News blog posts and news

LASIK Vision Correction Is Among The Hardest Hit By Economy

Reports about the postponement of elective surgical procedures abound during uncertain times. Breast implants, botox and other cosmetic procedures have also taken a significant dive in recent months as consumers cut back.

According to an AP report, LASIK eye surgery is just as vulnerable to economic instability as the other cash-procedure siblings.

LCA Vision, a major LASIK provider in Cincinnati reports that over the last three months, the number of vision correction procedures at their facilities was less than half of the number performed during the same time period last year.

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Paradise Lost? Layoffs At Telemundo Despite Success Of "Without Breasts There Is No Paradise"

The LA Times reported on October 17, 2008 that the NBC Spanish television network, Telemundo must cut its workforce despite the success of "Sin Senos No Hay Paradiso"; the show about a young woman receiving breast implants and rising out of poverty.

A minimum of 85 jobs will be lost due to a decrease in advertising revenue. The show, with a title that means "Without Breasts There is No Paradise," is the biggest reason for Telemundo's 19 percent ratings increase during prime time.

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Surgery Obsessed Woman Shoots Up With Cooking Oil

48 year old Hang Mioku has been into plastic surgery for 20 years of her life and it has left her disfigured. As she progressed and sought operation after operation, she gradually became unrecognizable, even to her parents.

People she encountered suggested that she get help to treat whatever psychological disorder she had that was causing her to perpetuate the addiction, and it even led to a treatment program. It didn't last and once again, she found a doctor willing to operate on her.

She started injecting silicone herself and when that ran out, she resorted to cooking oil. The massively abnormal proportions she carried around led to her receive the nickname "standing fan" by the local children in her neighborhood.

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Anti-aging Breakthrough: Better Than Botox Bris

Ever wonder what happens to the part that's "cut off" during a circumcision? Well, wonder no more—at least if you're in the UK and have access to InterCytex's Vavelta. Vavelta is a cosmetic injectable that's derived from collagen cells from babies’ foreskin.

According to CosmeticsDesign.com (11/18/08), InterCytex is now trying to bring the product to the US. Of course it first needs FDA approval, and then the greater hurdle is in trying to convince folks on this side of the pond that the next greatest thing in anti-aging comes from, well, a baby's you-know-what.

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Botox Vs. Strivectin: No Comparison

Strivectin, the popular wrinkle cream, is celebrating its 5th year anniversary and blockbuster sales status.

A key to Stivectin's marketing success was the clever tagline "Better than Botox?," devised by manufacturer Klein-Becker. The tagline proked Allergan, the maker of Botox, into lengthy litigation with Klein-Becker. In December 2006, Allergan and Klein-Becker entered into a confidential binding settlement agreement.

Lawsuits aside, is Strivectin truly comparable to Botox?

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"Uncorrectable" Liposuction Disaster: Board-certification Matters

Despite our guidelines for identifying board certification, there isn't a week that goes by where we aren't challenged by a doctor who demands to be listed as a plastic surgeon in the RealSelf.com doctor directory.

Our position is that a "plastic surgeon" is a medical doctor who is certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS).

A recent lawsuit illustrates why we take board certification so seriously and, consequentially, make some doctors unhappy.

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No Longer Crippled: Botox Gives Pianist Use Of Hand Afflicted By Focal Dystonia

The widely regarded classical pianist Leon Fleisher is making a two-handed comeback from a debilitating neurological condition called focal dystonia.

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Mother Of Botox Named A Hero By Prevention Magazine

Botox is a household name now, but when the idea was proposed back in 1987 by Vancouver cosmetic surgeon Jean Carruthers, MD, she says the response from most women was "You want to inject what into my face?"

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Elevess Elevates Artes Medical Revenues

Artes Medical, maker of the longer-lasting injectable filler ArteFill and distributor of the newest filler on the block Elevess, reported an increase of $1.1 million, or 85%, over product sales of $1.2 million for the same quarter in 2007.

Seattle doctor Stacy J. Davies, MD, an early adopter of Elevess, says she prefers Elevess for plumping lips and filling in those "lipstick lines" or "smoker's lines" around the mouth.

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Oozy And Red But Fraxel Repair Is Totally Worth It

Manhattan dermatologist Cameron Rokhsar says he'd recommend Fraxel Repair for most patients (sounds like a doctor with a new toy!)

Although the new Fraxel Repair CO2 laser is an ablative procedure, it is still a less invasive method for resurfacing skin than older CO2 laser treatments because the laser is fractionated into tiny beams.