Plastic surgeries becoming more high-tech with lower risks

Global Business

The search for the fountain of youth is going high-tech as more procedures are being developed. Now there are more options to remove fat, tighten skin and smooth wrinkles without going under the knife.

CCTV America’s May Lee reports.

Demand for high-tech, surgery-free procedures are on the rise.

In 2015, of the more than $13.5 billion spent by Americans on cosmetic procedures, non-surgical procedures accounted for 42 percent – an increase of 22 percent from the year before.

An experimental cancer treatment has inspired a new cosmetic procedure at UC San Diego’s Center of Excellence in Nanomedicine and Engineering. Researchers said that, if approved, the new procedure could revolutionize fat removal.

Adah Almutairi, director of the center, invented Nanolipo as a solution to problematic results of traditional liposuction.

Nanolipo involves injecting a formula of gold nanoparticles into the fat layer. A laser is used to heat the gold, which melts the fat. The oily liquid is then sucked out without damaging surrounding tissues and nerves, which is the risk with traditional liposuction.

With a lot of trial and error, Adah Almutairi’s team discovered that unlike cancer treatment using nanotechnology, which utilizes high doses of gold to kill cancer cells, melting fat requires a minute amount.

Almutairi and her team will begin clinical trials this year, and if everything goes according to plan, Nanolipo could be ready for commercial use in three years.


Dr. David Song discusses plastic surgery trends

For more on plastic surgery trends and growth, CCTV America’s Rachelle Akuffo spoke to Dr. David Song, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.