Collagen Injections presents the following article recently published in The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press.  Collagen injections and other injectable fillers can certainly help to turn back the clock, consult with your dermatologist for your options.

Turning back the clock with a little help

By Jennett Meriden Russell

For years, Sue Hazen watched as the effects of time and a long-term smoking habit took their toll on her 53-year-old face.

At the end of January, the Port Jefferson Station resident decided to investigate some alternatives for turning back the clock. She and her husband, Peter, attended a seminar given by renowned Manhattan cosmetic plastic surgeon Stephen T. Greenberg held earlier this month.

Dr. Greenberg, who was speaking at the Spa at East Wind in Wading River, is frequently interviewed and asked to discuss his knowledge of the latest cosmetic surgery techniques. He has appeared on CBS, Fox News, NBC and News12 Long Island.

At the end of Dr. Greenberg’s 60-minute informal lecture, Ms. Hazen, who quit a year ago after smoking for a decade, decided to take the first step in recapturing her youth. She underwent a serious of injections, which were administered by Dr. Greenberg, to hide lines and wrinkles on her face.

"I guess I’m just not doing well with getting older," said Ms. Hazen, who received Botox injections to temporarily paralyze muscles in her forehead, and Restylane to hide the wrinkles around her mouth and cheeks.

"The injections pinched a little bit," Ms. Hazen admitted, while holding an ice pack on her slightly swollen face immediately following the procedure. "As for how it comes out, I’ll have to let you know."

During his lecture, Dr. Greenberg explained various options, from facial creams to invasive surgery, to help turn back the clock. The surgeon, who has also appeared in national magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, More, and Elle, gave a "head to toe" analysis of the latest alternatives now available.

Starting with the face, Dr. Greenberg explained that wrinkles and sagging—commonly known as jowls—and/or loose or thin skin near the neck are some of the most detested effects of aging. He explained that as we grow older, our skin becomes thinner and less radiant with loss of elastic tissue and fat cells known as collagen.

"The effect of gravity causes skin and tissue to sag downwards from the face, toward the chin, lower face and surrounding neck," Dr. Greenberg said. "People come to me and say ‘I can’t believe I have jowls,’ but we all age the same way … The fat that once was in our cheeks has drifted down your face into your jawline."

Other contributing factors that can contribute to wrinkles include reduction of muscle mass, sun exposure, smoking, genetics and even diet, he explained. Dr. Greenberg noted that until recently, invasive plastic surgery was the only effective method to hide jowls and facial wrinkles.

But new injection gels, known as Restylane and Perlane, are providing some non-surgical relief, too. Restylane and Perlane are trade names for a specific formulation of non-animal sourced fat replacement gel, known as hyaluronic acid, which is most commonly used for lip augmentation.

At Dr. Greenberg’s lecture, Lisa Paveglio of Centereach asked about the differences between Restylane and Juvaderm, the latter being a new product touted in television and magazine advertisements. Dr. Greenberg held up both a box of Restylane and Juvaderm to the audience and explained, "Juvaderm has a prettier box," he said, pointing to the multi-color Juvaderm box in contrast to the plain white-and-black box holding the Restylane.

"The Juvaderm box is a little bigger, but that’s about the only difference," he added.

In the United States, Restylane has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for cosmetic injection into subdermal facial tissues. Restylane is injected under wrinkles and aging lines of the face, including the nasolabial folds on either side of the nose and the melomental folds around the eyes.

Restylane can also be used for filling aging-related facial hollows and orbital troughs located under and around the eyes. The process has a recovery time of two to three days.

Costs for the treatment can range between $300 and $500 per visit. However, the treatment is not permanent and lasts only about six months, Dr. Greenberg noted. He recommend getting reapplications every four to five months so that the visual effect is not as noticeable.

"You don’t want to keep going from looking great, to looking tired, to looking great, to looking tired," he said. "Everyone’s body absorbs the gel differently, so it might be six months for some, but four or five months for others."

Dr. Greenberg stressed that Restylane injections are only for people with moderate wrinkling, namely those between 40 and 60 years old. He noted that those with advanced aging would require plastic surgery.

A face-lift is the only option for eliminating extreme sagging beneath the jawline—often referred to as turkey neck—according to Dr. Greenberg. One such surgical technique uses a wire with small barbs that is inserted along the jaw line. The barbs catch on tissue and the wire is pulled up toward the skull, thus lifting sagging skin.

Aside from the painful-sounding description of the procedure, there is another drawback to this technique, the doctor noted. "The problem is, it doesn’t last," Dr. Greenberg said.

Also in attendance at the talk were Jean Giroux of Holtsville and Jeane Zinser of Stony Brook. The two friends, both of whom are 75 years old, said they wanted to learn more about a new procedure known as the Lifestyle Lift.

Dr. Greenberg said the $6,000 procedure is a form of "mini-lift" and focuses on specific areas of the face, such as the neck and the folds of the nose. Using smaller incisions, the surgeon lifts, repositions and removes facial tissue. The surgeon then repositions the skin with sutures.

"The Lifestyle Lift is very scary," Dr. Greenberg said emphatically. "The problem with the procedure is that it’s being mostly performed by doctors who have little or no plastic surgery experience, and you’re taking big chances when you don’t go to a board-certified plastic surgeon."

Though the most common form of plastic surgery sought across America is breast augmentation, Dr. Greenberg noted that women are not the only ones seeking plastic surgery these days. He added that between 20 to 30 percent of plastic surgery patients nationwide are men.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, roughly 350,000 women had breast augmentations in 2008, making it the number one cosmetic plastic surgery procedure performed that year. Dr. Greenberg noted that breast implants could last up to 10 years or more. He recommends a new silicon gel implant, noting that it does not leak as did past silicon implants.

Tabitha Silva, a Manorville resident who is currently studying esthetics at Long Island Nail and Skin Care Institute in Levittown, asked how long it takes to switch breast implants. Dr. Greenberg reported that it was quick procedure, because the pocket for the implant was already in place under the chest muscles.

"It takes about 10 minutes," Dr. Greenberg said, smiling. "I can change breast implants faster than I can change a tire."

Dr. Greenberg hosts the New York Cosmetic Surgery Radio Show every Saturday evening on 98.5 FM (KJOY). For more information about Dr. Stephen Greenberg, visit www.greenbergcosmeticsurgery.com. For more information about plastic surgery, visit the website for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at www.plasticsurgery.org.

Businesses Bucking the Recession

From Bust to Boom, Cosmetic Procedures

by Sophia Yan

Collagen Injections for Lips and Other Injectable Fillers presents the following information from Time.com.   Will less expensive injectable fillers prove recession proof?  Only time will tell if consumers will budget and save for procedures that help them look and feel younger despite a stressful economic climate.

The job market may be sagging, but why should your face? Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures — Botox, chemical peels and fillers — were 73 percent more popular in the final quarter of 2008 than in 2007, according to a survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "People are saying that they’re not going to buy the ‘it’ purse, but the last thing they’re going to give up is the stuff that makes them look good everyday," says dermatologic surgeon Dr. Tina Alster of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery.

Such cosmetic treatments, while not inexpensive, typically cost no more than a new suit. But elaborate procedures that require patients to go under the knife — liposuction, breast augmentation, nose jobs — are becoming less popular. Alster calls these the "big-ticket items," running to the thousands of dollars. That definitely exceeds most recession budgets.

Fillers and Botox are a mainstay of cosmetic dermatology, the science of looking younger without surgery. Traditionally, fillers erase the deep folds that bracket your mouth, also known as "parentheses," and Botox softens the frown lines between your eyebrows, also know as the "11s." These are the FDA-approved uses of the injectables and can go a long way to restore youthfulness in your skin and improve your overall appearance. But, there is so much more than can be achieved with these versatile products!

Here is a list of some of the best alternative uses for Botox and fillers.

Most of these alternative treatments are considered "off label," which means they are not FDA-approved uses. Licensed physicians, however, are permitted to use injectable products for several "off label" uses, so always seek a physician’s expert advice to find out which treatments are appropriate for you.

The versatility that can be achieved by exploring the alternative uses for fillers and Botox may surprise you. These groundbreaking procedures will produce results that can last for four months to more than a year. If you are thrilled with the look, upkeep simply requires touch-ups determined by your injector. Using fillers and Botox in this manner is a great, non-invasive alternative to surgery or an easy way to test out the waters. And, if you opt to have the surgical alternative in the future, the fillers or Botox will not interfere.

Always remember, to get the best results from any use of an injectable, be sure that your provider has the experience to produce the results you seek, safely.

About Dr. Susan Van Dyke
Susan Van Dyke, M.D. is a board certified dermatologist who has performed more than 10,000 non-invasive cosmetic procedures and has received the "Physician’s Recognition Award" from the American Medical Association each practicing year. She is a top consultant and national physician trainer for Medicis, Allergan, Thermage and Lumenis; on the advisory board for Valeant Pharmaceuticals and the speakers’ bureaus for Clinique Medical and Obagi; a "Platinum Plus" BOTOX Cosmetic and Juvéderm Provider; and her practice is designated as a BOTOX Cosmetic National Training Center. Dr. Van Dyke is recognized as an expert in "combination therapy" by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and is typically one of the first to launch the latest proven therapies in cosmetic medicine. For more information on Dr. Van Dyke and her practice, Van Dyke Laser & Skin, visit http://www.vandykelaser.com/.

Collagen Injections for Lips and Other Injectable Fillers presents the following from MyFoxTwinCities.com, an account of Evolence, an injectable filler made from pig collagen.   Currently, as Evolence is formulated, it is not available for enhancing lips, but a thinner version is on its way to the US!

Pig Fat ‘Botox’ Makes Debut in U.S.

Treatment is called Evolence, cheaper than Botox

by Rob Olson and Julie Rose

EDINA – Some people will go to great lengths to keep their youth. Now one Twin Cities doctor is using a new treatment to smooth out your wrinkles — but it’s what’s in the product that has some raising their eyebrows.

The technique of taking collagen from pigs to put in people’s faces have been used in Europe and Canada for several years, but it’s very new to the U.S.

Having just turned 44, Brenda Beam is going to the pigs, or rather, the pigs are going into her face.

Pig-derived treatments, such as heart valves, are nothing new in medicine, since humans and pigs share similar anatomy.

But using pig collagen, taken from pig tendons, as an injectable wrinkle-filler, was only approved by the FDA last year.

The treatment is called Evolence, and is used on the lines from the nose, to under the corners of the mouth.

Evolence is an alternative to other facial treatments, such as Botox, which is a toxin; Juvederm and Restalyne, which are acids; or other fillers that use cow collagen.

"When the FDA looked at the cow protein, they actually said there was enough dissimilarity between the human and cow that they mandated a skin test be done on everybody. Sometimes even two skin tests to make sure there wasn’t any sensitivity," says Edina plastic surgeon Dr. Edward Szachowicz.

The upside of pig collagen is that there is no worry about allergic reactions. It’s cheaper, at $600 a treatment, and results can last a year instead of a few months.

And as for Brenda? "We’ve immediately softened on both sides of this, we’ve immediately lifted the corners of the mouth," says Dr. Szachowicz.

So far, it’s only used on smile lines, and is too thick to be injected into lips. But a thinner version for that purpose is available in Europe, and Johnson & Johnson hopes for FDA approval in the next couple of years.

Collagen Skin Care

Collagen Injections for Lips and Injectable Fillers brings you the following article on the basics of collagen skin care.  If you are interested in collagen injections, or other injectable fillers, discuss this information and your questions and concerns with your dermatologist.  They will help address your concerns and assist you in finding the best solutions for your skin care needs. 

Collagen has been widely used in cosmetic surgery as a healing aid for burn patients, reconstruction of bone and a wide variety of dental, orthopedic and surgical purposes. Until quite recently Collagen as a beauty treatment has not been widely used for household cosmetic makeup.

What is collagen?

It is probably more popularly known in the beauty industry as being used in cosmetic surgery, like lip enhancement.

Collagen is also one of the most abundant proteins found in mammals. Approximately one quarter of all of the protein in your body is collagen. Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue. It has great tensile strength, and is the main component of ligaments and tendons. It is responsible for skin elasticity, and its degradation leads to wrinkles that accompany aging. Collagen also fills out the cornea where it is present in crystalline form.

Without getting too technical about its chemical make up it is a basically a triple helix compound with 1050 amino acids in it. Superimposition of these triple helix compounds produces fibrils of collagen that can be stabilized. By doing this it renders the collagen insoluble, buy using hydrolysis the collagen can be brought into a soluble form resulting in Collagen Hydrolysates. Collagen hydrolysates as a natural biological cosmetic ingredient are isolated and purified using mild extraction or gentle enzymatic degradation. They are dermatological compatible and free of all contaminants.

Why is Collagen Good for the skin?

High-molecular collagen is an important moisture retainer and is suitable for all skin types. It has been proven that collagen increases hydration, improves skin feeling and decreases the extent and depth of wrinkles.

Protein hydrolysates or wheat protein hydrolysate due to their film-forming properties, provide additional positive effects by contributing to skin smoothness and softness. They also have a remarkably high capacity for free radical capture.

With the busy lifestyles most of us lead now days, everything has to be done quicker. Doing thing quicker often involves cutting corners. This might be reflective in our diets, fitness, sleep, etc. Ultimately any one of the previous will have an effect on the skins body and health. By using a Collagen skin care product you can be getting the optimum nutrition to support the skin and body’s health.

The Benefits of Collagen

* Collagen is a protein that acts as a key structural component of connective tissue in skin, hair, nails and joints.

* The inner layer of the skin contains large amounts of collagen which breaks down at a rate of 1.5% every year after the age of 25. The skin’s surface becomes dull and lifeless and the elasticity reduces over time causing certain parts to sag and wrinkle.

* Collagen has been proven to be beneficial for the improvement of the elasticity of the skin aiding repair and regeneration of ligaments, tendons, joints and bones and improving the connective tissue of the skin.

* In the Harvard Medical School arthritis research on collagen, up to 89.9% of those tested reported a greater ease of movement.

* The way your skin looks is directly related to the way your skin is supported. Wrinkles form when the natural collagen and hyaluronic acid in your skin diminish during the natural aging process.

* Collagen provides structure and volume to your skin.

* Collagen allows protein to be bio-available and water soluble – meaning it can be absorbed readily.

* Collagen stabilizes the body’s immune system and helps neutralize production of abnormal molecular structures which is also known to be a major cause of joint problems and stiffness and provides the raw materials for cartilage.

* Collagen to works at its optimum level during alpha sleep mode when the body’s regeneration and rejuvenation mechanism is at its best. Therefore it is best to take supplements 1 hour after eating and just before sleeping.

* Drinking 1 1/2 liters of water daily helps disperse nutrients into the body and aid the detoxifying and regeneration process.

Collagen Skin Care products can give the face a dramatic boost, by simply replenishing what the skin is naturally loosing. This treatment will result in a natural younger looking face, and delay the need for Cosmetic Surgery. By combining a Collagen skin care routine with the application of natural ESCA makeup a much younger cleaner face can emerge.

Collagen Injections for Lips and Injectable Fillers offers the following information on the importance of elastin in our skin. 

The importance of elastin in skin is often overlooked as more people concentrate on collagen. Elastin is a protein found in elastic connective tissue. It lets tissues get back into shape after stretching or contracting.
Read more…

Here is an interesting article about sagging sales hitting some of the manufacturers of injectable filler.   What I find interesting is that many financial analysts are stating that these less expensive kinds of cosmetic procedures may prove to be recessionary-proof as people will still spend on their appearance and trying to look and feel good inspite of the issues swirling around them.  Furthermore, with a contracting labor market, many employees will use injectable fillers to appear younger, less stressed, and to try to hold on their employment!

The orginal source is the International Herald Tribune, written by Natasha Singer

Wrinkled faces may be the latest example of recession chic.

As consumers cut back in the third quarter of last year on expensive aesthetic procedures like breast implant operations, pharmaceutical executives and doctors had predicted that one segment of the cosmetic medicine market would prove more resistant to the weak economy: antiwrinkle shots like Botox.

But the earnings report Wednesday from Allergan, the maker of Botox and a leader in cosmetic medical products, indicates that revenue from the less expensive injection treatments is also faltering.

The company reported that sales of Botox – both for wrinkle- smoothing and for medical problems like eyelid spasms – fell about 3 percent, to about $329 million in the fourth quarter, compared with the corresponding quarter in 2007.

Meanwhile, Allergan’s sales of skin-plumping injections – called dermal fillers or facial fillers – fell 8.8 percent, to about $56 million in the quarter, compared with the year-earlier period.

The company’s sales of breast implants were about $71 million in the fourth quarter of last year, down 12 percent compared with the same period in 2007.

"You could forecast that with implants, but the bigger question was, ‘How have injectables been holding up?’" said Gary Nachman, an analyst with Leerink Swann, a health-care investment bank. "Now, even the injectables have been impacted significantly."

Although Allergan’s main business is eye-care pharmaceuticals, analysts view the company as the bellwether of the cosmetic medical market. Call it the Botox index.

The company’s net sales were down about 3 percent in the quarter, to $1.04 billion; the company said foreign currency exchange rates played a significant role in decreased revenue.

Earnings per share were 50 cents, down from 52 cents in the fourth quarter of 2007. But excluding special items and acquisition costs, the company earned 76 cents from continuing operations – higher than the 73 cents that had been the average expected by analysts surveyed by Reuters Estimates.

The company had net sales of $4.3 billion for 2008, an increase of about 12 percent compared to 2007. For 2009, the company forecast net sales of $4.1 billion to $4.3 billion and earnings of $2.69 to $2.75 a share.

The company said Wednesday that it planned to lay off about 460 employees, or about 5 percent of its global staff, primarily in sales and marketing.

David Pyott, the chief executive of Allergan, said on the earnings call that the company had put incentives in place to encourage consumers to have cosmetic procedures even during the economic downturn. Those included a $50 coupon on a Botox treatment and a $100 rebate if a customer bought two syringes of Juvederm, a facial filler. The company has also just introduced Latisse, a $120 eyelash growth drug, which could help drive cosmetic consumers into doctors’ offices, Pyott said.

In a phone interview, Pyott said more expensive procedures like breast implants had been hit harder than treatments like cosmetic injections.

"We see a correlation in the expense of treatment and how the market has slowed down," he said.

He also noted that discretionary treatments like Botox represented only about 30 percent of Allergan’s sales; the rest comes from medical treatments covered by insurance. Analysts said they expected the market for aesthetic medicine to remain weak for 2009.

About 100 doctors who responded to an e-mail questionnaire from MEDACorp, a research division of Leerink Swann, said they expected declines in cosmetic medical procedures in the low to mid-single digits for the next six months.

For the fourth quarter of 2008, the small sample of 103 dermatologists and plastic surgeons reported Botox procedures were down 20 percent and facial fillers were down 13.4 percent compared with a year earlier.

"The message is: This market is going to struggle for a while," Nachman said, noting that many people who used to have antiwrinkle shots frequently are now stretching out the time between treatments. "If someone was getting four injections and now they are getting two, right there that is down 50 percent."

Originally published by The New York Times Media Group.

(c) 2009 International Herald Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Collagen Injections for Lips and Injectable Fillers offers the following thoughts regarding how well you know what is truly in your skin care creams and lotions.  Many of us are sensitive to ingredients in moisturizers and have a hard time incorporating them into our sensitive skin care regime.  We are left with few products to use, or we risk our skin being red, ruddy, irritated, even damaged.

So, over time, we are more prone to the fine lines and wrinkles that we all will face as we age.  Not only does the sun take its toll, but other environmental and hereditary factors will determine how our skin ages.  There are injectable fillers that can help address your lines without any reaction or sensitivity.  Contact your dermatologist for your best options. 

Have you taken the time to read the back of your moisturizer bottle? Do you trust that the ingredients are safe and healthy and will perform as the bottle claims it will perform? If you haven’t taken the time to read your hair care product ingredients, you maybe causing extensive, unrepairable damage to your hair.
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Collagen Injections for Lips and Other Injectable Fillers found this fascinating article about some injectable fillers and how alternative uses are providing solutions for a variety of patients. 

Sculptra for "Party Feet"?  (I definitely have party feet, but mostly from having "retail feet" or wearing heels on the job for years and years!)

Macrolane for Male AND Female Enhancement?

Read on!

From the Herald.IE

By Anna Coogan

Ten years ago the news that facial muscle freezing injections were available to make us look younger sounded like something from a science-fiction movie.

Now anti-ageing treatments and non-invasive cosmetic treatments are run of the mill for some women, much like having their highlights done.

However, this doesn’t mean that advances in cosmetic treatments can’t still leave us both amazed and dumbfounded. There is a certain ingenuity behind the new trend for injectable party feet — where a filler is injected into feet so that you don’t feel that burning pain you can get when wearing heels on a night out on the town.

"Anti-ageing medicine is constantly seeing the introduction of brand new procedures," says cosmetic physician Dr Mukesh Lalloo, the clinical director of Cosmedics in Phibsboro.

Products

"There are technological advances in established procedures, as well as innovative ways of using existing products.

"And as a result, there are now procedures available that would have been considered impossible just a few short years ago," he says.

Dr Lalloo is the surgeon who performed Ireland’s first live thread face-lifting procedure on The Late Late Show.

Here, he guides us through some of the new cosmetic treatments that are available, from ‘grow your own’ lash extensions to ‘grow-your-own’ padded party feet.

Plus, he gives us the low-down on how you can add inches to certain intimate areas, and how best to remove old tattoos.

Party Feet- Sculptra

"Sculptra is an amazing product that acts in a way that no other filler does. It can be used for other procedures way beyond facial filling, and this includes the feet," says Dr Lalloo.

Sculptra is a synthetic injectable material known as poly-L-lactic acid which is biocompatible (a material that does not harm the body) and biodegradable (able to be broken down by the body).

When injected under the skin, it will attract naturally-occurring collagen in the skin, binding it, and form a filler that will effectively grow and expand over time.

"This is why Sculptra has become widely known as "a grow-your-own facelift". The unique benefits of Sculptra are now being more widely used for other areas of the body, particularly the balls of the feet," says Dr Lalloo. He believes that women who love high-heeled shoes, but can’t stand the discomfort, will opt for Sculptra injections.

When injected directly into the feet, Sculptra cushions the pressure area, making high heels far more bearable.

"This procedure is proving to be very popular. You would be amazed at the lengths to which women are prepared to go to wear high heels."

Latisse for grow-your-own eyelashes

Latisse is a brand new innovation from Allergan, the makers of Botox, and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA) in the last few days of 2008.

Available on prescription only, Latisse is applied directly onto the lashes at regular intervals causing the lashes to thicken, lengthen and darken in a matter of weeks.

Dr Lalloo says: "This is brand new, not only to Ireland, but also the world. I believe it is set to be huge in cosmetic medicine in 2009, quite simply because there has never been a product like it on the market and it really works. And who doesn’t want longer, thicker and darker lashes?"

Silhouette Thread Lift

The thread lift has been around for a number of years, however, new application techniques mean that the results are better than ever before," according to Dr Lalloo.

"Using threads under the skin to pull back any slackened, lined or wrinkled skin, sounds great in theory. But to find a product and technique that delivers the comparable results to a traditional, invasive facelift, is more difficult."

The Silhouette Thread Lift uses tiny surgical sutures to lift and support the droopy areas of the brow, cheeks, face and neck.

The threads have tiny, teeth-like cogs that grasp onto and lift the soft tissues. The threads are inserted in precise locations using a long needle. Once inserted under the skin, they open in an umbrella-like fashion to form a support structure that gently lifts and repositions the tissues into a more vertical and youthful position.

With the lift effect secured, the needle is removed, the end of the thread is cut, allowing it to retract deep under the skin where it cannot be felt or seen.

Dr Lalloo feels the results of a correctly performed thread procedure are almost as good as the results of far more invasive and expensive open surgery.

Macrolane penile and vaginal enhancement

"Macrolane was undoubtedly the biggest story in cosmetic medicine in 2008, and was mostly used as an alternative to traditional breast augmentation. It was known as the ‘injectable boob job’," says Dr Lalloo.

"But 2009 is the year that Macrolane will be used for more intimate male and female procedures in Irish surgeries, including penile enhancement and vaginal tightening with G spot enhancement," he says.

Macrolane is an injectable treatment based on Q-Med’s patented technology, NASHA, which is used for the production of stabilised non-animal hyaluronic acid.

It bulks up the area into which it is injected. Cutting-edge procedures using the product include tightening and enhancing the G spot in the vagina, a procedure that is designed to increase female sensitivity during intercourse and intensify orgasm.

Macrolane can also be injected into the penile area to increase the girth of the penis.

"Since its inception, Macrolane has been hugely successful in surgeries, especially for performing breast-related procedures. But whether Irish people are ready for more intimate procedures — only time will tell," says Dr Lalloo.

Photo-removal of tattoos

It seems that as long as tattoos are seen as a fashion accessory, the demand for tattoo removal will never be out of fashion, as people change their mind about either having one, or their chosen designs.

"In the past there were very few methods of removing tattoos, with primitive, ineffective lasers being the only real option outside of radical surgery. However, while lasers were somewhat effective in removing some of the pigment, effectively fading tattoos over a long period of time, none were really capable of totally removing tattoos, especially if black or red ink had been used," says Dr Lalloo.

However, he feels radical innovation means that photo technology is improving constantly with systems such as the Lumina Q which is now capable of significantly reducing, if not completely removing, the appearance of tattoos in a relatively short period of time.

For more information on Cosmedics, St Peters Square, Phibsboro, Dublin 7, tel: 01 860 3144 or click onto www.cosmedics.ie

- Anna Coogan

Collagen Injections for Lips and Other Injectable Fillers offers the following information on how to take off years in minutes.  Without a doubt, collagen injections and other injectable fillers can also take off years in only minutes.  While they are often more costly than other procedures or trying to address skin care issues with creams, serums, lotions and other "potions", they are an amazing way to target and pinpoint concerns in specific areas and have a more youthful appearance in minutes.

As I thought about it, I realized there are tons of little ways to take years off your face and body and they take very little time. You can look five years younger in five minutes!
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