Effects of dietary counselling on lipid profile among liposuction patients.

Objectives: To observe the effects of dietary counselling on weight management after liposuction. METHODS: The case-control study was conducted at the La Chirurgie Cosmetic Surgery Centre and Hair Transplant Institute, F-8/3, Islamabad, Pakistan, from January to July 2018, and comprised adults (100) of either gender undergoing liposuction and/or abdominoplasty who were followed for three months in the postoperative period. The subjects were divided into dietary-counselled group A, which received diet plans, and control group B, which followed up without any dietary advice. Lipid profile was done at baseline and three months post-liposuction. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 100 subjects enrolled, 83(83%) completed the study; 43(51.8%) in group A and 40(48.2%) in group B. Overall, there were 19(22.9%) males, 64(77.1%) females, and 55(66.3%) were aged <40 years, while 28(33.7%) were aged ≥40 years. Intra-group improvement was significant for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides for both the groups (p<0.05). The change for very low-density lipoprotein in group B was not significant (p>0.05). Change in high-density lipoprotein was for the better in group A, while it decreased in group B and the change in both cases was significant (p<0.05). Inter-group differences were not significant (p>0.05) except for total cholesterol (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Liposuction alone resulted in the improvement of lipid profile, while dietary intervention resulted in better values with respect to very low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein.

Influence of needle size and injection angle on the distribution pattern of facial soft tissue fillers.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue filler injections are performed using either sharp-tip needles or blunt-tip cannulas. Product can change planes in an uncontrolled manner during needle injections, potentially leading to unintentional intra-arterial placement. There is a paucity of data on the influence of injection angle on the dispersion patterns of soft tissue fillers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 126 injection procedures were conducted in seven Caucasian body donors (four males, three females) with a mean age of 75.29 ± 4.95 years and a mean body mass index of 23.53 ± 3.96 kg/m2 . Injection procedures were performed in various facial regions (forehead, scalp, zygomatic arch, mandibular angle), utilizing different needle sizes (25G, 27G, 30G) and different angles (90°, 45°, 10°). Layer-by-layer dissections were performed to verify the location of the injected product. Dissections were facilitated by the colored material. RESULTS: Utilizing a 30G needle (compared to a 25G needle) reduces the superficial spread with OR 0.70 (95% CI, 0.48-0.99) and P = 0.049, whereas injecting at 90° (vs 10° with the bevel down) increases the odds for superficial spread with OR 10.0 (95% CI, 7.11-14.09) and P < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Precision during soft tissue filler injections, defined as the product remaining in the plane of intended implantation, can be enhanced by changing the needle size and the injection angle. Utilizing a 30G needle and injecting at a 10° angle with bevel facing down reduces the uncontrolled product distribution into superficial fascial layers.

Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) at Home: Developing a New Concept.

BACKGROUND: The vacuum assisted closure (VAC) therapy has revolutionized the modern wound care. We developed a new concept of 'VAC at home' in order to decrease the hospital cost. METHODS: The study was conducted in a private hospital from January 2009 to December 2010. Only those patients were included among whom the wounds were not complicated by concomitant injury and the patients were otherwise fit to be discharged from the hospital. The VAC was applied in the hospital. The VAC changes were done after 48-72 hours depending on the general wound conditions. The cost of the VAC changes during the therapy at home was compared with the expected cost of hospital stay. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were enrolled with a female to male ratio of 1.6:1. The mean age of male patients was 22.4 years as compared to 29.6 years in females. Road traffic accident was the most common cause. Leg (16.2%) was the commonly affected area. The average number of VACs was 15.8. The average cost of the suction machine was 100.1 USD. The average cost of the expected hospital stay during the whole therapy was 68 USD per day. The mean duration of therapy was 35.8 days. The average total cost to be paid to the hospital was 2434.4 USD. Each patient had definitely saved a net of 2739.7 USD. CONCLUSION: With the increasing experiences of VAC, it can safely be instituted as an 'outpatient' procedure to decrease the hospital cost at home.

Views of college students on plastic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Various studies have been conducted in many countries to determine the perception/awareness about plastic surgery. The present study assessed the views of college students about plastic surgery. METHODS: A questionnaire consisted of nine questions regarding the basic knowledge about plastic surgery was randomly distributed among college students. The students were given 20 minutes to fill out the forms. RESULTS: A total of 250 male and 250 female college students were randomly included in the study. The mean age of the male students was 21.1 years as compared to 20.7 years of female students. The top five conditions named were related to hair (89.8%) followed by face scars (88%). The most common procedure named by the students was liposuction (88.2%) followed by hair transplantation. 80.2% of the students opted not to be a plastic surgeon if given an opportunity to select the profession. 33.8% of the students had seen some kinds of plastic surgery operation. Only 5.6% of the students (3.4% male and 2.2% female) had seen some kinds of plastic surgery procedure. 68% of male students and 48% of female students wished to have a plastic surgery procedure sometime in their lives. Majority of the students (88%) got the information from the internet. The second most common source was magazines (85.2%). Majority of the students (53.4%) had an idea of an invisible scar as a result of having a plastic surgery procedure. Only 22% thought to have no scar. Late Michael Jackson was at the top of the list of celebrities having a plastic surgery procedure (97.8%) followed by Nawaz Shariff (92.4%). CONCLUSION: Despite the rapid growth of plastic surgery in the last two decades, a large portion of population remains unaware of the spatiality. It is essential to institute programs to educate healthcare consumers and providers about the plastic surgery.