Social sites like Facebook and Twitter have become useful tools for the modern plastic surgery practice, according to a study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

To find out more about the ways in which plastic surgeons use social media, doctors at UCLA sent anonymous surveys to over 5,000 plastic surgeons. The survey inquired about their personal use of social media, the platforms they used, and the perceived impact these activities had on their plastic surgery practice.

About half of the surgeons who responded said they were using social media in their professional practice.

Social media is not only a good networking and marketing tool for plastic surgeons, it can also be a good patient education platform. But when you’re a busy professional, staying current with your Facebook and Twitter accounts can be challenging. To handle the ongoing communication, 54 percent of the respondents said they depend on a staff member to manage their social media accounts.

These benefits don’t come without some level of risk. Maintaining a social media presence means being open to negative comments and online attacks. Some doctors also cited concerns about patient privacy.

With so many plastic surgeons using social media, the field is taking a progressive approach that may set an example for doctors in other specialties. “Because of our current level of engagement with existing social media services, plastic surgeons are uniquely poised to become leaders in developing the future of social media architecture to the maximal benefit of practitioners and patients alike,” the authors conclude.

Photo by West McGowan

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jolie breast mastectomy reconstruction“I hope that other women can benefit from my experience” writes Angelina Jolie in a candid New York Times column published today.

The actress and director revealed that she recently chose to have a double mastectomy after doctors told her she had the breast cancer gene BRCA1, meaning Jolie has an (estimated) 87 percent risk of getting the disease.

She decided to be “proactive” and undergo a preventive double mastectomy, followed by breast reconstruction with implants. The procedures were completed just last month.

About her reconstruction, she writes:

“Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.”

Photo by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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Juvederm could be FDA approved for cheek augmentation later this year.

girl in bushesA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel has recommended that the agency approve Juvéderm Voluma XC for cheek augmentation. Approval would make Juvederm the first injectable dermal filler with FDA indications for mid-face volume restoration.

A gel composed of hyaluronic acid suspended in phosphate buffered saline with 0.3 percent Lidocaine, Juvéderm Voluma helps restore deep volume loss and smooths the mid-face, rejuvenating sunken areas around the cheeks, re-creating youthful contour and fullness. The results are instant, natural looking and can last up to 18 months. There’s little if any downtime – most people resume normal activities immediately.

Based on the clinical trial data presented, the FDA’s General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel agreed that the product is effective and safe and the benefits outweigh the risks. The most frequent common treatment site responses (CTRs) reported in the trial were tenderness, swelling, and firmness.

FDA reviewers noted that the incidence of CTRs decreased for subjects receiving touch-up and repeat treatments. More than half (52.8 percent) of subjects received the optional retreatment at the end of the extended follow-up period “suggesting these subjects perceived an acceptable benefit/risk profile for [its] continued use,” the reviewers said.

An additional consensus was that Juvéderm Voluma XC fills more than cheeks, meeting the needs of what people want in plastic surgery. According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), in 2012 nearly 2 million people had soft tissue filler augmentation, representing a 205 percent increase since 2000.

Photo: by Alaskan Dude on Flickr

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textingWhile text messaging started out as a fad among teenagers, today its widespread use has extended to breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

A recent study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that text messaging between the patient and surgeon led to faster recovery times. Women who exchanged texts with their surgeon made significantly fewer clinic visits and phone calls; texting also reduced the amount of time the post-surgical drain was needed.

The study, the first to show potential benefits of text messaging between surgeons and patients undergoing a specific procedure, included 102 women with similar characteristics who used comparable surgeons and techniques. One group participated in routine postoperative text messaging while the other did not.

“Consistent with the benefits of text messaging (ease of use, speed, simplicity), patients’ adherence to medical advice (monitoring and recording…drain output) improved in this study,” stated Dr. Roshni Rao of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Some patients mentioned that being able to communicate with their surgeon via text helped them feel “empowered and an advocate for their own care.”

Yet despite its potential advantages, texting between doctors and patients has yet to catch on. Concerns include patient confidentiality as well as protecting the privacy of physicians and the amount of time involved in texting. Reimbursement is another potential area of question. In the study, patients used text messaging to send only the requested information during specified hours and messages only appeared on a password-protected cell phone.

Yet if routine postoperative text messages can help reduce unnecessary visits and quicken recovery, everyone wins. “The results of this exploratory study are intriguing and may provide a strategy for innovative communication between physicians and patients,” writes Dr. Rao and coauthors.

Photo: Texting at Comic-Con by kevin dooley on Flickr

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