Dallas Doctor Wins Prestigious Roe Award. Cutting edge research in the latest facial rejuvenation technology led to national recognition.

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Bassichis, recently won the John Orlando Roe award. The award is presented to a doctor by the Facial Plastic Academy for the best clinical research project of the year for 2003. The research focused on using a non-ablative, radiofrequency device to treat the upper one-third of the face.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) October 29, 2003 -- Benjamin Bassichis, MD, Director of the Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery Center, was recently awarded the prestigious John Orlando Roe Award at the 2003 Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery meeting in Orlando, Florida. The Roe Award is presented each year to an American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow who submits the best clinical research paper written during their fellowship year. Dr. Bassichis research paper, entitled, The Use of a Non-Ablative, Radiofrequency Device to Rejuvenate the Upper One-Third of the Face", investigated a new technique for facial rejuvenation without undergoing a surgical procedure. In addition to the award, Dr. Bassichis research was chosen as a headline platform presentation at the Annual Meeting.

As the baby boomers continue to age it is anticipated that the demand will increase for non-invasive techniques for facial rejuvenation to diminish facial skin wrinkles and other body surface irregularities. Procedures such as dermabrasion, laser and chemical resurfacing, require a short-term healing period involving a process of re-epithelialization, rebuilding of the cellular avascular covering of the affected area, and skin remodeling.

A new technology that allows radiofrequency energy to heat the dermis without removing the epidermis has been developed by Thermage, Inc., (Hayward, CA.) The applied heat causes a thermal injury, which starts a healing response to be initiated. The device differs from previous radiofrequency devices in that it uses capacitive coupling rather than conductive coupling to deliver the therapeutic energy, thus, not injuring the top layer of the skin. Cooling the epidermis prior to administration of energy, allows for a zone of heat in excess of sixty-five degrees centigrade in the dermis, with temperatures only reaching up to forty-five degrees centigrade within the epidermis. This heat zone allows the thermally sensitive collagen bonds in the dermis to exceed their denaturation threshold of sixty degrees centigrade. The device is reported to produce an immediate tightening of the skin, as well as collagen deposition and remodeling over time.

Early indicators are that the majority of patients who undergo radiofrequency without ablation see improvement within four to twelve weeks post-treatment. Even though the new device has been approved by the FDA for use in the periorbital region for treatment of rhytids there was sparse information available about the effectiveness and patient satisfaction associated with the ThermaCool TCTM device in the upper-third of the face.

This new study reports the results of twenty-four patients who were treated with the ThermaCool TCTM device for elevation of brow position. In the conclusion, the ThermaCool TCTM non-ablative, radiofrequency device for in-office rejuvenation of the upper one-third of the face provides a measurable improvement in the majority of patients treated. Eyebrow elevation is not consistent with similar energy settings in different patients, and the majority of patients showed post-treatment asymmetry within various brow locations.

The patients were pleased with the convenience of this non-invasive procedure, but the majority did not perceive a cosmetic benefit. In evaluating facial rejuvenation procedures, patient satisfaction with treatment effects is of paramount importance. Lack of patient satisfaction with the outcome of this ThermaCool TMTM treatment may outweigh any objective measurement of improvement evidenced in this study.

Dr. Bassichis currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School. He lectures at monthly grand rounds on Facial Plastics Surgery topics. Dr. Bassichis also volunteers his time at the Veterans Hospital of Dallas, where he supervises residents in the operating suite and clinics.

For more information about the latest proven techniques in Facial Plastic Surgery, please contact the Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery Center at (214) 394-8645.
###