Every month, we strive to bring you a balanced mix of breaking news (the best new skin-care products for fall, for example) and advice you can always use, like how to treat marionette lines and nasolabial folds. Invariably though, there’s an intriguing headline or viral post that doesn’t make its own stand-alone story yet is still worthy of a share.
Which brings us here, to the latest installment of This Month in Aesthetics, an ICYMI recap of industry-molding moments that we’d be remiss not to acknowledge—from a Bravo star’s BBL confession to surprising data about which religious group is most likely to get plastic surgery.
Macy Gray is hospitalized for Ozempic side effects
R&B singer Macy Gray is the latest celebrity talking about the unpleasant side effects of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Gray, currently appearing on MTV’s The Surreal Life, told her castmates that it left her constipated: “Oh boy, my stomach hurts. I’ve just been really constipated. I took Ozempic. I can’t go to the bathroom, and I was up all night,” she said in one episode.
Her condition then took a turn for the worse. “This sucks because I’m here all the way in Colombia and I really just want to give it my all, but I just feel awful and I just want it to go away. This is not going well. I can’t even walk very much without losing my breath,” she said, ultimately going to the ER at the urging of a set medic.
Gray returned to continue filming and explained that her motivation for taking the drug was vanity and attempting to lose weight prior to filming the show.
Christina Applegate reveals the one plastic surgery she’s had
“At 27 years old, I had the only plastic surgery I’ve ever had[—which] was to remove the bags under my eyes,” Applegate said on an episode of the Messy with Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler podcast. The 52-year-old actress explained that it was a famous TV producer who’d urged her to do so, telling her that her bags were so big, they were causing issues with lighting under her eyes. “He goes, ‘I suggest you get them removed,’” she explained.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints get more plastic surgery than average Americans
According to new research out of Utah, 14% of church members reported having undergone some type of plastic surgery. It may not sound like a huge number, but the American average is only 4%. Brigham Young University professor Sarah Coyne, who conducted the study, attributes this seemingly paradoxical correlation between religion and cosmetic procedures partially to the pursuit of perfection. “Being the perfect Latter-Day Saint means, kind of, having the perfect body. So you can see why that thinking, that mentality, might make someone think they need cosmetic surgery,” she said.
Simone Biles shares why she won’t get Botox again
The Olympian got candid about her Botox experience during a “get ready with me” (for the all-around gymnastics finals) TikTok video she posted while in Paris. “So, for my 27th birthday, I got Botox, like, baby Botox, just right here in my T-zone, and I did not like it. So I haven’t got it again, and mind you, that was back in March,” she said. Biles went on to explain that her one eyebrow would slowly lift on its own—for nearly 20 seconds at a time—and she couldn’t bring it back down. “Not doing that again,” she said of the injectable.
The FDA warns against at-home chemical peels
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning to consumers, urging them not to use certain at-home chemical peels without the supervision of a dermatologist or trained practitioner. More specifically, this was geared toward peels that utilize very high concentrations of TCA, glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids and could cause serious injuries if not used correctly.
Severe chemical burns, pain, swelling, infection, skin color changes, and disfiguring scars are among the noted risks.
Along with the consumer warning, the FDA also issued warning letters to six companies selling these types of peels, including Walmart and Amazon.
The ASPS opposes gender-affirming surgery for minors
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the first major American medical body to take a stance against gender-affirming surgery for minors. This is in stark contrast to the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association, both of which have deemed the procedure safe and medically necessary. According to the organization, the decision is based on a lack of evidence surrounding long-term effects. “ASPS currently understands that there is considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria, and the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty. This patient population requires specific considerations,” read an ASPS statement.
Josh Flagg says he’s had three nose jobs and a Brazilian butt lift
“Where do you want to start? Over 20 years, I’ve done everything,” said the Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star on an episode of Heather McDonald’s The Juicy Scoop podcast when asked about plastic surgery. That list includes a fat transfer to the buttocks after undergoing liposuction: “They were like, ‘You have two choices, we throw [the fat] away or you could use it somewhere else.’ I’m like, ‘Might as well stick it somewhere,’” he said, adding that it was “really good fat.”
Also on the list: three separate nose jobs, resulting from a mistake he made after his first, when he was 16. “Like an idiot, I didn’t like the packing they put in your nose. I couldn’t stand the feeling, so I pulled it out,” he said. His nose collapsed, and he needed two more surgeries to correct it. “The third time was the charm,” he quipped.
Another injectable neurotoxin gains FDA approval
Botox, Dysport, Juveau, Daxxify—look for another injectable on that list coming soon. The FDA just approved Letybo, also a type of botulinum toxin type A, for the treatment of glabellar lines. Of note: Letybo has been the top neurotoxin brand in South Korea for seven consecutive years. Parent company Hugel plans to push out the neurotoxin ASAP, with the goal of launching in doctor’s offices later this year.
Sofwave’s newest treatment tightens and tones arms
Pure Impact delivers electrical muscle stimulation to strengthen and tone muscles, combined with Sofwave’s ultrasound technology for skin-tightening results. Previously FDA cleared for the abs, butt, and thighs, it’s now also cleared for use on the arms, promising results after just two treatments, performed twice weekly for two weeks.
A new alopecia areata treatment is set to hit the market
Nearly 700,000 people in the United States have alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that triggers sudden and dramatic hair loss. It’s notoriously difficult to treat, making the FDA approval of Leqselvi all the more noteworthy. The oral medication is a JAK-inhibitor, working on the inflammatory pathways thought to cause hair loss in alopecia areata patients. Results from the clinical trials were impressive, with participants going from 13% scalp hair coverage to upward of 80% after 24 weeks.
Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, aka “Catwoman,” posts shocking throwback photo
Wildenstein, known for extensive plastic surgeries that earned her the nickname “Catwoman” due to her feline-like appearance, just revealed what she used to look like. The 82-year-old posted a throwback photo of herself holding her then infant daughter as a birthday tribute, giving followers a glimpse of her original face. The Swiss socialite rose to fame in the 1990s during her marriage to and subsequent divorce from late billionaire Alec Wildenstein. Rumors ran rampant that he, a cat lover, urged her to get plastic surgeries to make herself look more feline; she claimed that she kept going under the knife because he hated to be with old people. (He denied this in a 1998 Vanity Fair article, claiming that he was always the last to find out about her surgeries.) As part of their divorce settlement, Wildenstein was ordered not to spend any of the money on cosmetic surgery.
