LaserTight, LLC originally intended to market its EyeTight device as an alternative procedure for lower lid blepharoplasty. An economy on the downturn has transformed an alternative into a solution for the cosmetic surgeons seeking, and the patients demanding, minimally invasive procedures that produce significant and long-term results.
Last week, presenting at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting in Chicago, LaserTight’s medical director, Mark Solomon, M.D., F.A.C.S., discussed the procedure and significant results obtained with the EyeTight 980 nanometer laser device.
According to Dr. Solomon, unlike fractional or CO2 laser procedures, the EyeTight is performed under the surface. As an alternative to transconjuctival blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure, the EyeTight requires only local anesthesia, it’s performed in-office within 15 minutes, and there is minimal patient downtime. The new concept, using the EyeTight 980 nanometer laser energy and a customized endoprobe, “vaporizes the fat bags under the eyes while simultaneously promoting tightening of the skin,” said Dr. Solomon. Tightening of the skin continues to improve for 6 to 8 weeks post procedure.
The September 2008 PRS Journal published a study confirming that excision or removal of under-eye fat, not just repositioning, plays a clear role in the treatment of under-eye “bags.” In the study, plastic surgeons discovered that while the face loses volume with age, the lower eyelids actually get fatter and this significant increase in orbital fat is the primary cause of lower eyelid “bags.”
A 2007 study by the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) ranks blepharoplasty as the fourth most popular surgical procedure. ASPS’ statistics also document there is a significant decline in the number of surgeries. EyeTight’
Michael Moreno, President of MedPro, Inc., the largest provider of pre-owned cosmetic lasers, stated that patient demand for minimally invasive procedures precluded the downturn in the economy. In order to meet the demand cosmetic physicians were already sourcing devices that would produce significant and long term results for their patients without the need for them to undergo surgery. According to Moreno, “A device, such as EyeTight, provides a way for doctors to perform lower lid blepharoplasty and, simultaneously, meet patient demand for nonsurgical procedures.”
Moreno cited examples of doctors’ buying patterns in this current economy. “Instead of purchasing a new fractional laser, many doctors are looking at the portable hand piece that converts their existing CO2 lasers into a fractional system. Rather than purchasing new devices doctors are now sourcing pre-owned equipment that encompasses the latest technology. What has not changed is the fact that in order to stay competitive doctors still insist that any equipment they purchase must produce visible and long lasting results for their patients.”
