In Your Face

Breast implants of the future

Colin Stewart — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:00:34 +0000

“Gummy bear” implants are still undergoing tests in the U.S., awaiting future FDA approval, but some doctors and some patients have already tried them out.

Their consistency — like the soft, flexible candy that gave them their nickname — is supposed to make leaks impossible.

Here, three plastic surgeons describe them as “harder” or at least “firmer” than the silicone and saline implants that are currently on the market.

RealSelf: Do Gummy Bear Implants feel harder? http://realself.com/t/105732

Some cosmetic doctors in southern California already offer “gummy bear” implants, which tend to cost more than the varieties already on the market. The doctors can do this because they’re involved in clinical trials of the new devices.

For more info:

Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine. Photo courtesy of Dr. Steven Teitelbaum.

Post from: In Your Face

Horror results when woman injects her own face

Colin Stewart — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:25:11 +0000

This is an excerpt from recent posts about plastic surgery, celebrities, etc. — assembled for posting here and at Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine:

DUMB, DUMB, DUMB

Silicone is plentiful and easy to order online, but common sense can be in short supply.

How else to understand why this northern California woman would inject silicone into her own face, thinking that she could save money and make herself more attractive?

East Bay Woman Injured After Attempting Plastic Surgery On Own Face (with video) From WTVU:

[The unidentified woman] said that after a visit to a plastic surgeon, she went online and bought a vial of liquid silicone for ten dollars, then injected it into her lips and cheek four weeks ago.

“Insane. I can’t believe I did what I did,” she said. “I thought I was going to be happy with the results, then the next day, my face (pictured) became very inflamed, very red, swollen.”

Plastic surgeon Steven Williams said the economy and the notion that plastic surgery is somehow foolproof has contributed to a recent rise in self-performed plastic surgeries. …

“It’s not something you can just draw out,” said Williams. “You actually have to go in surgically and cut it out. We don’t know what this material is and it is actively causing serious problems for her.”

For more info, visit Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine. Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine.

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Prediction: Botox and Allergan will thrive

Colin Stewart — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:04 +0000

Allergan shares, which opened this week at $46.46, are down 10 percent from a year ago. But investment adviser Robert Maltbie predicts they will reach $60 to $66 before long because image-conscious people won’t give up their Botox, despite the recession.

He doesn’t mention Botox’s new competition from the wrinkle-smoothing injection Dysport, but he does expect big things from Latisse, Allergan’s popular new eyelash treatment.

Forbes: Money manager Robert Maltbie, money manager and chief executive of Stockjock.com recommends Allergan shares, says the company will keep benefiting from people’s vanity despite the recession. http://twurl.nl/wytpgy

Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine.

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Experimental devices produce 30% weight loss

Colin Stewart — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:47 +0000

Two low-impact surgical implants are undergoing clinical trials as alternatives to gastric bypasses, stomach stapling and the Lap-Band.

One device is a two-foot plastic liner that goes into the top end of the small intestine, preventing food from being absorbed there. In tests on 250 patients, it produced about 15 percent weight loss. (The Endobarrier liner, made by GI Dynamics of Lexington, Mass., is shown at right in a photo taken by a medical imaging machine.)

The second device from the same company slows the passage of food through the stomach, lengthening the feeling of being full. In combination with the Endobarrier liner, it led to weight loss of about 30 percent, according to Dr. Caroline Apovian, an obesity expert at Boston Medical Center.

The long-term safety and effectiveness of these devices is still unknown.

Apovian says “it will still be years before these experimental devices are available to patients here in the United States.”

Story: New Weight Loss Device Developed By Mass. Company http://tinyurl.com/luyoy9
Video: Experimental weight-loss devices: http://twurl.nl/dxt515

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Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine. Photo courtesy of WBZ-TV.

Post from: In Your Face

Sunscreen, the world’s best beauty product

Colin Stewart — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:00:47 +0000

Dermatologist Dr. Renee Cobos contributed this post to encourage readers to protect themselves from the sun’s rays now that summer has arrived.

SUNSCREEN IS YOUR FRIEND

Sun damage — in the form of wrinkles, age spots and discoloration — is responsible for most of the skin damage associated with aging, and therefore is one of the most common reasons why people get cosmetic surgery. Yet, a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports found that 31 percent of participants said they never wear sunscreen, even if they are outdoors for more than four hours. Yikes.

If you want to keep your skin looking young and beautiful for as long as possible, sunscreen is your best friend. I recite this to my patients countless times a day, “One minute of sun a day = over six hours of sun in a year; a little bit every day adds up to a lot of damage.”

The very best beauty advice I can give is to make wearing sunscreen a habit, like brushing your teeth. Wear sunscreen every day. And remember, it’s not just your face that shows age, so make sure you apply it all over your body.

Here’s what you need to know to keep out those evil, wrinkle-causing rays:

1. SPF isn’t enough. We’ve all heard “the higher the better” in regard to SPF, or Sun Protection Factor. SPF is important, but now we know that it’s not enough. SPF is an indicator of how well a lotion protects skin from the sun’s UVB (ultraviolet B) rays - the rays that are linked to sunburn. But here’s the catch: recent research has found that both UVB and UVA (ultraviolet A) rays can damage the skin. In fact, it turns out that UVA rays go even deeper and cause skin to age. Both types of rays increase chances of developing skin cancer.

2. Look for Parsol 1789. To make sure you get UVA protection, there are a few ingredients to look for. The most common one is a chemical called avobenzone, which shows up on labels under the names “Parsol 1789″ and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane. Products that contain this ingredient often say “broad-spectrum protection” on the front of the bottle, but it’s best to check the ingredients yourself.

Most “broad-spectrum” sunscreens today add either Parsol 1789 or a more problematic ingredient — oxybenzone, which is easily absorbed through skin, has a high rate of allergic reactions, and has aroused concerns about hormone disruption.

For more information about the contents of sunscreen, see “About Active Ingredients” by the Environmental Working Group.

3. Re-apply every two hours. The problem with sunscreens that protect against both UVB and UVA rays, is that they don’t last very long. So apply every two hours to ensure protection. It’s worth inconvenience and the risk of sporting the not-so-subtle, white sunscreen “glow.”

4. 80% are harmful. An investigation by the Environmental Working Group found that four out of five of the most popular brand-name sun protection products “contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect skin from the sun’s damaging rays.” The investigation also found that claims such as “waterproof” and “all day protection” are commonly false. To make sure your sunscreen measures up, check it against the list of approved products at this Web site.

5. Throw out the old stuff. Pay attention to expiration dates on sunscreen. If they’re more than a year old, throw them out, they aren’t worth the cabinet space.

6. Lather up. The recommended amount of sunscreen is one ounce, which is the size of a shot glass. It may seem like a lot, but that’s how much it takes to cover your body.

Dr. Renee Cobos, a board-certified dermatologist, is the founder and medical director of the Premiere Dermatology & Laser Center in Fullerton. She also is an assistant clinical professor in dermatology at UCI Medical School.

Post from: In Your Face

To look younger, avoid divorce and space travel

Colin Stewart — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:01:04 +0000

From Beauty Brains: What makes you look older? http://tinyurl.com/kkcgll

Four things to avoid if you don’t want to look older:

Smoking, of course.
Weight loss, unfortunately, if you’re over age 40.
Divorce. It makes you stressed-out and slightly older-looking.
Space travel, because of exposure to cosmic radiation.

Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine. Photo courtesy of Bebo.com.

Post from: In Your Face

Breast implants as road to riches?

Colin Stewart — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:37 +0000

See ‘STYLES OF VICTORIA BECKHAM’ slide show

MONEY AND MAMMARIES

What do both women at the top of the list of wealthiest British celebrity couples have in common?

Each has prominent and publicly discussed breast implants, notes plastic surgeon and blogger Dr. Tony Youn. The No. 1 couple is Victoria and David Beckham. No. 2 is actress/model Katie Price (pictured) and her ex-husband. Also known simply as Jordan, Price is relatively little known in the United States.

Does the same pattern apply in the United States? Although I don’t have a listing of “celebrity couples,” the situation here seems to be a bit different, primarily because of Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah, who denies having turned to plastic surgery, is at the top of recent Forbes listing of celebrities with the highest incomes. Next is Madonna, who surely shouldn’t make such a denial. No. 3 is Beyonce Knowles, who some say has had breast implants.

Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery: Katie Price Has Large Breast Implants http://tinyurl.com/m4o3yx

Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine.

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Decline and fall of once-popular acne drug Accutane

Colin Stewart — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:00:09 +0000

More than 75 percent of Accutane users say it helped improve their acne, but the manufacturer is halting production. Why? A mix of competition and medical/legal problems.

Accutane was Roche’s second-biggest selling drug before its patent expired, which led to the introduction of generic versions. Since 2002, they have stolen the market away from Accutane.

RealSelf: Accutane Yanked For Good, Says Roche http://tinyurl.com/lcnsmc

For more info:

Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine.

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Memo to Jessica Simpson: Please show us true beauty

Colin Stewart — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:05 +0000

See ‘JESSICA SIMPSON’S BEAUTY’ slide show

Photo: Jessica Simpson in 2005 in Miami. (AP photo)

MEMO TO JESSICA SIMPSON

Next month, you’ve announced that you will start shooting a reality TV series that you call a search for “true beauty.” Possibly that will turn out to be true, but early signs are that your “Price of Beauty” shows will gawk at various cultures’ ideals of physical beauty without challenging our own.

In the press release announcing the show, you say, “I have always believed that beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful,” but your show on VH1 seems to be heading in other directions.

There’s no mention of problems related to women’s and men’s body images. These range from eating disorders to some people’s inclination to undergo repeated plastic surgeries that make them less attractive. As a prominent singer/actress, you yourself have had Restylane injected into your lips, but hated the results. You have been the subject of rumors that you had breast implants and other plastic surgery, although you deny it.

A show called “The Price of Beauty” would be a good place to explore issues raised by the YWCA in its “Beauty at Any Cost” report last year:

Low self-esteem and unhealthy competition between girls over their looks.
Appearance-based job discrimination.
Risks posed by smoking as a way to remain slim.

Many of those problems result from people acting on beliefs that are totally opposed to your statement that “beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful.”

When the series launches on VH1 next year, I hope you will show us people’s inner beauty and the beauty that comes from a woman’s self-confidence, but so far that’s not how it’s described. Instead, you say you plan to:

Study local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes.
Participate in some of the extreme practices you discover.
Interview other countries’ pop-culture icons on their own quests for beauty.

Please don’t do only those things. Since you know what real beauty is, please show it to us.

Related links:

Slide shows:

Post from: In Your Face

Jessica Simpson, expert on international beauty?

Colin Stewart — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:59:05 +0000

See ‘JESSICA SIMPSON’S BEAUTY’ slide show

This slide show is a companion to the post, “Memo to Jessica Simpson: Please put ‘true beauty’ on TV. “

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