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In Your Face ~ How celebrities and ordinary people use cosmetic medicine, in Orange County and elsewhere.

Archive for the 'Procedures and products' Tag

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Botox is feeling the effects of slowing economy

May 8th, 2008, 7:34 am by Colin Stewart

David PyottEven Botox is getting hit by the economic slowdown in the United States, says David Pyott, chief executive of Allergan, which makes it.

Previous reports had suggested that cost-conscious consumers had backed away from plastic surgery but were continuing to get Botox injections to combat wrinkles.

In reporting its first-quarter financial results, the Irvine-based company said worldwide 12-month sales growth of Botox slowed to 18 percent, down from 24 percent in the fourth quarter. Excluding the effects of the falling dollar, that first-month increase was 13.5 percent worldwide, the company said.

“All of the slowdown in growth rate is attributable to the United States,” Pyott said in a conference call about the financial report. “It appears that the U.S. slowdown is a reflection of weak consumer spending behavior.”

The economy has had the greatest effect on sales of breast implants, Pyott said. Other products affected, he said, are “secondly, probably fillers and thirdly Botox.”

Analyst Larry Biegelsen of Wachovia Capital Markets estimated that Botox revenues in the United States grew 10 percent in the 12 months leading up to the first quarter, compared to more than 20 percent a year earlier.

These are Allergan’s figures for 12-month sales growth worldwide, excluding currency adjustments:

  • Lap-Band obesity intervention, up 31.9 percent.
  • Dermal fillers and other facial aesthetics, up 16.3 percent.
  • Breast implants, up 8.5 percent.
  • Botox, up 13.5 percent

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Posted in: Allergan • Botox • OC • • • | Post a Comment »

Plastic surgery could become ‘must have’ career move. (Do you agree?)

May 6th, 2008, 5:33 pm by Colin Stewart

Penelope TrunkPlastic surgery might soon be a “must have career tool,” says work-life advice blogger Penelope Trunk.

In her “Brazen Careerist” blog, she writes:

All else being equal, a good-looking woman will negotiate better for a company than anyone else — even a good-looking man, according to research by Sara Solnick of the University of Miami and Maurice Schweitzer from Wharton. Good-looking women drive harder bargains than everyone else, and good-looking women get more concessions than anyone else.

She cites Chelsea Clinton as an example of the potential benefits of plastic surgery:

She did a few changes just as she hit the adult world as a consultant at McKinsey. She’s not an idiot, and she certainly does not seem obsessed by her appearance. But she realized that she was not great looking, and the plastic surgery seems to have made some improvements.

And just ten years ago, I remember talking with my friends about how gross Botox is. But my friend Sharon, who is a hairstylist in Los Angeles, says that the majority of her clients — who range from normal housewives to corporate lawyers — have had some sort of Botox injection. She says it’s so mainstream in Los Angeles that it’s almost a statement if you don’t have it.

Can plastic surgery give a career a boost?
View Results

Posted in: Plastic surgery • Reader surveys • When things go right • • | 2 Comments »

Economy hits plastic surgery from San Diego to Los Angeles

May 2nd, 2008, 5:26 pm by Colin Stewart

Plastic surgeryMany plastic surgeons in San Diego County have seen business fall off as the economy softens, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

The same phenomenon has already been reported in Orange County and Los Angeles County.

“When people have choices to make about where they are going to spend their money and they are worried about jobs and house payments, elective surgery goes lower on the list,” said Steve Green, executive director of the Scripps Mercy Surgery Pavilion outpatient center in San Diego.

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Economy nips at O.C. plastic surgery

April 22nd, 2008, 5:35 pm by Colin Stewart

OC Society of Plastic Surgeons logoThe plastic surgery business in Orange County is slowing as the economy weakens, according to cosmetic doctors who responded to an informal survey last week.

That’s the most recent evidence in support of the unproven, but expected, conclusion that the ongoing economic slowdown is causing consumers to back off from expensive elective surgery.

In contrast, cheaper minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections are unaffected or more popular than in the past, local doctors say.

“It’s a matter of money,” said Dr. Sanjay Grover of Newport Beach. “People definitely remain interested, especially in breast augmentation and non-surgical procedures. But they are shopping around more.”

Last week Grover, president of the Orange County Society of Plastic Surgeons, e-mailed a query about the economy to 40 members of the surgeons’ organization. He soon received replies from 10 doctors, most saying they were experiencing “some sort of slowdown,” he said.

“It’s reasonable to conclude that there’s a 10 to 20 percent decline” in plastic surgeries, although it’s possible the doctors who haven’t responded to the survey are seeing no downturn, he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Botox • Non-surgical treatments • OC • Plastic surgery • • • | Post a Comment »

Permanent filler ArteFill reaches 7,000-patient mark

April 15th, 2008, 5:42 pm by Colin Stewart

ArteFill microspheres of plasticMore than 7,000 patients have been injected with the long-lasting dermal filler ArteFill, which was launched in February 2007, its manufacturer announced.

Made by Artes Medical of San Diego, the filler is composed of tiny spheres of plastic (in photo, seen through microscope) suspended in a bovine collagen gel.

Unlike dermal fillers such as Restylane from Medicis and Juvederm from Allergan, ArteFill is not absorbed by the body over a period of months, so its effects are essentially permanent.

ArteFill has faced criticism from some cosmetic doctors who say that any mistakes made while injecting it are also long-lasting and difficult to repair.

A recent study found that 10 percent of the patients injected with ArteFill said they were somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied, while 90 percent were satisfied or very satisfied.

In October 2006, the Food and Drug Administration cleared ArteFill for sale as a treatment for nasolabial folds between the nose and mouth, which are often called “smile line” wrinkles.

Artes reported $13.3 million in sales last year and a loss of $26.9 million. In contrast, Medicis sold $178.6 million of Restylane and related dermatological products last year, while Allergan sold $202.8 million of Juvederm and other facial aesthetic products.

For more information about ArteFill, see previous blog coverage.

Posted in: Companies, industry, finances • Non-surgical treatments • • • • | Post a Comment »

Priscilla’s face divides cosmetic docs; what about you?

April 8th, 2008, 6:01 pm by Colin Stewart

Cast your vote below on whether Priscilla Presley’s face is fabulous, fake, forgettable or fine for a 62-year old.
Priscilla Presley in December 2007

Priscilla Presley has gone far enough in rejuvenating her aging face – or much too far, plastic surgeons and dermatologists say.

Local cosmetic doctors are divided on the new look of the 62-year-old celebrity, who is currently competing on “Dancing with the Stars.”

If Presley were a patient of hers, dermatologist Dr. Renee Cobos of Fullerton said, “I would recommend that she looks fabulous now and that she does not need to have any more work done.”

“I think that she has had a facelift, cheek implants, Botox, CO2 laser on her face and eye areas. She has had injections into her lips (possibly silicone) that have become lumpy. Everything except the injections into her lips have worked for her, but she should stop while she is ahead,” Cobos said.

Several other local dermatologists and plastic surgeons disagree.

Dermatologist Dr. Lorrie Klein of Laguna Niguel said, “Presley looks too ‘plastic.’ Good cosmetic work should never look ‘done.’ It should just make the person look good, yet most people shouldn’t be able to figure out what they have done.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Celebrities / Hollywood • Plastic surgery • Reader surveys • When things go wrong • • | 5 Comments »

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