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Celebrity News – Miss Piggy Abused Botox
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
How not to follow in the felt diva’s footsteps
In a recent appearance on Anderson Cooper’s talk show, famed Muppets starlet Miss Piggy spoke with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about her crippling Botox addiction.
“I’m 99% Botox,” Miss Piggy revealed to a stunned audience, “but that may be underestimating it.” Miss Piggy went on to disclose she is incapable of expressing herself facially, her expressions frozen as they are forever.
While Miss Piggy clearly went far more overboard than any non-felt patient is likely to, Dr. Gupta warned the audience about the risks of Botox abuse.
“If you use too much of it you can actually make your eyelids droop, you can cause headaches, you can cause other problems,” said Dr. Gupta. However, these affects are temporary (In humans. The same can’t be said for Muppets).
However, Botox isn’t all about side effects and risks. Botox is considered to be a safe, temporary treatment for frown lines, skin bands, crows feet and other skin imperfections. It’s a minimally invasive procedure, and may be more desirable than a full surgical facelift for those whose wrinkles are less severe.
Botox, or Botulinum Toxin, can be used by a trained professional to target any of the 43 muscles in your face, treating only the desired areas, while leaving your natural facial expressions intact. No anesthetic is needed, and there’s no recovery time needed. If you think Botox might be right for you, consult a certified plastic surgeon.
Tags: botox, botox cosmetic, botulism, Miss Piggy, Sanjay Gupta
Posted in Botox, In The News | Comments Off
Botox Cosmetic Treatments Remain Steady in Europe
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Amid the European debt crisis, sales of Botox Cosmetic have continued to show strong growth throughout the region. A significant increase has also been seen for other non-invasive cosmetic procedures such fillers that reduce creases around the mouth. Such activity shows that a gloomy financial climate poses little threat to beauty-conscious European consumers.
“My surmise is that societal forces of people wanting to look younger and better are overpowering the economic environment,” commonets David Pyott, chief executive at Allergan.
Rapid consumer demand for Botox as well as other cosmetic procedures in Europe comes during a time when U.S. sales are seeing a moderate decline, but are still “pretty good” according to Pyott. Around the world, Botox sales exhibited a nearly 16 percent increase over the past year. Allergan announced profits upwards of $251m in its third quarter, largely attributable to Botox – the company’s top seller.
Botox® Cleared for Overactive Bladder Therapy
The U.S. FDA recently gave clearance for Botox as a treatment for overactive bladder, a bladder storage condition that causes a sudden urge to urinate and often results in urinary incontinence. It received similar clearance In Ireland, which could pave the way for approval throughout the EU.
Botox will likely continue to see a strong increase in sales as it continues to be approved for non-cosmetic indications. Pyott estimates that therapeutic sales of Botox grow enough to eventually outweigh cosmetic related sales with the next five years.
Tags: botox new jersey
Posted in Botox | 22 Comments »
Texas Considers New Regulations for Botox and Other Cosmetic Treatments
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
On Friday, the Texas Medical Board will be considering a change in regulations for physicians performing cosmetic procedures like Botox, Restylane and other prescription medications, reports WFAA.
In their state, real prescription medications like Botox can only be obtained by a qualified physician (with a medical license). Within a doctor’s office however, the treatment can be delegated to and then administered by, anyone.
“As long as I’m the one purchasing it, right now I can delegate to whoever I want to,” explains dermatologist Dr. Lori Stetler to WFAA.
Because the market for Botox and cosmetic procedures can be very lucrative, there is a strong allure for physicians with inadequate training to begin offering these treatments. Currently there are no Botox regulations pertaining specifically to the training and qualifications of those who administer the injection. Such regulations would also apply to treatments like Juvederm, Sculptra, Radiesse and other popular wrinkle reducers.
According to WFAA, the medical board will discuss a regulation that would allow only doctors, nurses and physician assistants to administer a controlled substance such as Botox.
Tags: botox regulations, laws regulating botox treatment
Posted in Botox, Injectable Fillers | 43 Comments »
Acquisition on the Horizon for Maker of Restylane
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Q-Med AB, the Swedish maker of the Restylane family of injectable fillers, recently announced that the company has accepted a conditional acquisition offer from Switzerland-based Galderma SA, for as much as 7.45 billion kronor ($1.08 billion).
Galderma plans to make its offer public in January, and Q-Med’s board has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept the cash payout offer of 75 kronor a share, which is 13 percent more than Q-Med’s Dec. 10 closing price of 66.25 kronor per share.
All shareholders would purportedly receive this buyout offer with the exception of Q-Med’s founder and Chairman Bengt Aagerup, who would receive 58.94 kronor a share in cash for his 47.5 percent stake in the company.
The one condition of the offer is that Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., the U.S. company that licenses the Restylane family of injectable fillers and serves as a business partner to Q-Med, must also accept Galderma’s offer, presumably so the Swiss company can achieve its goal of investing in more cosmetic treatment products.
The products that make up the Restylane family of fillers include Restylane, Restylane-L, Perlane and Perlane-L, which have been approved for cosmetic use in Europe since 1996 and in the U.S. since 2003.
Each of these products is derived from hyaluronic acid and used by doctors like New Jersey plastic surgeon Dr. Barry DiBernardo to fill in wrinkles, plump thin lips and restore volume to facial features that have inadequate projection, such as the cheeks and chin.
Nestle SA and L’Oreal SA, the two companies that own Galderma, would each be paying half of the billion-dollar bill to acquire Q-Med, a relatively small amount of the 5 billion Swiss francs ($5.1 billion) that Nestle plans to spend on investments this year.
The acquisition would balance out Galderma’s other cosmetic holdings, such as Cetaphil skin care products and Azzalure, an injectable wrinkle-relaxer similar to Botox approved for use outside the U.S.
Tags: botox, injectable fillers, restylane, skin care, skin rejuvenation
Posted in Botox, In The News, Injectable Fillers, Products | 3 Comments »
Botox May Offer Breast Reconstruction Patients a Solution for Pain
Friday, November 19th, 2010
The popular wrinkle-relaxer Botox may have yet another use, according to Vancouver breast surgeon Dr. Allen Gabriel. Dr. Gabriel recently discovered through clinical trials that Botox injections can be used for pain management in patients suffering from discomfort after mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
Chris Durst, a 58-year-old breast cancer survivor and participant in Dr. Gabriel’s study, reported feeling zero post-operative pain following Botox injections to her chest.
“They’d [medical professionals would ask] say, ‘On a scale of one to ten?’ I’d said, ‘I’m a zero.’ Then they’d say, ‘You’re kidding?’ and I’d say, ‘Nope, I’m not, I’m just completely comfortable,’” said Durst.
Dr. Gabriel looked to Botox to help mastectomy patients who choose to have their breasts reconstructed using tissue expanders and breast implants, as the process of stretching the skin and muscles of the chest can be quite painful.
“As you’re pressing against a very thick muscle that’s very active on a daily basis, that’s when the pain and discomfort occurs,” said Dr. Gabriel.
During the trials, which included 30 breast reconstruction patients, Dr. Gabriel administered Botox injections to the chest muscles of a test group and injections of saline solution to a placebo group. The test group was reportedly more comfortable and experienced less pain after surgery than the placebo group.
“It’s been very exciting to see something that we read online; thought that it was a problem and now we have a solution,” said Dr. Gabriel.
As the millions of patients who have sought Botox injections for wrinkle reduction, excessive sweating and migraine treatment already know, Botox cost is not insignificant, especially when several units of the product are needed to achieve pain relief.
However, given the fact that the cost of Botox injections is often covered by insurance when used for FDA-approved pain management purposes, it is likely that Botox used for breast reconstruction pain management would also be covered if the procedure gains FDA approval.
“It is important for us to remember, unfortunately we are taking away part of their femininity; that’s how people look at it and [so we need to] do everything we can to support what’s going to make them [the patient] happy,” said Dr. Gabriel.
Tags: breast cancer, breast implants, breast reconstruction, mastectomy
Posted in Botox, Breast Implants | 14 Comments »
New Technique Uses Botox to Manage Pain After Breast Reconstruction
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Botox could be useful for managing post-operative pain after breast reconstruction surgery, according to plastic surgeon Allen Gabriel M.D., who presented on the topic during the recent the Biennial Congress of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Gabriel conducted a 30-patient clinical trial for the off-label Botox application, demonstrating success in the management of post-operative pain following breast reconstruction.
During breast reconstruction, a temporary tissue expander is often placed between layers of the chest muscle, which is then gradually filled with water to create a pocket for the breast implant. Pain can result from muscle contractions and spasms in response to the expansion of tissue.
Along with his collaborator Dr. G. Patrick Maxwell, the doctor theorized that Botox injections could offer relief by temporarily paralyzing the muscle so that fewer spasms occur, thereby reducing pain and discomfort.
They designed a clinical trial with 30 breast cancer patients, who all planned a mastectomy and subsequent silicone implant breast reconstruction. They were divided into 2 groups: one received Botox injections in the chest muscle and the other received injections of saline solution as a placebo.
After reconstructive surgery, the women who received the Botox injections were reportedly more comfortable than those who received placebo. The doctors measured patient responses 3 times during and after the procedure, noting that during days 7 to 45 of the recovery period, those that received Botox injections used significantly fewer doses of narcotics and muscle relaxants.
Tags: breast reconstruction surgery
Posted in Botox | 98 Comments »
New Botox, Dysport Competitor Xeomin Set For U.S. Launch
Friday, August 6th, 2010
Xeomin, a new botulinum type A injectable and competitor to Botox and Dysport, was recently FDA-approved for use in the U.S. Developed by German pharmaceutical giant Merz, Xeomin has been used for Europe since 2008 and will be available in the U.S. as of late September 2010.
Cosmetic use of Xeomin will be considered off-label use as of its initial U.S. launch because the product is approved only for treating neuromuscular conditions, such as cervical dystonia and blepharospasm, and is not yet approved to treat dynamic wrinkles between the brows and on the forehead.
Although Botox and Dysport are both approved for cosmetic use in addition to therapeutic use, Xeomin is expected to compete directly with the two botulinum type A wrinkle-relaxing injectables for a portion of the anti-aging market.
Xeomin, Dysport and Botox are each composed of similar, yet slightly different formulations of the botulinum type A neurotoxin. The formulation in Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) is particularly unique because it is free of complexing proteins, which may give Xeomin an advantage over Botox and Dysport in treating neuromuscular conditions, since the higher doses necessary can be given without resulting in antibody formation.
Xeomin’s lack of complexing proteins is not seen as a potential advantage over Dysport or Botox when it comes to cosmetic use, however, as the doses used to smooth forehead wrinkles and frown lines, or 11’s, is so low there is no noticeable difference. In fact, some physicians are concerned that it may be more difficult to control spreading or migration of Xeomin, which may lead to muscle relaxation that causes droopy eyebrows and other undesirable results.
Essentially, the effects of Xeomin injections for wrinkle reduction are anticipated to closely mirror the effects of Botox injections. The unit measurements of the two products are even expected to be about the same, although Botox is distributed in 100-unit vials, and Xeomin will be distributed in 50-unit and 100-unit vials.
The only other notable difference is that Xeomin will not require refrigeration prior to reconstitution as Botox and Dysport do, which is a convenience to physicians that likely will not affect consumers.
The lack of fluctuation in Botox prices after Dysport, its first competitor, was launched in April 2009 suggests that the introduction of Xeomin to the U.S. market will not cause a decrease in the price of wrinkle-relaxing injections.
Tags: fda, xeomin
Posted in Botox, In The News | 79 Comments »
