William K. Boss, MD, PA, FACS, a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in Hackensack, NJ, has developed “CoolLift,” a minimally invasive facelift procedure that takes about 60 minutes for the midface and 75 minutes when the neck is included.

“My patients are thrilled with CoolLift,” says Boss, who developed the CoolLift procedure in response to the growing demand among his patients for minimally invasive options with lasting anti-aging benefits. “The results are remarkable; a decade or more of aging comes off of their faces and necks. Downtime is so minimal that my patients can come in for a CoolLift on Thursday and usually be back to work on Tuesday.”

The CoolLift is a multicomponent facelift performed under local anesthesia. The patent-pending procedure combines internal laser lipolysis, skin heating with deep tissue, and submuscular aponeurotic space (SMAS) tightening with skin suspension. Minimal skin incisions and elevation substantially reduce facial and neck swelling.

How does this procedure compare to traditional facelifts?

Unlike traditional facelifts, barbed sutures are used for deep and superficial tissue repositioning, Boss says. The suspension sutures hold the deep tissue and skin in place, tone the face and neck, and give a lift to sagging areas. In addition, the use of the laser recontours the jowls and nasal labial folds. Patients also notice late-term improvement as the skin tightens from the thermal effect of the laser, according to Boss.

See also “Recession Proof” by Tor Valenza, in the February 2008 issue of PSP.

The CoolLift may be performed on male and female patients from 38 to 80 years old. Patients with prior medical problems require medical clearance from their primary care physician. Even though smoking decreases blood flow and oxygen to the skin, which can inhibit the healing process, Boss says that he has successfully performed the procedure on patients who smoke.

“I encourage patients to cease smoking 3 weeks prior to surgery and 2 weeks post-operatively.”

Boss says most patients return to work within 5 to 7 days postsurgery. They wear a head wrap for support for 24 to 48 hours to help reduce swelling.


Book Review

In today’s competitive aesthetic surgery market, it is imperative to provide the best care for your patients in order to create repeat business and for them to recommend new patients.

The Art of Aesthetic Practice: How to Profit from the Cosmetic Boom, by Stephen Mulholland, MD, and Mark J. Tager, MD, includes information on how to wow patients and exceed their expectations of care and service.

“This book isn’t about technology; it’s about the principles and practices of an art form, the art of aesthetic business,” the authors write. “It’s about fundamentals, about doing the right things, but also doing things right.

As with every successful business, it revolves around meeting and exceeding customer/patient expectations. It’s about doing things 1% better. It’s about underpromising and overdelivering.”

The book describes six critical steps that will create lifelong patients and teaches physicians how to use their advertising dollars most effectively, how to get the phone ringing more frequently, how to convert leads into consultations and consultations into treatments, how to cross-sell patients on additional procedures, how to diagnose where they need improvement, how to monitor and track success, and how to motivate staff.

The book is organized into two sections. The first section, “The Key Success Principles,” includes information that physicians may not have learned during their formal training. The section includes information on motivation, leadership, planning, and communication.

The second section, “The Conversion Cascade,” describes “key performance indicators” that physicians need to follow in order to have a successful practice.

Publisher: ChangeWell Inc
ISBN: 978-0-615-19686-2
Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
Price: $29.95