Wave of the Future

Created on 12th January 2009

Dr Hugo Kitchen of the Stratford Dermatherapy Clinic predicts the future of breast reshaping

Historically, we have submitted to the introduction of all sorts of substances, some more desirable than others, into our bodies in order to achieve an augmentation of areas such as the breasts and buttocks, or to even out discrepancies in the skin’s surface caused by trauma or disease.

From early attempts with paraffin and non-medical grade silicone to harvested autologous (your own) fat and permanent dermal filler products, the science of adding volume to the body has thankfully come a long way.

I have been in clinical practice for 26 years and in cosmetic medicine for 20 of those. I have een many developments in the non-surgical arena from Zyderm Collagen through all the hyaluronic acid fillers and Autologous fibroblast transfers, lasers and IPL machines and, of course, Botox.

In January this year I was invited by Q-Med, the manufacturers of Macrolane, to its launch and, a couple of weeks later, for my surgical
training at their headquarters. What struck me, as I observed a couple of cases and then performed a few procedures myself, is that I have never before seen such a sudden emotional impact on a patient. In 45 minutes under local anaesthesia, without any real discomfort, we can gracefully reshape a woman’s breasts, so that she regains her self esteem and femininity. The only real pain afterwards seems to be in their jaw, as they grin in the mirror.

What you have to remember

Potential patients must do their homework to make sure their intended physician is Macrolane-trained for breast shaping. Only a few centres are providing Macrolane and patients need to be confidentthat the doctor they are consulting is properly trained by Macrolane and has carried out a number of breast-shaping procedures.

The other essential requirement is that the procedure is carried out in a
sterile minor treatments room with adequate infection control measures in place. There is a big difference in having a filler injected by sharp needle to a volume restoration gel being administered by cannulla.

Summary

The arena of breast augmentation and reshaping itself is likely to become heavily contested in the near future with advances in many technologies, ncluding Macrolane, seriously challenging the domination of traditional surgical implants.

For example, a new study is currently underway in Japan examining the effects of augmenting a patient’s breast with their own liposuction derived fat, combined with a concentration of their own fat derived stem and regenerative cells that have been shown in previous trials to improve the tissue retention of the transferred fat.

Of course, unlike Macrolane or traditional implants, this type of procedure relies on the patient having enough available excess fat to utilise, which isn’t always going to be the case.

Macrolane represents a new and innovative product to the hit the aesthetic marketplace. I do wonder, as more women learn about this procedure, whether it can become the new Botox, which remains the number one requested treatment in my practice. Maybe not, but with no hospital admission, no general anaesthetic, no cutting and no scars, I believe Macrolane is going to become an increasingly common alternative to traditional breast augmentation, the most popular surgical procedure in the UK.