MIAMI – There’s a unique new option in the world of cosmetic rejuvenation.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Rian Maercks said a matrix filler called Renuva stimulates the body’s stem cells to create healthy fat.
It’s injected into areas of the body that have lost volume due to aging, including the face, hands, and breasts.
“Renuva is a biologic, it’s actually human tissue. It’s the stuff around fat cells. So, the company takes the fat cells — it’s human fat —processes it, takes anything infective or immunogenic out of it, and it’s just what we call ‘extracellular matrix,’ the stuff around the fat,” Maercks said.
Maercks said that the extracellular matrix has messaging for the body and it tells the body to make fat.
Renuva has no surgical downtime and is an alternative to surgical fat transfers. But, it is expensive. Treatments for large areas can cost several thousand dollars.
Penicillin Shortage
Drug maker Pfizer warns that it expects to run out of a certain form of penicillin by the end of the month.
Bicillin is a long-acting injectable form of the antibiotic which is one in a range of options doctors can use on common infections.
Pfizer said the drug is not widely used in pediatrics because the shots are painful and most doctors prefer to use amoxicillin.
The adult formulation is the recommended treatment for syphilis.
Pfizer said supplies of Bicilllin could run low but they do not expect to run out completely.
The drugmaker said it is working to increase production of Bicillin after demand for the drug grew in the fall and winter, during an amoxicillin shortage.