Is your iphone FaceTime™ giving you a double chin? Chances are, not really. But video chat is precisely what some experts are attributing to the 71% increase in chin implant surgeries in 2011.
According to recently released statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgery (more on this later), the number of chin implants done in the US between 2010 and 2011 surged from 12,000 to over 20,600. That’s a faster rate of growth than breast implants OR liposuction! Experts cited in Plastic Surgery Practice (PSP) speculate that this new interest …

Spring has sprung-and so, inevitably-has the issue of hair removal. For those seeking independence from their razors, waxing is a popular choice of treatment conveniently offered by most salons and spas.
To be sure, it’s the convenience that has inspired so many girls and guys to endure the barbarism of traditional waxing. But there’s nothing sexy about a nail technician wielding strips of fabric and scalding wax in the back room of a salon. And paying a premium for waxes at luxury spas is just not in the cards for most …

Watson Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded leader on the global pharma market, recently filed an application for FDA approval for a generic formulation of Latisse, the eyelash enhancing blockbuster from Allergan (Irvine, California).
Distributed by physicians in Canada and the US, Latisse costs an average of $175 per month, promising-and by all accounts delivering-longer, thicker, darker lashes.
The potential availability of a less affordable but comparably effective lash enhancer could thus pose significant threat to the nearly $80M in annual revenues represented by Latisse in 2012. The application submitted by Watson seeks approval …

Last week our friends at Clarity Medspa hosted their first annual Open House. The event welcomed dozens of women, and a surprising number of men, seeking expert insights for everything from acne, to body shaping, to Botox and fillers.
And why am I telling you this?
Open Houses like that at Clarity are critical tools in navigating the risks and uncertainties many feel when venturing into the world of cosmetic clinics. As more and more media emerges exposing deficiencies in training and the management of patient expectations at the clinic level- …

Xeomin™, we barely knew you…And with the 10 month injunction recently won by Allergan, we may not. On the horizon of a large industry meeting, a US district court has ordered that Merz cease the sale of the drug Xeomin in light of trade secret allegations made by Botox™ maker, Allergan.
Merz’s Xeomin received FDA approval in April 2011 for the treatment of cervical dystonia and nerve disorders in the head and neck. According to court records, Merz began marketing Xeomin for cosmetic purposes in November 2011-confronting Allergan’s Botox Cosmetic head …

One of my very firsts posts lamented the departure of Red Earth’s Secret Potion from the Canadian market. I was seeking something with a hint of iridescent dewiness sans teenage glitter. And seek I did for three years. Ladies and gentleman, I need lament no longer- shipping costs aside, of course.
Boots No 7 Illuminator is a “Radiance Boosting Beauty Fluid” manufactured and sold by the British drugstore stalwart. Available in pink, for those with red/pink undertones, and peach, for those with yellow undertones like me, the Illuminator’s subtle pearlesence is …

You may want to keep those lips sealed with something new if you’re a regular lipstick-wearer. A recent review by the FDA reveals that over 400 popular lipsticks contain traces of lead.These results confirms lab tests dating back to the 90s and even a 2008 analysis by the FDA in which 20 popular lipstick brands were tested and found to be above the range deemed acceptable for coloured cosmetics.
This most recent study included over 400 lipsticks and found an average lead concentaration of 1.11 parts per million with some coming …

New Jersey’s legislators have phased out  a 6% tax on elective cosmetic surgery procedures- the country’s first “Botax.” The tax fell below half of the $20 million a year it was expected to incur and was just recently approved for repeal by Governor Chris Christie.
A boon for plastic surgeons in the Garden State (and the Real Housewives) the bill’s review would be enacted by July 2013. Contributing to the potential repeal was an assessment conducted by the New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons that suggested the tax was in fact …

It’s very rare in this age of green-washing to encounter a high-performance product that takes the eco-ethos to heart. Vapour Organic Beauty is that rarity. The line of natural, organic and yes, luxury, cosmetics oozes eco-consciousness in every product, package and process.
Vapour’s unusual dedication to purity is neither a mistake nor a marketing ploy. Though it’s not something she puts in their product brochures, CEO and co-developer Krysia Boinis is a two-time cancer survivor for whom making cosmetics without carcinogens is extremely important. “Research shows that common surfactants [additives used to bind …

In their round up of best beauty stories of 2011, Drug Store News highlighted PanOxyl’s forray onto the retail stream in the US. How.Did.I.Miss.This?. PanOxyl™ is Steifel’s (a GSK Company) top selling acne brand and has been available on the Canadian retail market for years. It is among the best and most frequently touted Benzoyl Peroxide technology’s this blogger’s encountered. Ever.
Commonly used in concentrations between 2.5 and 10% for acne, Benzoyl Peroxide works to promote peeling, reduce bacterial count and act directly as an anti-microbial agent. The miracle agent behind …

A favourite of mine for their marketing sass and unique, high-performance formulas, Canada’s own Indeed Labs has introduced another SKU to their steadily growing portfolio. Okrapeptide is a recently released serum for dynamic wrinkles that boldly asserts itself as an alternative to injections.
In keeping with the bright and ballsy branding of Indeed’s first two products, Nanoblur and Snoxin, there’s no missing Okrapeptide’s bright green packaging and point-blank positioning: “Okra or Botox?.” Indeed, Indeed poses the question right on the box- with a few finely printed regulatory caveats denying any direct …

Ever shy away from a beauty purchase because a) you weren’t sure it suited your skin type? b) price point c) pushy sales clerk d) all of the above? If you answered yes to any of these, then Top Box is for you.
The brain child of Canadian Brian Lau, the man behind Bread&Butter’s mens skin care, Top Box is a subscription service designed to put top beauty brands at the pretty little finger tips of Canadian Beauty Junkies. Let’s face it- 80% of us buy our skin care and cosmetics …

Used to fill unwanted fine lines, wrinkles and voluminize lips- injectable hyaluronic acids in the US have largely been dominated by Medicis (Restylane®) and Allergan (Juvederm®). The recent approval of Belotero Balance®, a competitive HA distributed by Merz Aesthetics, thus opens the stage to another layer of competition and, we hope, choice.
Distributed in Europe (and Canada) as Esthelis®, Belotero is manufactured by Swiss company Anteis whose reputation for innovation in dermatology and opthalmology is well known in the industry. A cohesive, hyaluronic-acid gel, Belotero is designed to be injected in …

A new 20 second laser treatment gradually lightens brown eyes to blue, according to its manufacturer Stroma Medical. Championed by California’s Dr. Gregg Homer, the patented treatment is currently undergoing in-vivo clinical trials in Mexico and seeking an additional investment $750,000 to complete pre-commercialization activities.
Like laser treatments that target pigment in the skin, Stroma’s laser uses two frequencies that are absorbed only by darker pigment.  Once delivered, thermal energy causes changes to the structure of the pigment cells. Also like dermatological treatments, the targeted cells are recognized by the body …

Full, hydrated lips are envied in almost every culture. Injections- not so much. For those looking for the full lip look without a needle (or the dreaded trout pout), SesDERMA’s created Fillderma Lips, a two step topical lip augmentation system.
Known for their portfolio of high-performance peptides, SesDERMA’s FilldermaLips is positioned as a lip volumizer for fuller, fleshy, better outlined and (interestingly) red lips. Not to be confused with the fad of stinging lip plumpers, Fillderma consists of an instant action balm and a lip activating cream.
The first of these, the …

You’re probably familiar with the concept of locally-produced foods, but locally-produced skin care? Following the same eco-friendly ethos, Dairyface™ is a line of facial products based on locally-sourced yoghurt.
Based in upstate New York, Dairyface extols the ancient virtues of fresh, organic milk for the skin. To paraphrase your local dairy farmers: milk is a natural source of essential nutrients and fatty acids including lecithin, vitamins A, D,E, C, B12 and a host of other naturally occurring proteins and peptides. Unlike some synthetic ingredients, the nutrients found in milk are microscopic …

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic are giving new potency to the old “out with the old axiom.” As reported by news outlets all over the US, researchers at the famed clinic have shown that ridding the body of old cells may in fact disrupt the aging process and, potentially, break the connection with age-related conditions like heart disease, dimentia and, of course, wrinkles.
The premise of the study, published in the journal Nature, stemmed from the fact that cells continue to divide infinitely but rather reach a state of aging (senescence) …

Surgeons have long cautioned that liposuction is not a stand-alone answer to weight loss. New research, however, indicates that the procedure may confer some of the benefits commonly associated with a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index).
Unsurprisingly, Llposuction (also known as lipoplasty) was the 2nd most popular plastic surgical procedure in the US in 2010 (ASAPS). While most patients are motivated by the desire for rapid weight loss or targeted body contouring, a new study shows that the manual removal of fat cells may also lower a patient’s metabolic profile and …

An apple a day may do more than keep the doctor away according to research in anti-aging…Well, the right apple…and the stem cells of that apple specifically. Known as Uttwiler Spatlauber, the stem cells from a variety of Swiss apple are gaining notoriety for their proven ability to regenerate everything from more supple skin to thicker hair.
Beyond its nutritional properties, the Swiss apples’s stem cells have been shown to be rich in phytonutrients, proteins and long-lasting cells. These “epigenetic factors” provide nutrients that have been demonstrated to preserve the longevity …

Since Botox™’s (Allergan) approval for cosmetic use in 2000, achieving comparable control over dynamic wrinkles has been the holy grail for cosmeceutical manufacturers. To be sure, products like Indeed Lab’s Snoxin™ and Mychelle Dermaceuticals’ No-Tox™ present ever-more potent formulations of peptides and antioxidants that are carefully inching towards this goal. The reality of a topical toxin, however, has as much- if not less- to do with what’s IN the formulation as it does how it gets where it needs to go. Here’s a closer look.
Botox™ and Dysport™ (both different forms of Botulinium Toxin …