botox, wrinkles, treatment

Discovery Magazine recently published an article on how Charles Darwin “would have love Botox.” The magazine was quick to note, that
Darwin would have loved it as a science and not a vanity tool.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, which was written by Susannah Breslin of Discovery Magazine,

“Botox and Dysport are best known as treatments to mask aging. Injections into the muscles that make frowns can slow the growth of lines around the eyebrows. For his brain experiment, Haslinger and his colleagues gave 19 women Dysport injections. Two weeks later the scientists scanned their brains as they showed the women a series of angry or sad faces and asked them either to imitate or just to observe the expressions. Haslinger then ran the same experiment on 19 women without Dysport and compared the two sets of scans.

When the women made sad faces, the same brain regions became active in both those with Dysport and those without. But making angry faces triggered different patterns. In the Dysport-free women, a region known as the amygdala—a key brain region for processing emotions—became active. In the women with Dysport, who could not use their frown muscles, the amygdala was quieter. Haslinger also found another change, in the connections between the amygdala and the brain stem, where signals can trigger many of the feelings that go along with emotions: Dysport made that connection weaker.
Of course neuroscience labs are not the only place where people get shots of Dysport or Botox. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in the United States doctors administer millions of injections of Botox each year, many of them to people’s faces. Haslinger’s research suggests that this is part of a massive, unplanned experiment.

In June 2008 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, a team of cosmetic surgeons suggested this experiment is making all of us happier. People with Botox may be less vulnerable to the angry emotions of other people because they themselves can’t make angry or unhappy faces as easily. And because people with Botox can’t spread bad feelings to others via their expressions, people without Botox may be happier too. The surgeons grant that this is just speculation for now. Nevertheless, they declare that “we are left with the tantalizing possibility that cosmetic procedures may have beneficial effects that are more than skin deep.”

Reproduced from an articel by G.Staff.

Both brands- Dysport and Botoc are available at ww.dermalclinic.co.uk

53% Of Cosmetic Surgeons Said Business Is Down

Many cosmetic surgeons say they are booking fewer surgical procedures, such as face-lifts and breast augmentations. At the same time, nonsurgical procedures – which are less expensive – are gaining in popularity.

Theresa Rampelo, 53, is having her deep wrinkles filled so she can put her best face forward. ”I just feel getting rid of them will make me look younger so this way if I am thrown out there in the workforce it will be easier for me to get a job.”

Bridget Schoonover is looking for job security, too, saying, “Hopefully, it will make you look more attractive, younger, more competitive in the workplace.” She added, “Looks do count, unfortunately.”

But according to a new study from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, cosmetic surgery is, well, sagging.

“What they found is that 53 percent of the plastic surgeons were actually seeing a 30 to 40 percent decrease in the business,” said Dr. Constantino Mendieta.

Dr. Mendieta, a cosmetic surgeon in
Miami, said the economic downturn has decreased expensive procedures, but increased less expensive options such as botox, wrinkle injections and liposuction or mini-facelifts.

He observed there’s always been pressure on people to look younger, and now it’s even more pronounced as people have less discretionary money, “They will actually break the piggy bank to go out and try to perform these procedures so they can feel more competitive in the job market.”

Dr. Mendieta added, “In today’s society, it’s important to carry yourself with confidence, to feel good, to look good. All those things will help you in job performance.” 

Theresa doesn’t see a problem with going for that extra edge, saying, “I feel better. I’ll look better, and I’ll definitely be more confident.”

She is hoping looking her best will also pay off. 

“It’s not necessarily for vanity,” said Dr. Mendieta. “Some have suggested it now becomes more of an investment for yourself into the future.”
(Excerpts from a CBS Report.)

And it’s not just in the US, with the same effects being reported in the UK. As the economy downturn bites, people want to stand out against their ‘competitor employees’ in order to win the promotion, stand out as an indispensible company ambassador, or simply look as good as their younger colleagues when it comes to head-count review time.

According to a new study getting Botox makes you look attractive and improves dating success.

The first impression of a person is influenced by facial appearance and improved by cosmetic surgery.

The researchers wanted to determine whether or not the use of Botox would contribute to a person receiving higher scores on a variety of first impression scales.

During the study, the researchers took photo of the participants before and after the treatment with the botulinum toxin A.

The photos were randomly divided into books with each subject represented only once per book.

Blinded evaluators completed a survey rating their first impression on various measures of success for each photo in the book.

The participants who received the injections improved first impression scores for scales of dating success, attractiveness, and athletic success.

However, the researchers didn’t find any correlation with Botox regarding social skills, financial, or relationship success. Of course- you still need a personality!!

_{(ref. India Times)}

The following statistics come from Allergan, producers of botox products.

In 2006 the number of aesthetic botox treatments just in the US was 3,181,592 !
The number of men receiving treatment was 300,000.

Does this mean that men account for approximately 10% of clients receiving botox? Well, not necessarily as some of those 300,000 men may have had several of those 3 million treatments rather than just one per man.

I haven’t the exact breakdown to be able to see how many treatments were for men or women. What is clear, however is that treatment by botox is now an accepted form of treatment both aesthetically as well as medically.

More advice can be gained from http://www.dermalclinic.co.uk/botox-scotland.html.

This a section from webmd.com which gives general background information on botox:

Botox is the brand name of a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. In large amounts, this toxin can cause botulism, which you probably associate with food poisoning. Despite the fact that one of the most serious complications of botulism is paralysis, scientists have discovered a way to use it to human advantage. Small, diluted amounts can be directly injected into specific muscles causing controlled weakening of the muscles.

The FDA approved such usage in the late 1980s upon the discovery that Botox could stop ailments like blepharospasm (uncontrolled blinking) and strabismus (lazy eye). Cosmetic physicians have been using Botox for years to successfully treat wrinkles and facial creases. In April 2002, Botox gained FDA approval for treatment of moderate-to-severe frown lines between the eyebrows – called glabellar lines. However, Botox is often used for other areas of the face as well.

We must talk about which celebs we think have had botox at some point! Look at this image.

And other blogs on this subject-

www.bestdermalfiller.blog.com

www.dermalfiller.blog.com

Most people that haven’t had botox are under the misconception that it works immediately and lasts for ever!

Well, they’re wrong!

Botox can take up to 2 weeks to make a difference so if you’re thinking of having a treatment prior to a special event eg. daughter’s wedding, then make sure you book in advance! It’s no use having it the day before!

Men usually need more as they have stronger muscles.

And finally, although everyone’s different, if it’s 12 weeks since your last treatment, it might be time to book another treatment.

As this excert from www.dermalclinic/botox-scotland.html confirms…

‘The treatment will show some results within a few days but the full effects will not be evident for approximately two weeks. The smooth effect, which is apparent with Botox, typically lasts for 3-4 months in the first instance and after repeated use the effects are often evident for a longer period of time.’

Stay smooth! 

Everytime you switch on the TV you see celebrities who’ve had work done- and then the man or woman in the street tries to look as good as them by spending £££’s on face creams and diets. 

There are really good creams available from www.dermalclinic.co.uk/skinceuticals which can help skin look better and help try to emulate those celebs. Another site which provides references for wrinkle reduction is www.dermalfiller.blog.com.

It’s always comforting to know someone else who’s had treatment. It’s reassuring to know that you’re not alone in your requirements, but doubly reassuring when good treatment is published in the press!

Reassurance, such as this, is priceless when you are making a decision about treatment. Looking for press articles on the subject area of your potential treatment is an ideal way of satisfying any doubts you may have, and for finding a practitioner you can trust. 

Also, specialist sites are a great benefit like this one-

http://www.consultingroom.com/Find_A_Clinic/Postcode/Profile.asp?Clinic_ID=1613&Clinic_Name=Dermal%20Clinic

Look for this kind of site in your area, or take a small holiday to Edinburgh and take advantage of good, qualified treatment whilst there! 

It seems that every time you open a newsaper or magazine these days there’s a reference to botox by a celebrity or by a beauty editor. It really does appear to be increasing in popularity and is now as acceptable as regular make-up. 

However, people tend to fall into 2 camps:
a. ‘I wouldn’t let anyone near me with that stuff’
b. ‘I’m due a top-up!’

Of course, as with any topic, people will make opinions and these will only be as accurate as their:
1. Knowledge
2. Experience

and so, the people in the first camp tend to be ignorant (in the nicest sense!) of the benefits of treatments, and the level of training required, and the fact that ONLY medical practitioners should be used. The site www.dermalclinic.co.uk is a great example of the reassurance gained by only using qualified practitioners.

You can understand the opinion of the people in the first camp- afterall, the only time they may have come across it is when the cheap mags display the pictures of a cebrity who’s been overdone, and probably gone against the advice of his/her practitioner. 

However, the truth is that there are many, many people now taking advantage of wrinkle treatments and, because they’ve been done correctly, aren’t shocking. Have you not noticed that old friend who now suddenly looks much better than the last time you met? You can’t quite put your finger on why they look so good, much fresher and vibrant. Wrinkle treatments can’t turn an ugly duckling into a swan, but they can certainly make you look better than you did; turn the clock back a few years; give you more confidence; be able to compete with those ambitious, career hungry, younger boss-charmers at work!

In reality, many people are now using wrinkle treatments as readily as their everyday makeup.