Comfortably numb with botox?

woman's face behind mask Is it just me or are there more negative issues than ever before emerging around botox?

Hardly surprising really – after a decade of FDA approved cosmetic use it has become the world’s favourite anti aging treatment bar none – so who wouldn’t expect a bit of negative feedback to surface?

Some of it though is a little worrying and certainly needs to be taken into account if you are not sure whether to go the botox route. [Read more…]

How liposuction fat comes back

liposuction instruments on operating table For many people with stubborn areas of fat where they least want it – liposuction may seem to offer the perfect answer. You simply target the problem area and melt the fat away – job done.

Or that’s how it appeared until recent research uncovered a problem with this approach. The fat comes back and more of it is likely to be the ‘bad’ sort. [Read more…]

How to work out the cost of botox

cost-of-botox At first glance the cost of botox appears quite easy to work out – there are so many places to find botox injections nowadays. Surely you just take a look around and go for the cheapest all in quoted price?

It may seem like the range of options has brought the cost of botox injections tumbling down – you can go to a nurse, a walk-in clinic, a botox party – the choice is yours.
[Read more…]

Botox guide for first time users

botox-facts You probably won’t be surprised to know that botox injections are the most common anti aging treatment in the western world.

If you are considering a botox injection for the first time – you may think it’s as simple as going to a botox party or booking yourself into a spa.  Botox is everywhere and we tend to treat it as a normal part of life nowadays.

Injecting neurotoxins into your face may be fairly common – but it certainly isn’t normal and it is potentially deadly.  The sensible approach is to tread carefully and put your safety and health first – as you should with any anti aging procedure. [Read more…]

IPL risks: still there in 2011

ipl-risks This IPL disaster story was big news in the UK a few years ago when I first wrote this article.   Now in 2011 you might think this is ancient history but IPL risks are still there and this story remains a rather sobering warning.

IPL or Intense Pulsed Light has become so familiar as a form of laser treatment for skin rejuvenation and improvement.  The danger is – the more familiar something is the less care we take in using it.  So – it seems to me there are still lessons for us all in the story of Charlotte Cripps. [Read more…]

Dermabrasion: radical skin resurfacing treatment

dermabrasion Dermabrasion as a skin resurfacing treatment has been around for a long time as a treatment for serious medical skin problems and scarring.

Not to be confused with microdermabrasion which is a much more gentle exfoliation – dermabrasion is a radical abrading skin treatment as the name implies.

Layers of skin are abraded (removed) by a scraping tool which takes off the top level and sometimes as deep as the middle dermal layer allowing blemished skin to regenerate and repair. [Read more…]

Chemical peels: new skin for old?

chemical-peels Chemical peels seem to offer an appealing vision – a way of reversing the damage you and the environment may have inflicted on your once dewy complexion.

Great to think that beneath the pucker lines and sun damage our baby soft skin is waiting to make a comeback.  All we have to do is get rid of the old stuff on top.

Of course we are not so stupid – but behind the attraction of a facial peel isn’t there something of this fantasy? [Read more…]

Skin resurfacing: peel back the years?

skin resurfacing On the face of it skin resurfacing sounds quite an attractive option for any one interested in retrieving their youthful bloom and radiance.

So much of the skin aging process stems from what we put our skin through over time – not just the obvious things like sun exposure or smoking but just day to day living – laughing, crying and frowning – it all shows up on our skin and nowhere more obviously than our faces. [Read more…]

Injectable youth – dermal fillers

guide-to-dermal-fillers Wrinkle removal and facial contouring with a dermal filler has become the must have alternative to a face lift for many women.

Many facial plastic surgeons now offer a “liquid facelift” based entirely on injectables avoiding the need for the downtime and pain of surgery.

Things have moved on quite a bit since I originally wrote this article a few years back so I’ve done a complete update combining several other articles into a useful guide to dermal fillers reflecting main trends in the market for 2012. [Read more…]

A syringe full of active botox or saline solution?

botox-saline-solution Did you know that every physician, spa or office offering botox injections buys their botox in the same form and at the same price from the only manufacturer – Allergan?

There are no deals done for bulk supply – no special discounts for important customers. Everyone buys at the same price.

So how come there is such a range in the price of botox injections?

Easy you say – competition. Some suppliers just offer better botox deals to the customer to attract business. So we get top quality at lower prices – which benefits everyone – right? [Read more…]