Four lectures at the largest cosmetic multi-specialty meeting in the US
This year Dr. John Q. Cook was invited to lecture at the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery meeting. This meeting brings together the four core specialties of aesthetic surgery and medical aesthetics: plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery, and aesthetic dermatology so that leaders in their respective fields can share their ideas and techniques. This is the second year in which Dr. Cook was on the faculty for VCS.
Dr. Cook lectured on four topics: Structural Breast Surgery, Facial Rejuvenation under Local Anesthesia, Advances in Non-Surgical Fat Reduction, and Top 10 Pearls for Face Lift under Local Anesthesia.
Here is a summary for our patients of the talks given by Dr. Cook:
Structural Breast Surgery-Surgical Restoration of Breast Form
With the passage of time and life events such as pregnancy and weight variation, many women experience a change in their breasts which is not pleasing to them. The breasts settle to a lower position as the skin stretches out, the breasts lose their fullness in the upper portion, and the breasts lose their firm structure.
The most common approach that plastic surgeons take to the problems we have just described is to lift the breast by removing areas of stretched skin and filling the upper portion of the breast with an implant
The problem with this approach is that the skin will stretch again and the breast will settle back down to a low position. Also, many women prefer to avoid breast implants, particularly if they have enough breast tissue, but it is just in the wrong position.
The Structural Technique addresses these issues in a way that is different from most conventional breast surgery. With this technique, Dr. Cook rearranges the breast structure so that natural tissue from the lower portion of the breast is moved to the upper breast. This is in effect a natural breast implant. Also, the breast is anchored at several levels, so that it is held in position by more than the skin. This, in Dr. Cook’s experience, keeps the breast in a better position than techniques that just rely on the skin to lift the breast. Also, the structural technique avoids scars in the cleavage area, which is a disadvantage of some breast lift techniques.
Structural Breast Lift
In his lecture, Dr. Cook explained the structural technique in a step-by-step manner and showed how the technique can be applied to a breast lift, breast reduction, and breast revision surgery.
Facial Rejuvenation Surgery under Local Anesthesia
Dr. Cook carries out a large number of face lift and face tightening procedures under a pure local anesthetic technique. This is still uncommon in most plastic surgery practices, but it has many advantages for the patient.
Many of our patients prefer the local anesthesia approach because the overall surgical experience is more pleasant. The patient eats a light meal before surgery, so there is none of the sense of starvation that occurs when a patient has to fast before surgery. Also, patients appreciate the lack of a sense of having a period of time “blacked out” by anesthesia. When the patient is finished with surgery, he or she simply walks out of the operating room and does not have to be carried on a cart.
Many patients hold off on facial surgery because of a fear of going under general anesthesia, due to the common misconception that this is the only way the surgery can be carried out. They settle for injectable fillers and relaxants and then are disappointed with the results because their real problem is a loss of tone of facial structures.
Dr. John Q. Cook uses local anesthesia for a wide range of facial rejuvenation procedures including lifting of the brow, cheek, jaw border, and neck. The lifting is almost always combined with facial fat transfer so that he can restore facial volume in the most natural way.
Facelift Under Local Anesthesia performed by Dr. John Q. Cook
In the lecture, Dr. Cook also discussed his experience with FaceTite®, a procedure that uses a pair of probes to tighten skin along the jaw border and neck. This is done through tiny openings so that it avoids the typical face lift incisions. Dr. Cook was one of the first surgeons to work with this technology in the United States, so his experience was of interest to the surgeons in the audience.
Dr. Cook provided his audience with a series of practical steps to make facial rejuvenation surgery under local anesthesia a reality in their practices. He also provided a suggestion that can help a surgeon determine whether this approach will work well for an individual patient.
Non-Surgical Fat Reduction: Combinations and Strategies for Success
There has been an explosion of interest in non-surgical fat reduction in the last few years. All existing techniques can be helpful, but it is important for the surgeon to understand which patients will benefit the most and which patients are likely to be disappointed.
In this lecture Dr. Cook reviewed the experience of our team at the Whole Beauty® Institute with SculpSure®, the latest generation in non-invasive fat reduction treatments. We were the first practice in the Midwest region to use SculpSure®, so our experience was of interest to the audience.
Dr. Cook reviewed several advantages of the SculpSure® technology. It can be customized to a variety of body shapes. There is not a sharp cut-off at the edge of the treated area, a problem which is encountered with some other fat reduction methods. To date our patients have not experienced neurological symptoms in the treated area or zones of paradoxical fat growth, issues which are sometimes seen with other technologies.
From our experience, Dr. Cook was able to provide guidelines that help bring the use of SculpSure® to the highest level of success. First of all, it is important to bring the energy to the highest settings to see the best amount of fat reduction. Also doing two treatments increases the level of patient satisfaction. The proper selection of patients is important. The ideal patient is fit, has good skin tone, and has an area of excess in the waist area that is not extremely thick.
Sculpsure Before and After | Whole Beauty® Institute
Dr. Cook also reviewed our experience in combining SculpSure® with radio-frequency skin tightening to enhance the quality of the results for some patients.
Top 10 Pearls for Face Lift under Local Anesthesia
In the final day of the meeting, some faculty members are invited to present the top 10 pearls in a particular area of interest. These lectures are among the most useful of the VCS meeting because they provide a series of practical suggestions that can lead to better outcomes in the care of patients.
Dr. Cook presented a concise review of 10 points that have led to the success of face lift under local anesthesia at the Whole Beauty® Institute. Dr. Cook was happy to see that quite a few of the surgeons in the audience were interested in this topic, and it is our hope that the local anesthesia approach to facial rejuvenation surgery will become more widely available to patients in the United States.
Bringing the Best to Patients at the Whole Beauty® Insitute
We believe that by working hard to stay current with the best treatment techniques and by presenting our experience at meetings we can be of true service to our patients. Our goal is to be a trusted source of information for patients who are interested in a naturalistic approach to surgical and medical aesthetics.
To schedule a consultation at our Chicago and Winnetka offices call 312-751-2112.