Friday, January 31, 2014

Thursday, January 30, 2014

An injectable just for your eye circles

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Adults are living longer than ever before. We feel vital, we're active and we want our bodies to mirror youthful minds and hearts. Enter botulinum toxin, one of the most important substances to hit the field of facial rejuvenation. Short of a surgical facelift, this substance is the most popular way to reduce facial wrinkles. Botulinum toxin can be used as a wrinkle treatment to smooth:

Frown lines
Crows feet
Forehead furrows
Skin bands on the nec

Smiling, frowning, squinting and even chewing - basically any facial movement can eventually lead to one of the most common signs of aging: wrinkles. They can make you appear tired or even angry when you are not. One of the quickest and safest remedies to remove wrinkles is an injection of botulinum toxin.

Botulinum toxin type A and botulinum toxin type B are both purified substances, derived from a bacteria. Injections of this substance blocks muscular nerve signals, which then weakens the muscle so that it can't contract and diminishes your unwanted facial wrinkles.

Botulinum toxin can be combined with other cosmetic skin procedures such as chemical peels, dermal fillers or microdermabrasion to further improve your results. This combination of therapies can even help to prevent the formation of new lines and wrinkles.

http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/botulinum-toxin.html

Friday, January 24, 2014

Facial Fillers Proven to Improve Appearance

If your spa is serving clients who want immediate results and are interested in the visible benefits of facial fillers, this information proves that appearances are improved with this type of medical treatment.

The results of a new landmark study published in the March 2010 issue of Dermatologic Surgery, the official publication of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), confirm that a single, multisyringe treatment session administering facial fillers yields a quantifiable reduction in apparent age.

During the past several years, the use of injectable products to eliminate wrinkles and restore fullness to the skin has increased exponentially, due to sun damage, heredity and age contributing to frown lines and wrinkles. Aesthetic physicians use a variety of fillers to diminish wrinkles and return a more youthful appearance by binding water to the skin and replacing lost volume. Hyaluronic acid fillers are the most commonly used worldwide and have an excellent safety profile.

In this study, ten female patients, aged 42 to 59 with moderate to severe volume loss of the face, received several syringes (6-9 mLs) of injectable hyaluronic acid into the cheeks, tear troughs, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, lips and chin in a single treatment session. No touch-up or alteration of treatment was allowed within the four-week study period.

Three board-certified cosmetic dermatologists assessed age at baseline, week three, and week four in photographs. The median decrease in perceived age at four weeks post-treatment was 7.3 years for the clinical investigators.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Find Out More About Fillers

By: Zoe D. Draelos, MD, and Peter T. Pugliese, MD

Many new technologies have been developed to rejuvenate the aging face. One of the most successful techniques is the use of fillers to replace lost bone, subcutaneous fat and collagen on the face. While the esthetician will not inject fillers in an unsupervised setting, it is worthwhile to understand the theory and technology behind this medical anti-aging strategy.

The variety of fillers

There are a variety of substances that can be used as fillers to take up the space created by the lost bone and fat. The first fillers that were introduced were made of cow collagen. The collagen came from a special herd and was treated for facial injection. It was possible to be allergic to the bovine collagen, so skin testing was required. This product has been removed from the market, as have other collagen materials derived from pigs.

The next filler to be introduced into the marketplace was hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the dermis and is responsible for maintaining skin water balance. The first hyaluronic acid fillers introduced were made from a cock's comb. These fillers of animal origin have also been removed in favor of bacterially made hyaluronic acid that is identical to human hyaluronic acid. The bacterially made hyaluronic acid does not require skin testing as it is not possible for humans to be allergic to human hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid products are available as thin gels to inject around the eyes, thicker gels for injection in the folds around the mouth, and very thick gels to put on top of the bone to replace the lost fat pads of the upper cheeks. Hyaluronic acid is the most popular filler used today.

There are two other widely used filler substances: poly-L-lactic acid hydrogel and calcium hydroxylapatite. Poly-L-lactic acid is used in absorbable sutures. It is a sugar that is broken down by the body in time. It is packaged as a freeze-dried powder in a sterile vial that must be reconstituted with sterile water before use. The poly-L-lactic acid filler creates an inflammatory response, resulting in new collagen formation, and is slowly degraded. It is not as easy to inject as the hyaluronic acid, but may last up to one year or longer. It is also more rigid than hyaluronic acid, more expensive per tube and less forgiving. Calcium hydroxylapatite, used in concentrations of 30%, is a form of synthetic bone suspended in an aqueous gel composed of water, glycerin and sodium carboxymethylcellulose. Once injected, the aqueous gel is absorbed, leaving behind tiny 25–45 micrometer diameter microspheres. The bioceramic microspheres form a framework on which fibroblasts can grow to make new collagen. The new fibrous collagen grows around the particles and in time they dissolve into calcium and phosphorus ions. It is a more rigid filler and can be seen on dental films after injection into the face lasting around six months. Both of these fillers are effectively used in special case conditions, but hyaluronic acid remains more popular. Many new fillers are poised to enter the market within the next few years. Filler technology is only in its infancy, making this an important area for the esthetician to watch.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

http://www.skininc.com/treatments/medicalesthetics/Five-Facial-Plastic-Surgery-Predictions-for-2014-239923971.html#.Uths2k4o_Z0.facebook

Five Facial Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2014

Plastic surgery is back. The number of people undergoing cosmetic plastic surgery plummeted after the economic recession of 2008, but the most recent figures suggest that a double-digit comeback is underway.

Here’s what top facial plastic surgeons predict we will be seeing more of (and less of) this year.

1. Fat is phat.

Using your own fat for cosmetic surgery has experienced a pronounced uptick in popularity in the past few years. Fat harvested from one part of the body, such as the tummy or buttocks, is transferred to facial areas. We will see more fat being used in 2014 largely because the results are becoming more predictable and longer lasting. There will also be an increased interest in the healing and regenerative potential of growth factors, stem cells and other substances found in fat.

“Facial plastic surgeons are continuously refining their fat harvesting and injection techniques, utilizing a variety of different methods and in some cases, combining fat with other substances, such as platelet rich plasma. Besides restoring volume, the data suggests that adding fat back to the face may also improve the skin texture and tone,” says Ed Farrior, MD, FACS, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).