Posts Tagged ‘Botox’

What’s the “Buzz” all About? Bee Venom Masks! Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

The “bee venom” face mask has gained a lot of media attention recently with its celebrity endorsements, and its claims of being an alternative to Botox certainly have my patients talking, but does it really work?

Let’s investigate. Melittin, the active compound in bee venom (apitoxin) does have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, but its anaphylactic properties are what all the “buzz” is about. The theory is that the mask tricks your skin into thinking its been stung, stimulating the production of collagen and elastin. This, along with the idea of it “relaxing” facial muscles, has a smoothing and tightening effect on skin.

Bee venom’s anti-aging properties are largely unstudied and unpredictable, with the scary potential that a person could develop severe allergic reactions or suffer damage to skin cell membranes from long term use. So, my best advice is to stick with products or treatments that have the scientific research to back up their claims (like Botox), to get advice from the medical community first, and not to spend hard earned dollars on what is simply the latest celebrity trend.

Another botulinumtoxinA Wrinkle Treatment Enters the Market: Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) joins the Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) and Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) market as the latest injectable treatment for wrinkles.

According to Dermatology Times, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA, Merz Aesthetics) for temporary improvement of moderate to severe glabellar lines.

According to a Merz statement, the approval is based on the results of two multicenter U.S. clinical trials involving 547 healthy adults. In both studies, Xeomin injections significantly improved the appearance of glabellar lines in 30 days when compared with placebo. Headache was the most common adverse reaction observed.

Under the brand name Bocouture, Xeomin is already approved in 14 European countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. It was FDA-approved in 2010 for the treatment of cervical dystonia and blepharospasm.

Xeomin will be available nationwide in the spring of 2012, Merz officials said.

The Emotions of Botox- Notes From a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Botox may smooth your wrinkles, but it can dull your ability to understand the emotions of others, a new study suggests.

Botox, used in cosmetic and medical procedures for 20 years, paralyzes muscles, hindering certain facial movements, such as frowns, that over time can cause wrinkles.

Therein lies the problem, says David Neal, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, lead author of the research, published today in the journal Social Psychology and PersonalityScience.

“People who use Botox are less able to read others’ emotions,” says Neal, who worked with a researcher at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

People read emotions partly by mimicking facial expressions, Neal says, so “if muscular signals from the face to the brain are dampened, you’re less able to read emotions.”

Researchers conducted two experiments, one of 31 women, comparing Botox with Restylane, a dermal filler, and the other of 56 women and 39 men, using a gel that amplifies muscular signals. Participants in both experiments viewed computer images of faces and identified the emotions they saw.

“When the facial muscles are dampened, you get worse in emotion perception, and when the facial muscles are amplified, you get better at emotion perception,” Neal says.

A similar study published last year in the journal Emotion said Botox injections may decrease a person’s ability to feel emotions. That study, conducted at Columbia University, compared Botox and Restylane in 68 people. Its lead author, psychologist Joshua Davis, hasn’t seen the new study but says the finding “would suggest that facial expression is an integral component of what we consider our emotional experience. Certainly the concept is one that fits with the research we did.”

Dr. welsh wonders if this means that people who don’t commonly make a frown are less emotionally perceptive. We all know people who have a smooth forehead without Botox…

Dr. Welsh has been using Botox for over 15 years and hasn’t heard any feedback regarding dampened empathy.” I personally use it and I am often accused of being over empathetic ” she says.. “When Dr.Welsh treats a patients she strives to maintain the ability to move facial muscles in a natural fashion. “I think. RELAX not PARALYZED!!! We want to prevent the lines that occur from repeated facial expressions, so they do not become etched in a harsh fashion . But you still need to be able to frown and smile!!

“It’s important to look natural and refreshed, no one want to look overly “done” or plasticized” she says.

A Little Wrinkle Reduction Goes a Long Way! Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Some people feel overwhelmed when they look in the mirror by all the things they’d like to improve about their face. But you don’t necessarily need to make a major investment of time or money to look more youthful. In fact, a new study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 9(2):79-88, demonstrates how even even modest wrinkle improvement can make someone look much better. The study reduced the skin “surface topography” or wrinkles in the photos of six women ages 45-65 on their foreheads and around the eyes. The photos were then shown to male subjects who found the women “significantly younger and more attractive” than in the unmodified photos. What is of note, is that the surface topography in the photos was only reduced by 20 percent! This amount of improvement is certainly within reach for people with simple treatments like Botox, filler or even just good skincare products. Not only is starting with small changes usually the best way for people to enter the world of cosmetic dermatology, but it will also get you looking better than you might expect.

I Hate My Neck! Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Monday, March 15th, 2010

I hate my neck. Or as Nora Ephron would say…“I feel bad about my neck.” Long before Nora Ephron penned her book with this name, men and women have looked in the mirror and seen loose neck skin that didn’t seem to match their facial skin. Why? Neck skin is thin and has few adnexal structures (oil glands, hair follicles) that can give skin more support. Neck skin is often overlooked when applying sunscreen, yet is almost always exposed. Women also begin anti-aging regimes to the face much sooner than they do the neck. Ms. Ephron complained that surgery could do little to improve her neck’s appearance and until recently there was very little we could offer for neck rejuvenation. Now we have quite a few answers!

First and always is skin care. In most instances your neck care routine can be very similar to your face routine. Neck skin can be more sensitive, like eyelid skin, so care must be taken to use “active” products sparingly. A suggested routine for people with normal skin would be to apply an anti-oxidant such as SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF, RevaleSkin Coffee Berry, Replenix Green Tea Serum or Prevage in the AM then a sunscreen on top. Reapplication of sunscreen is also important during the day, which may be easier with a powder sunscreen, such as Color Science Mineral SPF 30. Banish V neck shirts from your closet for daywear and consider sleeveless tees when you know you might be stuck out in the sun. I always carry a thin scarf to tie around my neck if I am at a prolonged outdoor event. In the evening you may be able apply a small of amount of Retin-A 3-5 times a week. Non irritating brands like Atralin, Refissa and Micro Gel may work best for you. After Retin-A apply a thick, moisturizing cream. I love Neova’s Creme de la Copper which enhances Retin-A’s work in collagen building. Neocutis cream is also great as is SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter. Sensitive skin types may not tolerate Retin-A on the neck but may be able to try retinols like Replenix Retinol Serum or glycolic acid products found in the Vivite skin care line. There are some home devices that can encourage collagen growth and can be used on the neck. We recommend the Omnilux home LED device and the MTS Roller to help your current products penetrate more deeply into the skin.

Discoloration the neck is usually due to excess sun over the years and can appear as patchy, red brown areas on the sides of the neck. This is called pokiloderma and responds to laser treatments as do brown spots and broken blood vessels. Unsightly growths such as skin tags and flesh moles can also be easily removed in the office. The neck is difficult to treat with chemical peels as it is not as resilient as facial skin. We do have several peels suitable for the neck, but improvements can be subtle.

What’s next! Consider what really bothers you. For crepey skin nothing beats Fraxel laser treatments. These treatments are non-ablative and heal like a sunburn over a week. They are easy to tolerate and very cost effective. In our office a neck Fraxel treatment costs about the same as a syringe of Restylane or Juvederm. You will need 2-5 treatments to see improvement. Treatments can be done every 4-6 weeks. A before and after photo is listed below. Click on the photo to link to the Fraxel website for more results!

If the skin quality seems good but looseness is more of a factor, especially underneath the chin and jowl, Titan or Thermage would be best. These treatments use heat to promote collagen building and focus on tightening of the skin over time, rather than texture. Both treatments have no down-time, which make them simple to fit into any busy schedule. One or two treatments may be required for best results. We can help determine which treatment will be most effective for you.

If “stringy” muscles and “cords” are an issue and are not too advanced an exciting treatment is to use Botox for the neck. This treatment takes about 5 minutes and can improve the neck appearance dramatically, while also preventing future wrinkling.

So, don’t give up on your neck - there is hope out there. Too bad we couldn’t offer Ms. Ephron these treatments before she wrote her book!

Update on the Cosmetic Procedures Tax: Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Friday, January 15th, 2010

As you may the recall, the Senate healthcare reform bill originally proposed a 5% tax on cosmetic medical procedures, which would have unfairly impacted the cost of many elective treatments like Botox and Restylane injections. However, with encouragement from the Amercian Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the American Medical Association (AMA), public support and other public entities this tax has been replaced in the revised Senate bill. The new bill proposes a 10% tax on indoor tanning services instead. Not only will this generate billions of dollars over the next ten years, but it will support public health by discouraging indoor tanning, which is known to cause skin cancer. Treating skin cancer only adds to healthcare costs and can be prevented. This tax will help on both fronts.

Both the House and Senate bill are now headed to conference committee hearings for deliberation.

Eye Rejuvenation Event December 4th! Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Join us Friday, December 4th from 8am to 4pm for our holiday eye event!

Enjoy 20% off eye treatments and select eye products from Latisse, Neocutis and Colorscience.

Refreshments will be served along with complimentary under eye treatments. There will also be a raffle for a free Botox treatment to treat crow’s feet, so be sure to drop by the office.

Hope to see you there!

Botox Cosmetic is Still Safe! Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Friday, August 14th, 2009

The new FDA warnings on Botox have caused undue alarm. The FDA recently approved a new warning on Allergan’s Botox and a similar product about the possibility of life-threatening breathing and swallowing problems. It is important to know that these warnings are referring specifically to off label medical uses where extremely high doses of Botox are used to treat spastic conditions in children with Cerebral Palsy.

Botox Cosmetic is still FDA approved for the treatment of glabellar or “frown lines” and is administered in much smaller doses for this aesthetic use. The doses of Botox are significantly greater for medical uses than for an aesthetic procedure.

More than 13 million aesthetic procedures with Botox Cosmetic have been administered since the product was FDA approved in 2002 in the United States for treatment of moderate to severe “frown lines” in adults 18 to 65. Botox Cosmetic, when used in the indicated doses and administered to specific small muscle groups has not been linked to serious side effects.

There is a new botulinum product called Dysport on the market that is also approved for aesthetic procedures. Its dosing is slightly different than Botox Cosmetic. To avoid confusion, the FDA wants to call attention to the different dosing instructions with Dysport and decrease the risk of any side effects. This and increasing off label use of Botox to treat conditions ranging from muscle spasms to Raynaud’s disease prompted the FDA to enact new warnings.

When administered by a professional for aesthetic procedures, Botox is still an extremely, safe, simple effective way to smooth wrinkles and lines.

Patient Education Day and Sale on Latisse & Vivite Products: Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Please stop by our office for a sale and special patient education event from 9am to 4pm on Friday, July 10th!

Representatives from Allergan (the makers of Botox Cosmetic and Juvederm) will be at our office to answer questions and discuss their products. We will be offereing promotional pricing for Latisse, the first and only FDA approved product to grow your own eyelashes longer, thicker and darker. Our in office sale will also extend to the Vivite skin care line, Clinique Medical Lip Balm and the new collagen building lip treatment.

Appetizers and refreshments will be served throughout the day, so please join us for this great event!

Important Info about Botox and Dysport (Reloxin)

Monday, May 4th, 2009

The FDA has recently approved the cosmetic use of a new brand of Botulinum Toxin Type A, known as Dysport or Reloxin. Dysport is a competitor to Botox, which up until now was the only FDA approved wrinkle reduction product of its kind. Dysport claims to take effect more quickly and could potentially be lower in price than Botox. It will hit the cosmetic market within the next two months.

The approval of Dysport comes at a time when the FDA has issued new labeleling requirements for all botulinum based drugs, including Botox. Both products must now carry labels warning that they have the potential to spread to other areas of the body after injection with possibly serious risks. I want to assure my patients that when used as directed by a trained professional the cosmetic use of these products is safe! The new labels are a reaction to unapproved or “off-label” use, such as overdosing to treat leg or arm muscle spasms. This unapproved medical use should not be confused with the cosmetic application. The small amounts used for wrinkle softening and underarm sweating (hyperhidrosis) are safe and not linked to any harmful migration or serious adverse reactions. I am more than satisfied with the long-term safety studies of this material for aesthetic purposes. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.