizing the risks associated with historic thread lifting modalities. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to assess the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction of the absorbable suture suspension system in regards to facial rejuvenation and midface volume enhancement. METHODS: The first 100 treated patients who underwent absorbable suture suspension, by the senior author, were critically evaluated. Subjects completed anonymous surveys evaluating their experience with the new modality. RESULTS: Survey results indicate that absorbable suture suspension is a tolerable (96%) and manageable (89%) treatment that improves age related changes (83%), which was found to be in concordance with our critical review. CONCLUSIONS: Absorbable suture suspension generates high patient satisfaction by nonsurgically lifting mid and lower face and neck skin and has the potential to influence numerous facets of aesthetic medicine. The study provides a greater understanding concerning patient selection, suture trajectory, and possible adjuvant therapies.

What Neurotoxins Have Taught Us About the Brow: The Reintroduction and Review of the Transpalpebral Browpexy.

INTRODUCTION: The use of neuromodulators has grown substantially in our society, particularly in the temporary treatment of brow ptosis. This study revisits the use of the transpalpebral browpexy for upper face and brow rejuvenation in the context of what has been learned from neuromodulators. METHODS: A retrospective review of 97 subjects was conducted who had transpalpebral browpexy performed for lateral brow ptosis. Qualitative degree of brow elevation after the procedure was determined by examining before and after photographs for each patient. RESULTS: Out of 97 patients, 95 (98%) experienced aesthetically optimal brow elevation for their respective gender. Two patients required surgical revision, both of which experienced extenuating circumstances. Two patients experienced edema and one patient experienced periodic eruptions of chalazia along the upper eyelid. CONCLUSION: Transpalpebral browpexy is a reliable, minimally invasive surgical procedure that effectively emulates the results of neuromodulator injections for a much longer period of time. While it cannot replace traditional brow-lifting techniques, transpalpebral browpexy does have solid indications with proven long-lasting results, which can be effective in a significant portion of patients with brow ptosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Microbiology of burn wound infections.

One of the most complicated issues that surgeons face, in the care of burn patients, is infection. This includes both superficial and systemic infections. Systemic infection is the leading cause of death in this population. This article will look to review the microbiology of burn wound infections with particular emphasis on classification, host response to burn wound infections, antimicrobial agents, and modern treatment practices.

Burns of the developing breast.

Burns to the pediatric population are a prevalent problem that can have long-term if not fatal consequences. Although burns to the trunk have equally negative cosmetic effects from disfigurement for both boys and girls, burns to the trunk of the developing female, particularly those involving the breast, have an additional psychologic component due to the potential loss of femininity. This article aims to comprehensively review the proper management and treatment options for these patients based on mechanism of burn injury, both from an initial management and a staged reconstruction point of view.