Plastic Surgery Blog

New reports show that although African Americans have skin that appears more youthful long term, they are typically the first race to show any real signs of aging.
According to research, facial aging appears in the outer corner of an African Americans eyes before it does in the eyes of Caucasians and Asians.
The Difference of an Eye
Researchers have attributed the reasoning behind the early signs of aging to the fact that African Americans tend to require more attention to their eyes because of their ethnic characteristics.
“African Americans have a slight slant to their eyes, much like Asians do but not as pronounced,” says Julius Few, who is the co-author of the study conducted on the subject.
Few also says that, “During aging, we found not only do the outer corners of the eyes of African Americans droop lower that Caucasians, they also droop sooner.”
Study Conducted
In the study led by Few, the median eye slant for African American women age 45 years or younger was approximately three degrees.
The number reportedly decreased to one degree for those over the age of 45 years old.
The study also showed that the median eye slant in Caucasian women who were 45 years old or younger was 1.3 degrees and decreased to nearly zero for those above the age of 45.

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Plastic surgery has been on the rise in the past decade and surgeons are only anticipating the numbers of procedures being performed to increase in the future.

As is expected the top most requested surgeries include breast augmentation and liposuction.

Although stereotypically women are the sole seekers of cosmetic surgery, new reports are showing that more men are opting to go under the knife then ever.

Women Are Still the Majority

According to recent reports, about 91 percent of women are perfecting themselves with the help of a surgeon and are getting everything from Botox to liposuction.

Men Putting Their Best Face Forward

The American Society for Plastic Surgery recently reported that more than one million men received surgical or nonsurgical treatments in last year alone.

This statistic supposedly shows a 17 percent increase from 2006.

The ASPS also claims that men typically go for Botox when they’re opting to make some physical upgrades.

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Up until now, Botox has been the only FDA approved antiwrinkle therapy and reportedly made more than $1 billion in sales world-wide last year. According to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons, Botox shots are the most-frequently performed cosmetic procedure and an estimated four million Americans received the injections in 2006 alone. However, a new antiwrinkle method is quickly sneaking its way into our cosmetic world and researchers say that the maker’s of Botox, Allergan Inc., should be prepared for their competition.

New Way to Fight Wrinkles

Reports claim that Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., is getting ready to submit an application to the FDA to get their antiwrinkle product, Reloxin, approved. Doctors are estimating that it may be less than a year until Botox’s competition starts showing up in dermatologists’ offices.

Physicians are hoping that Reloxin will be better priced than Botox, whose price is continuing to rise.

“Many dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons are excited about the possibilities for a lower-priced form of botulinum toxin,” says Joel Schlessinger, a dermatologist in Nebraska.

As of now, patients are paying an estimated $500 for Botox injections, which reportedly last for about four months.

Reloxin Trial Conducted

At a recent dermatology meeting in Las Vegas, Dr. Schlessinger spoke about Reloxin to a trial of 300 patients who were assigned to receive either the drug or a placebo. The most common side effect the researchers found with Reloxin was headaches, which reportedly affected 11 percent of the patients.

“Botox is more of a household name than Restylane but, we’re in the middle of a vanity boom so all of the companies involved should win,” says David Steinberg, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG.

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Ever heard of StriVectin-SD? Probably not if you’ve never had to deal with stretch marks—a problem the cream is traditionally used to treat. Nowadays, women and men alike are applying this product to their faces to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and crow’s feet. But is it better than Botox?

Don’t count on it. Even though StriVectin-SD is being promoted as a kind of miracle anti-wrinkle breakthrough (fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is even pitching for it), Botox is still the preferred treatment for moderate to severe wrinkles around the brow and eye areas.

If you’re tempted to try it, and it does sound enticing, it’s probably wise to consult with a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon beforehand. It may work best when used in conjunction with some other treatment, that is if it works at all.

Technorati Tags: botox, cosmetic surgeon, Strivectin

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