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J-Plasma:ForOnePatient,LiterallyaBreathofFreshAir
AndyAndersonrecallsbeingnearlyrunofftheroadashewasdrivingdownHighway58inBakersfield
becausethetwowomeninthecarnudginghimoverdesperatelywantedtogetapictureofhim.The54year-oldCaliforniatransplantisnotacelebrityoftheHollywoodvariety.Buthisnosehadgaineda
certainnotoriety:itwas,asAndyfreelyadmits,biggerthanJimmyDurante’sspectacularschnoz.
Sothefactthatthesetwowomenwantedtosnapaphotoastheyspedpasthimdidn’tfazeAndy.They
werehardlythefirsttocuthimoffwhilegawkinganddriving.
“MynosewoulddrinkmycoffeebeforeIwould,”saysAndywithalaugh.“Mynosegoteverything
beforetherestofmedid.”
Hewouldsometimesgood-naturedlytormenthiskidsbyturninghisheadfromsidetoside,theskinof
hisnosefloppingcrazilyashedid.“Betyoucan’tdothat,”hewouldtease.
ButdespiteAndy’sgoodhumor,Andyhadaseriouscaseofrhinophyma.Theseverityofitwasno
laughingmatter.Infact,itwasverymuchabreathingmatter.
“IwouldwakeupoutofadeadsleepbecauseIcouldn’tbreathe,”Andysays.“Itpanickedme.”
Uncontrolledgrowth
Rhinophymaisarelativelyrareskindisorderthatresultsinanenlarged,bumpy,rednose.Severe
rosaceacanleadtoit.Menaremorepronetoitthanwomen.
Andysayshisnosewasalwaysalittle“goofy,”havinggottenbrokenseveraltimesduringhisstintinthe
military.Butoverthepastfouryears,ithadgrownlarger,andlarger,andlargerstill.Duringthelastyear
andahalf,itgrewsolargethatitclosedhisnostrils.
“Ididn’tknowwhatwashappening,”Andysays.
Age,saidthedoctorswhenhewentforhisphysical.
It’spartoflife,theyshrugged.Somepeople’snosesgrowastheygetolder.Justlivewithit.
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Remediationanddesperation
Andyworksonenvironmentalremediationprojectsatwatertreatmentplantsandotherfacilities—
demanding,physicallaborthatputshimoutdoorsmostofthetime.
“Iwouldbetryingtopullpumpsoutoftheground,andtheexertionworemeout,”hesays.“Icouldn’t
getoxygen.”
Itwasgettingtothepointwhereheliterallycouldn’tliveanormallifewithsuchanenlargednose.
Stickastrawupmynostrils,heimploredonephysicianhesaw.Anythingtobeabletogetabreath.
ButtheENTsurgeonsAndysawfelthisskindisorderwassosevere,thattherewasnothingtheycould
doforhim.
SoAndydidsomething:hecontactedDr.AliTehrani,whosepracticesarenearwhereAndylivesinApple
Valley.
J-Plasma:surgicalprecisiongetsevenmoreprecise
WhenAliTehrani,M.D.,firstsawAndyashispatient,hewas,hesays,“surprised.”Aboard-certified
PlasticandReconstructiveSurgeonwhoisalsolicensedinGeneralSurgery,Dr.Tehraniisthefounderof
HighDesertPlasticSurgeryandMontagePlasticSurgery,bothinsouthernCalifornia.
AlthoughitisnotcommonforDr.Tehranitoseerhinophymapatientsinhispractice,hehadtreateda
handfulofthemandwasfamiliarwiththecondition.WhenhesawAndy,“Iwassurprisedattheseverity
ofhiscondition,andalsothathewasn’tgivensurgicaloptionsbytheENTshe’dseen.”AsfarasDr.
Tehraniwasconcerned,Andy’scondition,extremethoughitwas,“wasfixable.”
Surgically,itmeantusinganumberofdifferentmodalities—scalpel,Mayoscissors,aspinningburr.And
onemore:theJ-Plasma,theBovieMedicalCorporation’snewhelium-basedgasplasmasurgicaldevice.
Itfeaturesanincrementalbladeextensionand,mostcritically,anadjustableflowofheliumwhose
micronlevelofcontrolgivesasharpnewedgetotheconceptofsurgicalprecision.
Dr.TehranihadusedtheJ-PlasmainsomewoundsurgeriespriortoAndy’soperation.Heknewthatthe
device’slowthermalspreadwouldreduceanypotentialnegativeimpactonthesurroundingtissue.
“Ifeltthatusingitwouldhavebothhemostaticandantibacterialbenefitsforthepatient,”hesays.It
wouldminimizebleedingduringsurgery.
DuringAndy’ssurgery,onceDr.Tehranicutthroughthedensesttissue,thingsgotsmoother—literally.
UsingtheJ-Plasmaallowedforhealthytissuetobeblendedalmostseamlesslyintotheexcisedarea.
“TheJ-Plasmaeliminatedanyabrupttransitionwherethetissueintheresurfacingwouldnotbeas
smooth,”hesays.
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Painlesspost-op
Andycameoutoftheprocedurefeeling,ashedescribesit,“greatrightaway.”That,andravenous.
“Iwenthomeandgotahamburger,”hesays.Andnoticedsomethingwhenhetookthefirstbite:it
tasteddifferent.Beingabletobreathethroughhisnoseaffectedhistastebuds.SomehowAndyhad
alwayshadagoodsenseofsmell,butnowthiswasevenkeenerthanbefore.Hisnose,meanwhile,had
shrunk,andsignificantlyso.Andyfounditeasyandpainlesstochangethedressingshimselfasit
healed—theJ-Plasmaatwork.
Nowhebreathesinmoreoxygen.Hehasmoreenergy.Hesleepsbetter.
There’sjustonethingthatAndymisses.“Mycelebritystatushasleftme,”hesaysjokingly.“ItoldDr.
Tehranithathefixedmynosesowell,nobodypaysanyattentiontomeanymore.”
Andthat,forAndyAnderson,islikeabreathoffreshair.
J-Plasma:onedevice,multipleapplications
Thehelium-basedgasplasmasurgicaltechnologythatpowersJ-Plasmatakesmuchoftheheatoutof
surgery.
WhileJ-Plasmaturnsdowntheheat,itupstheprecisiontomicronlevel.Itsafelyremovestissuecells
layerbylayer,allowingsurgeonstoablatetheaffectedtissueby“painting,”atechniquethatsparesthe
healthytissuethatliesbeneath.
Dr.AliTehrani’suseoftheJ-PlasmainhisPlasticandReconstructiveSurgerypracticeisjustoneofmany
surgicaltheaterswhereJ-Plasmacanplayastarringrole.
Colorectal,GI,ENTandlaparoscopicsurgeriesareallcandidatesforJ-Plasma,asareGYNandurology
procedures.
“Iwascomfortableusingit,”saysDr.Tehrani,referringtothesurgeryheperformedonapatientwith
severerhinophyma[SEEMAINSTORY],“andhaveuseditsincethen.ThemoreyouusetheJ-Plasma,the
fasteryoubecomeathandlingit.”
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BEFORE:AndyAnderson’srhinophymawassoextreme,hislackofoxygenintakewouldroutinelystartle
himawakeatnight.
AFTER:Just10weeksafterDr.TehraniperformedsurgeryusingtheJ-Plasma,Andy’snosehad
significantlyshrunk—andhisbreathingcapacityhadmarkedlyincreased.
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| Bovie Medical Corporation