There are enough bogus 'systems' out there to fill up a blog on an hourly basis. Here's one more: Flex Effect Facial Resistance Training. There is absolutely no way that the claims made by this website are legitimate. Take this before and after for example. Droopy upper eyelid skin can not be corrected by facial exercises. Never.
But, for $1750 you can become a certified facial trainer. Now that's something to put on your resume.
Stretch marks are a big concern for many patients, especially after giving birth or gaining weight. They are a result of breaks in the deep skin layer called the dermis. There are common remedies used to prevent them, such as lanolin and cocoa butter. There are numerous treatments being offered to reduce their appearance, from microdermabrasion to lasers to creams (many of them ineffective).
We found a websited devoted to stretch mark treatments (http://www.allaboutstretchmarks.com/index.htm), but its clearly an advertisement. Unfortunately, a site like allaboutstretchmarks is not required to disclose what it is an advertisement for, though we suspect it is funded by Fraxel. As disclosed on their site: "The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this website. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content." Sort of sneaky, since the site purports to be an authoritative, semi-scientific discussion of a topic of medical concern. It does contain some valid info though.
A public citizen group is petitioning for a Botox warning because of several deaths related to the product. From an MSNBC report, "Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said such problems can occur if botulinum toxin spreads from the injection site to the esophagus, causing partial paralysis. Instructions for Botox and Myobloc mention the issue but it is easy to miss, he said."
To our knowledge there has never been a death report from the injection of Botox for cosmetic reasons. In some cases, Botox is used for vocal cord problems, and this can lead to misinjection, leading to a complication. All in all, this group is inciting an issue over a non-issue. The warnings are already there in the packaging. If any other medication had a rate of 16 deaths, it would be considered one of the safest drugs available.
Do green tea bags help under-eye circles and bags? Some think so. It's got powerful antioxidants.
“Brew two bags, let cool, then use as a compress for 10 minutes,” says dermatologist Dr. Kunin. To increase the “depuffing” effect, use caffeinated, she adds.“
Interesting thought. Mostly just an anecdotal recommendation. But it's inexpensive and it likely wouldn't hurt.
Here are the opening lines of a website we recently found:
Dear friend,
If you would like to know how some of the most famous actors, celebrities and super models in the world keep their skin looking young, beautiful, and age free… without Botox, or plastic surgery… then what I am about to reveal to you in this brief little message will be the most important beauty secret you will ever discover.
When anyone begins with dear friend, you have to be skeptical. Not to mention everything else that follows. Its an ad for Dremu, a concoction that is supposed to be the most amazing wrinkle remover ever created. But it's not. And that's why they have to make hard-sell websites such as this one.
We got an email from a reader asking about dermitage and the questionable benefits they tout from their products. Here is the before and after section of their website with tiny photos taken with different techniques, obscuring any ascertainable results.
They also use pseudo-scientific sounding proprietary names such as Inflacin, QuSomes, and lifting spheres, which are all meant to impress.
Then we found out about fradulent billing and fake free offers. Look at their ridiculous ad above with 'simulated' aging. Our advice: steer clear of this company's products.
Jan Marini's age intervention eyelash product does not grow lashes, according to the company itself. According to their website, “Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner is not intended to stop, prevent, cure, relieve, reverse or reduce eyelash loss or to promote the growth of eyelashes”. They were banned from selling their Revitalash product becuase it contained travoprost, the prostaglandin analogue used to treat glaucoma, with the convenient side-effect of lash thickening and darkening, and the inconvenient effect of darkening the iris. But it is illegal to sell this prescription drug as an over-the-counter beauty product. The new product is without the same active ingredient, but still sells for an astounding $160. Worth it? No, according to The Beauty Brains. An alternative, is to wear falsies.
ACI (Advanced Cosmetic Intervention) has approval to sell their new GFX device for glabellar wrinkles. Right out of a science fiction film, this radiofrequency ablation tool uses a nerve stimulator to identify the nerves that innervate the frown muscles between the eyebrows and then uses energy to block the action of these nerves. How long does is last? Studies have proven that it lasts at least 8 months (twice as long as Botox) but could potentially last for years and years. That's a lot fewer trips to the medspa for the Botox junkie!
An Egyptian cosmetic surgeon created this presentation on facial fat injection. It's popularity is growing as we understand that aging is accompanied by loss of fat.
How can you pay less than $5 for a facelift? When you use this product, found on Amazon: Wrinkle Release Instant Facelift. What is it exactly? Strips of tape in strategic areas pull the skin back to smooth out the lines of aging. So far, there are no reviews on the page, but the hardest part would be to hide the strips of tape. Unless you have long hair, this would be quite a task. But hey, it probably works for an evening if you go to a restaurant with dim lights and a myopic date.
Other surgery with tape: face tape, double eyelid tape
A company called Aqueduct Medical makes a bunch of masks for surgical recovery. They allow for compression and cooling to different parts of the face after blepharoplasty or facelift. But you can't help but think they look like rejected ideas from a superhero costume out of the oft-forgotten film Mystery Men. The cooling eyeflaps complete the look.
All in all, its a good concept, but a bag of frozen peas works quite well and provides a snack after use. And doesn't scare the kids. Unless you're trying to do that. In which case you should go for the mask.
Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines recently for her use of a facial product that includes snake venom. In actuality, the ingredient in question is a tripeptide that mimics Walgerlin-1, found in snakes and meant to reduce wrinkle severity. Euoko makes this product, which retails for more than $300.
The next logical step is for celebrities to start using pig feces as a mud mask.
Too Faced cosmetics now makes a kit called Fantastic Plastic, billed as 'Your Plastic Surgery Alternative'. The components include 'lash injection', 'lip injection', and 'wrinkle injection'. It does not mention that the only thing being injected is their financial statement with your money.
Leave it to the Japanese to come up with cartoonish torture devices in the name of beauty. The Cheek Toner (found on uniquedaily.com) is supposed to firm the cheeks by rolling the plastic sunny-side-up eggs over the face.
It also gives the user rosy cheeks, and the urge to lather oneself with hollandaise sauce.
A company named BioElectronics has developed a device that is meant to reduce swelling and inflammation after surgery and injury. It is a patch that delivers pulsed electromagnetic energy to the site of injury through the skin.
The question is, 'Does it work?" Hard to tell. There do not currently seem to be any large-scale, double-blind, controlled, prospective studies in the literature on this specific device. This is commonly the case with many devices and products of this nature. But there is some degree of scientific rationale for the ActiPatch.
Here is what the company has to say about it: "When soft tissue is damaged the cells separate to prevent the transmission of infection. The cells leak fluid and cellular components break down while the cellular debris causes inflammation, swelling and pain. ActiPatch stabilizes the leaking cell membranes by, in effect, recharging the membrane. The pulsed energy delivered by ActiPatch drives out the edematous fluid along with the by products of the damaged tissue."
Skeptical? Check it out for yourself, here.
Check out this video. It demonstrates how a method of hair braiding can be used to mimic a facelift. It lasts 4 days, it hurts like the bejebus, and it makes your hair look like Coolio circa Dangerous Minds, but it's not surgery!
Some dentists are attempting to use "buzz word marketing" to lure customers by calling what they do "facelift dentistry". It entails adjusting the occlusion or bite of the patient with various types of implants and crowns. The teeth and bones of the jaw do have an impact on the facial appearance, but to say that they create enough support to modify wrinkles in most cases is a stretch. Check out the Face Lift Dentistry site here, and decide for yourself if this is merely a marketing ploy.
Dr. Rey has capitalized once again on his popularity from the Dr 90210 program. First he hocked chicken in Carl's Jr. commercials. Now he's peddling lingerie with Bruno Sciavi, an Australian lingerie maker.
"We have designed Dr Rey's collection using his plastic surgery reconstructive secrets,'' says Schiavi.
'Shapewear' as it is called, is meant to change the body's shape without having to under go surgery, which is obviously associated with various risks and costs.
Read more about this on the Lingerie Post.
We'll get on board when Dr. Rey starts selling muscle shirts and hair frosting.
More Rey: Karate and surgery on TV, Rey gets loco on an airplane
One of the more popular facial procedures to combat aging is replacement of fat loss with injections. The idea is that our faces are round when we are babies, because they are full of fat. As we get older, that fat starts to descend and disappear. Fat transfer is an excellent approach to this problem. It involves removal of fat from another area of the body, such as the thigh or abdomen, and injecting it to the face. But what about skinny people with no extra fat?
Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) is a good option. It is indicated by the FDA for restoration of lost fat volume in people with lipoatrophy, which occurs in patients with HIV. It stimulates the formation of the patient's own collagen in the dermal layer of the skin, resulting in increased thickness. And it seems to last longer than Restylane and Juvederm, which are probably better for filling in lines on the face.
You can learn more about this product at the manufacturer's website, here.
The company that owns Contour Threads, Angiotech, has announced today that they are withdrawing this product from the market. In a conversation with their customer service representative, it was explained that the company no longer wants to devote their resources to this technology, and the decision was strictly a 'money issue'. They plan to focus more on the Quill wound-closure system. Apparently, there was no safety concerns that led to this decision.
Overall, most surgeons have been underwhelmed with the suture lift genre, although new versions have reached the marketplace that may be an improvement over the Contour Thread design. It's a shame for all the physicians who have spent money on training for this product, not to mention marketing dollars. We expect they will switch to a different version with a similar result.
Ziya Saylan, a Turkish physician has developed a titanium/polypropylene mesh bra that is inserted under the skin to create a sling to suspend a droopy breast. The titanium mesh is anchored to the ribs and pectoral muscles.
The downside is that it is very difficult to remove and it could make it more difficult to detect breast tumors.
Dr. Saylan's website describes the technique and shows examples of its use. It is an intersting idea, but probably not something that will catch on in the near future.
The future is here.
There are plenty of ways that you can now save parts of your body for future use.
This has both cosmetic and general health implications. Here are some examples of 'bankable tissue':
Collagen: this technology is being developed to harvest collegen and inject it in another area to reduce wrinkles.
Skin: it is possible that in the near future, we will be able to culture skin cells and use them in the healing process, for CO2 laser resurfacing for example.
Fat: this is currently being frozen in some patients for repeat injections to places that have lost fat.
Hair: it may be commonplace to save hair as a youngster to help replace lost hair with aging.
Eggs: its increasingly common for women to bank eggs. these may be used later in life.
Stem cells: this is the focus of much research, and could be used to regenerate damaged tissues in the future.
This posting was adapted from this article.
You've probably heard of Kevin Trudeau, a man who organized what the FTC calls an
“infomercial empire that’s misled Americans for years.” He first pushed a product called Coral Calcium Supreme, purporting to cure diseases from cancer to heart disease. The FTC banned Trudeau from
infomercials forever! Due to a loophole, Trudeau was back on TV, with a book that was wildly popular.
So NBC's Dateline created a product called Moistural for one of their segments, which was actually Nestle Quik in a capsule. 
They brought the product to an infomercial producer:
Infomercial producer: The other way you could do it is you could do
fake clinicals as part of the creative… what we’re doing is...
And then they got a dermatologist to promote the product. And she admitted it was before she even saw the product itself. And actors to give testimonials.
There are 700 new informercials on TV every year. For a range of products, and many of them with unsubstantiated or falsified claims. Even the Lifestyle Lift has an infomercial!
A great deal of TV watchers think that because something is on TV, that someone must have checked to see if they are ok. This is not entirely true.
Read this fascinating report on MSNBC: Infomercials from the inside out.
Thermage is a radiofrequency device that is meant to create skin tightening and collagen remodeling. It takes multiple treatments to acheive desired results, and is somewhat uncomfortable.
There seems to be a growing consensus among surgeons that Thermage is not everything they hoped it would be. When looking at a presentation by the medical device company that sells Thermage, it is at times difficult to distinguish between the before and after images. We have to strain our eyes to tell the difference (see here). Also, issues with fat atrophy and scarring have surfaced.
Do exercises prevent you from getting wrinkles? That's what the facial magic hoax was about.
The body flex exercise video, which appears to have been filmed in the 80's seems to be the precursor to facial magic. We just think it's a funny thing to watch. If anything, you'll probably get more wrinkles after all of those facial contortions.
We have posted previously on the company, Basic Research LLC, which is also the same company as Klein Becker. This group continues to get in trouble with their advertising practices, product claims, and false representations, including an employee that falsely pretended to be a medical doctor!
There are many interesting documents that can be found on the web regarding legal decisions and other complaints. Check these out:
Strivectin fraud exposed.
Rip-off report about Dennis Gay and his company.
Better Business Bureau report on Basic Research LLC.
FDA warning letter about Basic Research LLC products.
The FTC briefs on the legal actions agains Basic Research LLC.
Mitchell Friedlander mail fraud prior to StriVectin association.
Botox is being offered in shopping malls, in franchised spas in order to bring this popular procedure closer to consumers. A shopper can easily go from Orange Julius to the injectables booth in a few short steps. One problem, is that often, physicians are not administering the injections of botulinum toxin, in fact, there is often no physician on site. A doctor who is a spa medical director may be merely available by phone, depending on the state regulations. The most common complication resulting from botox is blepharoptosis (a droopy eyelid) which is transient, lasting a few months. While this can occur from poor placement of the injection, it is more often simply a sporadic event.
Perhaps they should put the botox in the Orange Julius, to cut out the extra step.
The thread lift, suture lift, feather lift, contour threads- they're all based on the same concept. Small incisions are made, barbed sutures are passed through the area area to be lifted, and tension is placed to move the tissue in desired direction. The reviews and anectodal reports from surgeons are less than stellar in most cases. Its been adopted mainly by "non-surgeons" to offer facial rejuvination to pre-existing laser and botox patients.
The newest technology in the chain of threads is called the Silhouette suture. It uses a "cup and ball" design rather than a barb. Will it be an improvement over previous designs? Judge for yourself, here.
A consumer reports study shows little improvement in wrinkles in a wide array of products marketed for this purpose. Additionally, there was no correlation between price and effectiveness.
"Olay Regenerist, which is available in drugstores, was the top
performer by a small margin. One of the less-costly products tested,
Olay Regenerist, sells for about $19 apiece for the "enhancing lotion,"
"perfecting cream," and "regenerating serum" combination recommended by
the company. Lancome Paris Renergie, $176, performed nearly as well."
None of the products tested provided more than 10% improvment in targeted areas.
Find more Consumer Report Health tests here.
A company called Tummy Tuck Jeans claims their jeans are made for women with real curves, and are different from the low riding jeans that are so popular because they help define a woman's hips and waist. Lisa Rudes-Sandel designed the jeans, that seem to be mostly a marketing ploy directed at slightly to moderately overweight, middle-aged women. Lisa's marketing background allowed her to target this demographic that responds to what they think is an answer to their body shape concerns. But it is basically just a pair of jeans with a cosmetic sounding name.
The medical device company Coapt has released a new device called the 'Endotine ribbon'. It is a device with two rows of small spikes that can be used with tiny incisions to lift areas on the face, similar to the thread lift. The device is absorbed by the body in about 6 months.
The long term results from products like this remain to be proven. Many patients say they can feel the devices, and have discomfort in the area of implantation, even after 6 months. Additionally, the cost of these devices can be as much as more traditional rejuvination procedures such as facelifts, which probably last much longer and have what many would say are more reliable effects.
A new product from Estee Lauder, called Perfectionist, is supposed to reduce the apperance of wrinkles around the eyes with a 'power correcting patch'.
From their website: "Powered by a gentle micro-current of energy, these patches continuously
release a combination of proven ingredients, including a powerful
Bio-Peptide directly to the eye area to boost skin's natural collagen
production."
"See a dramatic reduction in the look of prominent eye lines and
wrinkles right away. In a clinical test, over 88% of panelists showed
an immediate reduction in the look of lines and wrinkles."
OK. does Estee Lauder think we are stupid? Apparently they do. Where was this clinical test performed? In their labs of course. Who assessed the results? Their employees of course. That is not how scientific data is collected or reported. Be very cautious when evauating claims made by cosmetic companies. They are strictly trying to make money and certainly do not have your best interest in mind.
The face bra is a non-surgical device mean to help tighten the skin and draw impurities away from the face. The face wrap website shows some before and after photos. You will have to strain your eyes significantly to detect much difference.
A wrap such as this may help with swelling and tightening after surgery, but don't expect it to do much of anything on its own. If you're looking to remove toxins, you may be better off with leeches.
Here is a flickr photostream that portrays burmese women and children wearing this cosmetic concoction.
Tanaka is a tree found in Burma that has cosmetic properties. The Burmese women often grind the bark into a powder and a paste. It serves multiple purposes: a makeup, a balm, and a sunscreen.
Some think Tanaka is a beauty secret, and several new products include this ingredient.
In the future, many surgeries, including plastic surgery may be performed by nanomachines. These are tiny robots- microscopic guys that can work on a miniscule level and act more precisely than a human surgeon.
Here is an article that descibes how it works.
Here, you can check on the happenings of the national nanotechnolgy initiative.
And here is a link to the imdb listing of Innerspace, the epic motion picture that blended comedy and science, resulting in movie magic. Well, it felt that way in 1987.
Worth 1000 posted this funny/disturbing picture of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas imagined in the future. Amazingly, she still has a rather youthful appearance in 25 years or so. It made us think about how some people seem to age less than others. Of course staying out of the sun and avoiding smoking can help. But is there anything else that can be done aside from plastic surgery?
Cynthia Rowland thinks there is. She considers herself a 'facial trainer to the stars'. Her techniques are exercizes used to improve facial muscle tone and avoid sagging due to the effects of gravity. For instance, on her website, she describes an exercise for an eye lift.
We think the facial magic is a load of something that Catherine will be cleaning out of Michael's diapers in 2025 (or much sooner).
The Lifestyle Lift is a procedure performed at a national chain of cosmetic surgery centers- sort of like how KFC's or Taco Bell is a chain, but instead of someone frying up chicken, they are operating on your face.
It is a type of 'SMAS plication' that tightens the musculature underlying the facial skin. It is often effective and safe, but is not for everyone. However, this is the only 'facelift procedure' they perform, so they have an incentive to tell you it is right for you. The surgeons performing the procedure are well trained, but you may not meet them until the day of surgery.
They also take some awesome mugshots. Check out this link to the Lifestyle Lift website and see how they seem to instruct people to frown in the befores and smile in the afters.
Dr. Prakash, 55, pictured here with his wife, claims he has found the secret to eternal youth, and that secret is HGH or human growth hormone. He says the hormone injections have envigorated both of them, and people often accuse them of having plastic surgery.
The injections can cost around $15 a day, and are part of a new movement called anti-aging therapy or natural hormone replacement. The Anti-aging institute has a FAQ on HGH. Some controversy has led to research to determine if HGH can cause cancer.
Dr. Prakash does have a nice smile.
So the company that sells Hylexin continues to play dirty when it comes to marketing a product with unsupported claims. If you run a search on 'hylexin blog' on the msn search page, you will find that there are numerous 'blogs' entitled 'hylexin blog' or 'jeff's blog about hylexin' - something along those lines. They are actually bogus websites that are nothing more than spam. You'll notice the text is totally meaningless, with the word hylexin peppered throughout. Whoever put the websites together is trying to use spam to market this product, and to jockey for better positioning on web search engines.
If you want to know if hylexin works, read the amazon reviews on the product, or the yahoo answers on the subject (50% of people return the product?!), or on skincarerx. Bottom line: Unscrupulous companies think they can market anything, even with an expensive pricetag and we'll buy it. In a way, they are right, but this product will never do well in the long term because it probably doesn't work. But they will just create a new name for the same crap and try to sell it to us again (like StriVectin, another garbage product from this company using a different parent name). This company operates under the following names:
| Magia Bella, LLC |
| AlphaGen Biotech LLC |
| A G Waterhouse |
| Covaxil Laboratories |
| Bremenn Research Labs |
| Silver Sage |
| Sovage Dermatologic Laboratories, LLC |
| Klein-Becker USA |
| Nutra Sport |
| Body Innoventions Basic Research, LLC |
Why do they need so many names? Not because the divisions are so different- but because they try to trick us into thinking its a different company after we discover the product of the first company is shite. This company should be held accountable- they don't provide any true scientific evidence to support their product claims. And the goverment nailed them for it. See our last post on the subject.
There are just some days when it helps to reflect on your well-being and forget about the plastic world around you.
The health age and life expectancy calculator is a gauge of how healthy you are and provides suggestions about to improve your habits.
A product called Hylexin is supposed to 'reduce the appearance of serious dark circles and chronic puffiness surrounding the orbital eye area'. Ok, is 'serious' a scientific descriptor? 'Orbital eye area' doesn't even make sense. Even the packaging of this product is a sham. It is designed to look like a prescription medical product, but is obviously far from being in any way medical.
The Bremenn research labs quote a double-blind clinical trial that showed improvement in 72% of women using the product confirmed with 'high-speed laboratory photography'. What does the speed of the photograph have to do with anything? And this scientific study on the active ingredient 'Lexin-dc' can not be found in any scientific journal.
A search for Bremenn research labs with the Better Business Bureau turns up a company called 'Basic Research, LLC', though I doubt they know much about basic research. They have had 37 complaints against them in the last 36 months, including guarantee and advertising issues, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a 3 million dollar settlement against them on May 11, 2006 for weight loss gels sold with false claims and spokespersons acting as fake doctors. See that document here.
There are ruthless, lying companies in the cosmeceuticals industry who wish to capitalize on our insecurities and willingness to trust the medical field. Don't support them.
There is an exercise machine called the 'ROM' that can give you a full cardio, muscle, and flexibility workout in 4 minutes, claims the4minutegym.com. It works by resistance from a centriugal flywheel design.
How much you ask? A mere $15,000 to acheive so much tone, people will think you had cosmetic surgery. Celebs such as Cruise, Travolta, Spielberg and Stallone own them. World-famous motivational speaker Tony Robbins calls it “the best time management tool ever” . He's right about the tool part. 
The 'gummi bear breast implant' may be safer than traditional gel implants because it has less chance of content migration. They are cohesive gel implants, and have a much denser composition than traditional gel, or silicone implants.
Studies are being conducted by Mentor and Inamed in the U.S. who may seek approval for these implants. Some like the feel of the gummi bears, but others feel it is too firm.
The upside is that if you are trapped in an avalanche or on a desert island, you will never be too far from a good source of sugar to snack on. 
But no, Haribo does not manufacture them.
