SkinSelf Renewal Blog
Botox Injections May Improve the Appearance of Facial Scars
Original Article By Macaela Mackenzie. Botox is to plastic surgery what coconut oil is to beauty. It seemingly does everything. Now, doctors say it might even help stop scars from forming after plastic surgery. While technically only Food & Drug Administration-approved for a few uses on the face, botulinum toxin type A injections, like Botox, have a wide range of off-label uses — both medical (say, minimizing migraines) and aesthetic (like non-surgical face-lifts). According to a new study published this month in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the injectable even has the potential to totally change the way we treat scars. To explore its wound-healing powers, doctors tested the effects of botulinum toxin type A injections on facial plastic surgery incisions for 16 patients. (Most of the patients in the study were undergoing plastic surgery to alter a disfiguring birthmark.) Post-surgery, doctors injected half of the incision with botulinum toxin A…
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What Is “Baby Botox”? Plastic Surgeons Explain the New Trend in Injectables
Original Article By Macaela Mackenzie. “Baby Botox” (which doesn’t actually involve babies — phew!), might just be the future of injectables. Simply put, “Baby Botox” uses a lower volume of Botox (a.k.a. botulinum toxin injections) than a traditional injection to smooth fine lines and wrinkles. “Instead of using 25 units in an area, you may use 10 units,” Melissa Doft, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City, tells Allure. “I have many patients who ask for half the normal dose, as they do not want to look frozen but are tired of wrinkles in photos. First-time Botox patients are perfect for this.” Besides the volume of product used, Baby Botox is about the technique, says Doris Day, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and author of Beyond Beautiful. “If you’re very precise in where you put the product, you can use lower doses,” she tells Allure. These super…
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A Popular Injection Is Shown to Dissolve Stomach Fat
Original Article By Liz Ritter. Miami dermatologist S. Manjula Jegasothy, MD, is a big fan of Kybella. While the injection is “the first and only FDA-approved injectable treatment” to reduce fat under the specific area of the chin, she’s seeing it do some amazing things in other areas of the body—including upper arms, saddlebags of the thighs, knees, bra line, abdomen, love handles, “muffin tops,” posterior upper thighs and even the inner thighs. “Kybella, which is deoxycholate [a bile-derived salt similar to what the gallbladder naturally produces] works by emulsifying, and therefore, destroying fat cells in the areas where it is injected,” she says. “The body’s immune system then resorbs the fat cell remnants over a period of one-to-three months.” As Dr. Jegasothy explains, Kybella emulsifies fat cells permanently, so the results are “permanent.” “However, there are always residual fat cells remaining in any treatment area, so if you gain…
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3 Expert-Approved Ways to Get Better-Looking Cheekbones
Original Article By Macaela Mackenzie. There’s a reason for the phrase “baby face.” Experts agree that the broader your cheeks and the narrower your chin, the younger your overall appearance seems. Increasingly, dermatologists and plastic surgeons are turning their attention to pumping up the volume and defining the cheeks, which can almost instantly turn back the hands of time. From quick fixes to permanent solutions, here are three ways to put your cheeks back on the map. Contour Correction While contouring may seem tricky, makeup kits and step-by-step tutorials make the makeup method—which can fake the look of a totally different bone structure—easier to master. “The best technique I’ve found for sculpting the cheeks is to use a cream contour, like Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand ($38), right below your cheekbones,” says celebrity makeup artist Vincent Oquendo. “Then, layer a matte bronzing powder on top to set it—I like benefit…
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How to Get Rid of Dark Spots On Your Face: Tips, Treatments & Serums
Original Article By Mackenzie Wagoner and Chloe Atkins and Kristi Kellogg. Despite best efforts to mind SPF, any time spent under the sun can take a toll on skin. After months of UV exposure, discolorations in the form of freckles, dark spots, or scars may suddenly be visible, leaving one to wonder how to get rid of dark spots. Once spotted, NYC-based skin care expert Dangene says, the earlier you seek treatment, the better. In general, even tiny dark spots “will keep growing bigger,” she says—meaning the sooner you tackle the problem, the less intervention will be required. Start by seeking a professional opinion. “Brown spots are complicated,” says Miami-based dermatologist Dr. Jill Waibel, M.D., who explains the key to successfully treating discoloration is to know what you’re dealing with. “You don’t want to use a laser on melanoma,” she warns of properly diagnosing a potentially dangerous dark mark before…
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The Surprising New Way to Use Botox Is for Stress Relief
Original Article By Jenna Rennert. Suffice it to say, 2017 has ranked high on the global stress barometer. And if nonstop White House turmoil, grim international headlines, or a spate of natural disasters didn’t spike your anxiety levels, the steady you’ve-got-mail ding of an iPhone could justifiably send anyone into a digital tailspin. All that tension is bound to take a toll on health and wellness habits, but for many, the signs manifest in one surprising place: your jaw. Yes, according to experts, jaw clenching is one of the most common secondary effects of stress, and while adopting a Gwyneth Paltrow–like mantra of conscious breathing and meditation may help, it’s neither a quick fix nor a foolproof solution. I know firsthand. Having acquired a grinding habit over the years, fueled by a fast-paced New York City work schedule, Manolo-clad power walks, and an Orbit Gum–chewing addiction, dentists had warned me…
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The FDA Just Gave the Green Light to a New Way to Get Rid of Your Double Chin
Original Article By Tatiana Bido. The list of noninvasive procedures you can have done to get rid of the extra fat under your chin continues to grow. Before, if you wanted to get rid of that pesky fat (without going under the knife), your options were Kybella and CoolSculpting, two noninvasive solutions that just came on the market in the last few years. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the body-contouring laser treatment SculpSure for use in that area as well. SculpSure is the only laser that is approved for fat reduction and is said to be able to eliminate about 25 percent of the fat in a targeted area. Where Kybella destroys fat cells using deoxycholic acid injections, and CoolSculpting freezes the fat, SculpSure uses heat (it’s a diode laser) to eliminate unwanted fat. Up until now, the fat fighting laser was only approved for use…
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“Bra Bulge” Removal Surgery Is on the Rise
Original Article By Sarah Kinonen. Real talk: We all probably have something we’d like to change about our appearance. Whether that means getting highlights or a procedure that requires a little more commitment (and money) — for example removing fat between armpit and bra, known as “bra bulge” — then who are we to stand in the way? According to Beverly-Hills-based plastic surgeon and RealSelf contributor Sheila Nazarian, MD, there’s been a slow but steady rise in the number of requests for “bra bulge” removal surgery within the last few years from “young, active” women in their twenties, thirties, and sometimes forties. The procedure is a fat-reduction surgery that can be done one of three ways: via liposuction, CoolSculpting, or Kybella, says Dr. Nazarian. She adds that, in her experience, the most common procedure for this type of treatment is liposuction: It’s the oldest and best-known option. During liposuction, which…
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The FDA Just Approved a Groundbreaking New Filler for Laugh Lines
Original Article By Sarah Kinonen. While cosmetic enhancements, such as fillers and Botox, are still (unfortunately) considered taboo in today’s society, surprisingly, the number of people getting work done is going up and up. In fact, in 2015, Americans were injected more than 6.6 million times, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which is a whopping 40 percent increase from five years ago. And now, those 6 million and counting have one more option to consider when booking their next appointment, as the FDA just approved a brand-new filler: Juvéderm Vollure XC. Allergan, the pharmaceutical company that owns Juvéderm, just announced its newest hyaluronic acid dermal filler, Juvéderm Vollure XC, which has been approved for the correction of “moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds,” according to a statement made by the company. What’s more is that this filler, made for those over…
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11 Surprising Uses For Botox
Original Article by Alexandra Sifferlin. Though it’s best known for smoothing wrinkles, Botox, which is derived from one of the most deadly toxins known to man, has repeatedly stunned the medical community for its seemingly endless applications. Though the drug is approved for nine medical conditions and several cosmetic ones, Allergan, the company that owns Botox, holds close to 800 more patents for potential uses of the drug. Since it was approved nearly 30 years ago, Botox has indeed become a staple of cosmetic enhancement, but today, more than half of its revenue comes from its therapeutic uses for conditions as varied as chronic migraines and back pain to excessive sweating and twitching eyelids. Botox is generally considered safe if used in tiny amounts and administered by a licensed professional, but the drug is not without risks. In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required Botox carry a…
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