The procedure involves taking blood from the patient’s arm and immediately centrifuged for five minutes to promote cellular growth. The blood is then separated in the serum from the red cells, immediately stimulated with amino acids and is reinjected into the area of the skin that is to be treated.

There are two types of shots: many injections to the superficial layers of the skin, which are done in about 10 minutes, and a smaller series that go deeper into the skin, including areas such as the eyes, the mouth and the forehead. There is no bleeding after the entire thing is done – just mild redness and a sensation of numbness. The results should become apparent the next day and then more and more visible with each week, having the obvious advantage of being a procedure that leaves no scars and requires no recovery time. Results typically last 4-6 months.

Patients can decrease the frequency of Botox® Cosmetic injections after approximately two years and still receive most of the same wrinkle-smoothing cosmetic benefits, according to new research at Oregon Health & Science University.

“After two years of treatment at recommended intervals, patients can potentially cut the frequency, and thus the cost, of their Botox® treatments by half,” said Roger A. Dailey, M.D., F.A.C.S., professor and Lester Jones Endowed Chair of oculofacial plastic surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine. The results of Dailey’s work were presented at a meeting of American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon on April 24 in Washington, D.C. The research was sponsored by an unrestricted educational grant from Allergen, Inc., the maker of Botox® Cosmetic.

The Botox® research effort also demonstrated that the injections have a wrinkle preventing – or prophylactic – effect. Patients who begin receiving injections between their 30s and 50s are able to prevent wrinkles from forming and eliminate existing wrinkles, said Dailey, head of the Casey Aesthetic Facial Surgery Center, which opened in 1991 as part of Casey Eye Institute.

Based on previous studies, doctors advised patients who wished to reduce wrinkles in the glabellar region – the area between the eyebrows – that they needed to have Botox® Cosmetic injections every three months to maintain the cosmetic wrinkle-smoothing benefits. Such frequent treatment, however, deterred some patients, Dailey said.

Dailey studied 50 women ages 30 to 50, who received regular Botox® injections for two years. “We found that after the patient receives Botox® Cosmetic injections every four months for two years, the frequency of the injections can be changed to every six months and still achieve good results,” Dailey said.  “This demonstrates patients have the ability to achieve good results with broader treatment schedules and ultimately at a lower overall treatment cost.

Botox® has been approved for cosmetic use for eight years. In 2008, more than 5 million patients in the United States received cosmetic Botox® treatments, according to Allergen, the manufacturer. About 313,000 of those patients were men.

via OHSU

Read full story via  Stuff.co.nz.

“Incontinence is a legitimate health concern that can detract from the great quality of life that each woman should have,” said Linda Brubaker, MD, director, Division of Female Pelvic & Reconstructive Surgery, Loyola University Health System, and associate dean for Clinical and Translational Research, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM). “We want to offer improved treatment so that women no longer have to fear that their bladder will lose control. We know that this problem is treatable and we anticipate that this major research study will guide doctors to the best treatment for their patients.”

Approximately one in four American women have at least one pelvic floor disorder, such as urinary incontinence. Current methods to treat urinary urge incontinence include lifestyle modifications, pelvic floor exercises and medications.

This study will evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of each treatment strategy as measured by the change in urge incontinence episodes over six months. One group of women will receive the wrinkle reducer, which paralyzes the bladder muscle and improves symptoms of urge incontinence. The other group will receive traditional medication, which blocks bladder contractions. Adult women must have five or more urge incontinence episodes in a span of three days to be eligible for this study.

LUHS’ Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Center was the first of its kind in greater Chicago. It is still one of the few centers in the country that offers a single location for the multi-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment of women with pelvic floor disorders. LUHS’ urogynecological surgeons, doctors with the combined expertise of gynecology and urology, provide the most advanced medical and surgical care available for women with problems related to the lower urinary tract and the pelvic floor.

To join the study or learn more about causes and treatments for female pelvic disorders, call (888) LUHS-888, ext. 64188, or visit www.loyolamedicine.org.

Read full story via  Mail Online.

Undercover officers raided the home of a Mansfield woman who they say was selling do-it-yourself wrinkle treatments.Police confiscated boxes, computers and more at the home of Laurie D’Alleva and charged the Tarrant County woman with illegally offering prescription drugs — including botulinum toxin Botox injections — without a license.

Read full story via Health News.

Read full story via The Sun News.

Azzalure was previously marketed under the brand name Dysport, but licensed only to treat medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, facial tics and strokes – but it can now be used for cosmetic use.

Read full story via  Mail Online.

excerpt from article

Federal prosecutors in Seattle filed charges against He in August, asserting that, despite action by the state Department of Health, she continued to illegally inject customers with cosmetic medicines she’d obtained from China. A bench trial is currently underway in which Pechman will decide whether He possessed or sold counterfeit prescription drugs.

Read full story via seattlepi.com

Times are tight but this approach to cosmetic treatments is a bad idea anyway you look at it.

“If it’s prescription-only, it doesn’t matter whether it’s over the counter in Mexico or not,” said Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. “Offering a prescription drug without a prescription is illegal any way you phrase it.”

Read full story via DIY Botox Wired.com.