No longer just for the rich and famous, cosmetic
surgery is now accessible for the beauty- and youth-conscious masses. It is
possible to get botox or dermal filler injections in your lunch break – a
service offered by many beauty salons and high street chemists.

As cosmetic surgery has become more and more
popular, has the perceived risk associated with certain procedures been
downgraded?

Very few beauty practitioners carrying out these
procedures have medical experience for when complications arise.

There are plenty of examples. Stars left with a
‘trout pout’ because their lips have been pumped with too much collagen. There
are others who can barely change their facial expression because they’ve had
too many facelifts and/or too much botox.

Nigel Mercer of the British Association of
Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) says, “There is significant concern that
clients experiencing minor complications could go on to develop more
significant complications because the beauty therapist is not trained to deal
with those complications. It is one of the reasons why there is a call to
reclassify dermal fillers as medicines rather than medical implants. There
needs to be greater scrutiny of the practitioners carrying out cosmetic
procedures. This includes making sure that surgeons are on the specialist
register of the General Medical Council. ”

Underwriter Sharon Brennan at WR Berkley
comments, “The cosmetic industry has seen explosive growth over the last few
years. The lack of regulation allows individuals who have little or inadequate
formal training to carry out cosmetic techniques. This can lead to disastrous
results and consequences.”

Article source: http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/news/february-2012/botox-in-your-lunch-hour-36530/

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) February 05, 2012

Dr. John Stratis of Stratis Gayner Plastic Surgery is concerned about the recent media attention being paid to mothers who advocate that their daughters undergo plastic surgery and non-surgical facial treatments, such as BOTOX®. In Harrisburg, Dr. Stratis says he has not had any requests to treat young girls, but he feels strongly about such procedures for children.

“When I read the recent ABC News report (http://www.abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/01/05/human-barbie-gives-7-year-old-daughter-liposuction-voucher) about a British mother who gave her 7-year-old daughter a voucher for liposuction, I was shocked,” Dr. Stratis says. “Thankfully, such cases are rare. But the fact that the media are drawing attention to these situations may account for the increase in them.”

The ABC report noted that the mother, known in the United Kingdom as “The Human Barbie,” previously had given her daughter a birthday present of a voucher for breast augmentation, which she said her daughter could have when she turns 16.

Although regulations differ in the U.K. concerning breast implants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that a woman be at least 18 years old to undergo breast augmentation with implants, and only women 22 and older have the option of silicone gel implants.

Dr. Stratis, who specializes in Harrisburg breast enhancement surgery, considers the procedure to be extremely risky for a teenager. He is also concerned that the mother is sending her daughter a message that future plastic surgery is essential.

“Before I perform any procedure, I carefully and thoroughly evaluate my patient’s health and personal motivations for the surgery,” Dr. Stratis says. “I conduct this analysis to ensure that my patient is physically healthy and also to make sure that her motivations are realistic.

“As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I am committed to providing my patients with the highest level of safety and quality. If a teenager told me that she wanted a procedure like breast implants at my Harrisburg, PA practice, I would talk with her in-depth about her motivation. Her options also would be limited to saline implants due to FDA regulations.”

He said he would also question the mother’s motivation.

“Mothers should protect their daughters and instill confidence in them,” Dr. Stratis says. “Then they can make sound decisions for themselves when they reach adulthood.

“A valid reason for plastic surgery for a child might be ear surgery. Children with protruding ears are often ridiculed by their peers, which can hurt their self-esteem. In such cases, my colleague, Dr. Scott Gayner, who is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, would evaluate the child to determine if this procedure was appropriate.”

At Stratis-Gayner Plastic Surgery (http://www.focusedforyou.com), Dr. John Stratis, a board-certified plastic surgeon, and Dr. Scott Gayner, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, help patients achieve their cosmetic goals with a specialized team approach. Dr. Stratis is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and served as chief resident at Medical College of Pennsylvania. He focuses on body contouring and breast enhancement procedures. Dr. Gayner graduated from Medical College of Virginia and went on to more than 6 years of advanced training in general surgery, otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery. He performs surgical and non-surgical facial procedures.

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Article source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9167371.htm

Allergan, which manufactures the wrinkle-busting cosmetic on the outskirts of Westport in Co Mayo, estimates that within five years 60% of Botox sales will be for illnesses ranging from cerebral palsy to chronic migraines as well as for anti-ageing treatments.

Despite the recession and a banking crisis that has almost bankrupted the Irish state, the pharmaceutical industry has kept faith with the republic, where nine of the top 10 global pharma companies still have a presence. This month Allergan announced it is expanding its workforce in the west of Ireland tourist trap to more than 1,000 as well as building a new research and development centre in the coastal town.

Allergan’s quarterly profit figures were revealed last Thursday in the US at $279.8m (£176m), up 6% from last year’s fourth quarter. Global sales of Botox, which remains its key product, grew 8% in the fourth quarter to $415.3m. Regardless of the eurozone turmoil and global recession, consumers and health bodies are still clamouring for Botox.

As Ireland seeks to trade its way out of the doldrums, Allergan’s decision marks a vote of confidence among the multinational business community that helped fuel the country’s economic revolution during the 1990s. The company has a long history of involvement in the republic and its presence is estimated to inject an average $25m of capital expenditure in the republic per annum.

Allergan’s managing director in Ireland, Pat O’Donnell, grew up on a 26-acre farm just five miles from the Westport plant. Straight from college, the genial O’Donnell worked his way up from lab technician in the 1980s to lead the entire Irish operation. He is keen to emphasise that Botox is much more than an intravenous means of rolling back ageing.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is that at present about 50% of the revenue we get from Botox is cosmetic, but the rest comes from therapeutic treatments such as juvenile cerebral palsy, adult spasticity and, just recently, we got approval for chronic migraine and overactive bladder in people with spinal cord injuries or patients suffering from MS.

“We expect that in the next four to five years it will probably switch to 60% of the revenue coming from therapeutic treatments rather than cosmetic,” says O’Donnell, who explains that the use of Botox to counter chronic migraine evolved out of its use as a beauty treatment. “Botox was being used to treat wrinkles and lines in the forehead, and some people doing that reported a reduction in migraine pain. I met a woman at a medical conference who told me she went from suffering around 28 days a month with severe migraine to just a few once she started using Botox.”

He stresses that Botox is not the only product made in the Westport plant. Other therapies include Ozurdex, a steroid implant that counteracts the onset of blindness by reducing inflammation of the retina.

Barry O’Leary, chief executive of Ireland’s Industrial Development Authority, whose inducements helped entice Allergan to Ireland, says its investment proves that the republic is still an attractive location for multinational industries, adding that its expansion at a time of recession is “a welcome endorsement of Ireland’s record with the development and manufacturing model.

“Nine of the top 10 global pharma and biopharma companies have a significant presence in Ireland. The sector benefits from a highly skilled workforce, an exceptionally strong track record in development, manufacturing and compliance, a competitive tax rate and easy access to global markets.”

O’Leary’s optimism about the country’s ability to keep the multinationals, particularly US corporations, is tempered this month by the ongoing fiscal crisis both in Ireland and the eurozone. In general, the economic news continues to cast a pall of gloom over the entire country. Last week, the Irish Central Bank downgraded the estimates for growth. It said Ireland would grow by 0.5% in 2012 and not 1.8% as the Fine Gael-Labour government had predicted. Unemployment remains one of the highest in the EU, with more than 14% of the labour force out of work, while emigration continues apace.

Yet, unlike so many places in Ireland, the “To Let” and “Closing Down Sale” signs that proliferate all over main streets from the capital to the smallest village are more or less absent in the centre of Westport. Allergan’s presence and continued demand for Botox appears to have saved it from the worst ravages of the economic downturn.

The town, which Beirut hostage Brian Keenan chose as a haven to settle in after his release years of captivity during the 1980s, also has a multinational feel. Twelve languages are spoken at the Allergan plant and, as O’Donnell notes, the workforce has stayed loyal to the town and the company, with the average worker spending 11 years at the factory.

“That demonstrates serious loyalty and a lot of what we do is commercially sensitive with very specialised, technical knowledge. So because we can keep that within the organisation by virtue of the fact that we have a low employee turnover, it makes Westport even more attractive,” O’Donnell says.

Although he underlines the importance of having a highly educated, skilled workforce that has access to a European market of 500 million consumers, O’Donnell concedes that the republic’s low 12.5% corporation tax rate is still a major factor in convincing hard-nosed US executives that Ireland should be their foreign manufacturing base.

Such is the success of the corporate tax rate in attracting hi-tech export-driven foreign direct investment that the devolved government north of the border in Belfast has been petitioning the UK Treasury, thus far unsuccessfully, to grant Northern Ireland special status and lower its rate to the same level as the south.

“It’s hugely important for a couple of reasons,” says O’Donnell. “One, of course, is the low rate – and the message that it is staying low is vital. It should not even move, because once it starts to move that would send a negative psychological signal to corporations. The corporation tax is the bedrock, but it is also important that Ireland has a very transparent tax system, which works to our advantage. As well as manufacturing, Allergan runs a lot of its financial services in Ireland because of our tax system.”

Allergan is based in the home constituency of Ireland’s prime minister, Enda Kenny. When it comes to corporation tax and attempts by the republic’s European partners, particularly the French, to try to tie Ireland’s EU bailout to changes in the capital taxation regime, O’Donnell’s message to the taoiseach is simple: “Fight, fight and fight again to keep our corporation tax rate. We must always, always leave that 12.5% rate alone and don’t mess with it.”

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/05/botox-westport-co-mayo-allergan

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Caption Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of Harper Bazaar’s March 2012 issueAt 39 years old, Gwyneth Paltrow still looks fresh-faced and youthful, and despite the Hollywood Botox craze and pressure to maintain beauty, the actress says she’d prefer to age gracefully.

“I’ll take my wrinkles,” the “Contagion” star told Harper’s Bazaar’s March issue. “I don’t like the Botox thing.”

Gwyneth still enjoys spending time in the sun for the benefit of Vitamin D — despite “my dermatologist yelling at me” – and admits to using “little things, like lasers” and regular facials to undo any sun damage.

The actress has become known for her health-conscious ways (heading up her website GOOP), but admitted her love of detoxing cleanses and clean eating stemmed, sadly, from father Bruce Paltrow’s fatal throat cancer – a battle he lost in 2002.

“All I’ve learned about nutrition and health came from his cancer,” Gwyneth said. “I’ll probably have a long and healthy life because he didn’t.”

Another bit of wisdom Gwynnie received from her father — his secret to his over-30-year marriage to Blythe Danner.

“My parents were married for 30-something years, and he said [it was] because they never wanted to get divorced at the same time,” Gwyneth, who has been married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin since 2003, told the mag. “I think you do fall in and out of love and you just keep going, and every time you go through a really difficult phase, you rediscover something new and it just gets better.”

Adding, “We’ve been married for more than eight years now, and we’re still into it.”

For the full interview with Gwyneth, pick up a copy of Harper’s Bazaar – available on newsstands on February 14.

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Article source: http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/gwyneth-paltrow-says-dads-death-spawned-her-healthy-ways-doesnt-like-botox-ill-take-my-wrinkles_article_59905

Article source: http://www.blottr.com/breaking-news/botox-benefits-consider

It’s the number one cosmetic procedure in the country: Botox to lift the eyebrows, get rid of wrinkles in the forehead and frown lines between the eyes. More than five million procedures are done yearly because it works. But now Botox Cosmetic has competition.
 
Board certified dermatologic surgeon Dr. William Coleman, III in Metairie was among the first to test a new product called Xeomin. Like Botox and Dysport,  these botulinum toxins are neuromodulators. They temporarily block the chemical signal from the nerve to move the muscle. When used in the right amount by a trained doctor, the muscle should be relaxed, never frozen, keeping it from pulling too hard on skin that has lost elasticity from sun or ultraviolet tanning bed exposure.
 
“We found with Xeomin, the forehead smoothes out exceptionally well with this a little different than we’ve seen with the other two toxins. It may be that it defuses a little differently so that means it moves out from the sites that we put it in,” explained Dr. Coleman, who is the  Editor In Chief of  Dermatologic Surgery  and on the faculty of dermatology and plastic surgery at Tulane University Health Sciences Center.
 
One of Dr. Coleman’s office workers used Botox but tried Xeomin a month ago.
 
“The Xeomin, I found, it made my forehead a lot smoother looking in terms of the visible lines that you can see and it works much (more) quickly,” said Barbara Tregre, 48.
 
Metairie board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Cynthia Mizgala also tried Xeomin.  One patient wanted a touch up on her creases before her daughter’s wedding and believes the effect of Xeomin on her, lasts longer than Botox or Dysport.
 
“I would feel silly trying to get rid of all of them (wrinkles).  I didn’t want to do that. I was just trying to have a little bit smoother look,” said Pam West of Metairie.
 
But the doctors agree, Botox, Dysport and Xeomin can’t be directly compared.  
 
“I think there’s a lot of individual variation and I don’t think you can predict it before hand. So I always encourage everyone to try all the products available and see what works best for them,” explained Dr. Mizgala who is on the faculty of both Tulane and LSUHSC.
 
Board certified dermatologist Dr. Mary Lupo is an international speaker and teacher of Botox. Her New Orleans clinic is currently one of the sites for two FDA studies using Botox in the crow’s feet, those lines on the outside corner of the eyes caused by sun damage.
 
“I noticed that the area in the skin here (pointing to her crow’s feet) is much smoother and I had deep crinkles on the side and they’re practically disappeared,” said study participant Kathy Gauchet, 59.
 
Doctors have been injecting the crow’s feet for years with excellent results, but it has been off label, not officially FDA approved to be marketed for that area. Dr. Lupo says the board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon who has a lot of experience with all three products will know that there are different amounts needed with each product and they spread under the skin differently. The trained  doctor will know which one is best for you and who should use a combination of them all.
 
“I think for the happy Botox patient or the happy Dysport patient, I do not see as of yet any compelling reason to change. ”In my opinion, the good thing about Xeomin is anytime there’s competition in the market place it holds the price down and that is always a good thing for the consumer,” said Dr. Lupo, who is on the faculty at Tulane Medical School.
 
Her younger patients do especially well with Botox because it keeps the deep lines from forming in the first place. And when used consistently, it may have a more permanent effect.
 
“Within a few days after the Botox treatment, the crow’s feet actually, for me because I’m a younger patient, they almost disappear,” said board certified dermatologist Dr. Christin Hurt, 30.
 
 
And while patients say the needle stick, especially when you use numbing cream beforehand, is just a quick pinch, three companies are going after people who are scared of needles. One company, Revance Therapeutics, Inc., says market research finds that two-thirds of people using injectable Botox, would use its botulinum toxin gel that is in development called, for now, RT001 topical botulinum toxin type A gel.
 
The new topical or rub on Botox type creams are not FDA approved yet but here’s what doctors are telling us. In studies they seem to work best right here around the crows feet. That’s because the skin there is thinner and they’ll absorb better. But here’s the catch, they’re not a cream that you can take home and just rub on, they’ll have to be done in a doctor’s office and some doctors say they may need to be on as long as 30 to 45 minutes before they absorb and are effective.
 
But until those topical versions hit the market, remember these products are just a tool.
 
“It’s not only the tool that is in the artist’s hands, it’s knowing all the other different things that are needed (for the rest of the face to get the best overall result),” said Dr. Coleman.
 
“It’s all in the artistry and the judgment of who’s injecting,” explained Dr. Lupo.

These medications have been used safely for years in doctors’ offices.
Health problems have been caused by look-a-like, fake products brought in from other countries with people promising the same results at a reduced cost.

• Next article
  Local doctor performing safer way to get rid of wrinkles
  

Article source: http://www.wwltv.com/news/health/wrinkle-free/New-anti-wrinkle-product-competes-with-Botox-138691349.html

Reuters

4:53 a.m. CST, February 3, 2012

Article source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-allergan-asiatre8120ja-20120203,0,6352340.story

Ned Zeman of Vanity Fair investigates the Hollywood HGH scene and finds actors, directors, and producers injecting the drug for reasons including the following: “little blotchy patches,” “weird saggy stuff,” declining sex drive, and “man tits” (the first two appear opposite a full-page ad of Brian Williams, which is a little funny). And they claim benefits including increased strength, glowing skin, better mood, bigger muscles, nonspecific improvement to the “internal organs,” and “a sense of clarity and confidence.” This despite the fact that many endocrinologists say it doesn’t do shit, and might even cause cancer and heart disease. They say unscrupulous doctors are getting rich by selling guys a product that’s ineffective and possibly harmful, just by promising it will make them look and feel young.

Of course, people have been getting rich by selling youth to women forever. But what’s really interesting about Zeman’s article is how different selling it to men looks. For one thing, even for actors, admitting vanity is clearly sort of frowned on — one guy who talks to Zeman anonymously emphasizes that he’s not “one of those actors,” and that “he’d tattoo PATHETIC on his forehead before he’d let some shiny plastics guy cut his face open, or shoot it full of goo, or do any sort of ‘work.’” Because wanting to look attractive is effeminate and lame. But HGH appears to cater to a particularly masculine aesthetic. It makes you muscular, energetic, sexually potent. It (allegedly) makes you young, but not like a dewy, nubile maiden — more like a powerful stallion.

Which isn’t to say women don’t take it — the only person willing to go on record for Zeman is a lady. But its purported benefits seem calibrated to speak to the only kind of male vanity that’s socially acceptable: the desire to be strong and virile. Guys in Hollywood have to live up to higher expectations in these areas than average joes, but Hollywood trends often trickle down to the masses. HGH has already achieved some mainstream popularity, and barring a major side-effects scandal, I’d expect more. Now that somebody’s figured out how to make freaking out about aging seem manly, they’re not going to stop anytime soon.

Are More Hollywood A-Listers Taking Human Growth Hormone to Stay Young? [Vanity Fair]

Image via Anetta/Shutterstock.com

Article source: http://jezebel.com/5882061/human-growth-hormone-is-hollywoods-new-botox-for-dudes

• Botox was big news for Allergan ($AGN) in Q4 and full-year 2011–particularly for its increasing number of therapeutic uses. For the year, therapeutic sales of the drug accounted for about 51% of total sales of the med, the company says in a release. The company got two regulatory wins in Canada at the end of the year, with the health officials there approving Botox as a prophylactic treatment for headaches in adult patients with chronic migraines and subsequently as a therapy for a certain type of urinary incontinence. Also, don’t look for the company to rely on big revenues from the U.S. in coming years. Like others in Big Pharma, it will instead look to make strides in Asia (especially China), Reuters notes. “China is going to grow very quickly over the next decade. We are starting somewhat late; Botox was only approved over a year ago and therefore levels of penetration are low,” Ian Bell, corporate VP and president for Asia-Pacific, told the news service. Allergan release | Story
• Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories ($RDY) raised some analysts’ eyebrows with an 88% rise in third-quarter consolidated net profit. This number represents its highest-ever profit, the company says in a statement. It credits the launch of its generic version of Eli Lilly’s ($LLY) schizophrenia med Zyprexa (olanzapine) 20 mg in the U.S. as helping it achieve this goal. And it could be the U.S. that helps the company going forward. ”The numbers are ahead of estimates simply because of the marketing exclusivity for generic Zyprexa in the U.S., while other regions are just in-line with expectations,” Pinc Research analyst Sushant Dalmia explains, according to Reuters. “Going forward, the U.S. should continue to grow strong and would be a saviour … while other regions are facing (growth) troubles.” Dr. Reddy’s release | Report | News
• Gilead Sciences ($GILD) saw total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 increase 10% to $2.2 billion. Product sales increased 11% for the quarter driven by growth in the company’s antiviral franchise, which includes Atripla and Truvada. But despite its gains, analysts had expected a little more, as the company’s earnings came in below Street estimates, RTTNews notes. Still, as ISI Group analyst Mark Schoenebaum points out, RD expenses were higher than expected. “Overall, good top-line quarter, but expenses rose faster than expected,” he told Investor’s Business Daily in an email. Gilead release | More | Item
   
• Fresh off the FDA’s approval of its cystic fibrosis therapy Kalydeco, Vertex Pharmaceuticals ($VRTX) has reported a big increase in total revenues for Q4 2011 compared with the same period in 2010–$563.3 million versus $65.5 million. Vertex can thank its probable hepatitis C blockbuster Incivek for its gains–the med brought in net revenues of $456.8 million. In addition, the company’s net income for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $158.6 million, compared with a net loss in 2010 of $180.4 million. And the company is vowing to push on in 2012. “We will continue to advance our pipeline of eight other potential medicines and expect to generate proof-of-concept data for many of these programs throughout 2012,” said Jeffrey Leiden, Vertex president and CEO, in a statement. Vertex statement

Related Articles:
Vertex backs up pricey new CF drug with co-pay help
Vertex’s new leader expected to diversify
Bladder nod for Botox first step to $400M in extra sales
New HIV med stands to boost JJ, Gilead by $500M
Reddy expects $1B in sales on blockbuster copies

Article source: http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/botox-delivers-allergan-dr-reddys-sees-big-profit-increase-during-quarter/2012-02-03

Elite AMBT is known for creating innovative solutions for novice and established cosmetic practitioners who want to enhance their career by learning new treatment methods but are restricted by time, work and home-life responsibilities, or who are based in remote geographic locations. The certification company provides a range of Botox training courses to help professionals overcome these obstacles including online training and webinars.

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Article source: http://www.pr.com/press-release/387959