WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SILICONE?

The news has revealed many of the disastrous results of silicone injections. Remember Priscilla Presley’s beautiful face? It was literally ruined by lowgrade silicone injections that her doctor told her were “better than Botox”. You can see the unfortunate results at left. Once injected, silicone is “forever” and can onlybe surgically removed, leading to the potential for some very nasty scarring.

Although it’s true that there is no FDA approval for using silicone for cosmetic purposes, I’m betting if you did a poll of your friends, most of them would think that it’s currently being injected into lips, buttocks, breasts and faces all over America. That’s because most people aren’t aware of the dangers. 

Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, silicone was used for breast enlargement. Unfortunately,  this led to lumps, bumps, injections and deformities and was banned. You probably recall that the original silicone breast implants were also recalled for similar concerns as well as concerns that leaked silicone led to auto-immune problems.

Please be sure that you and your friends are aware of the dangers of silicone injections, and the fact that they are not approved by the FDA. No reputable plastic surgeon would ever use them. Here at our Delaware plastic surgery office, we have multiple filler options that are safe and effective. Come in to see us and learn which might be right for your particular needs.

By the way, did you know that Botox has a treatment visualizer? It’s fun and effective, and a great way to see, in the privacy of your home, how you might look.

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Joe Danyo 

Study: Less Frequent Botox Injections Achieve Same Results

A study recently found that patients require less frequent Botox® injections after two years of treatment to maintain the same wrinkle-reducing effect.

“After two years of treatment at recommended intervals, patients can potentially cut the frequency, and thus, the cost of their Botox® treatments by half,” says Roger A. Daily, leader of the study and professor of oculofacial plastic surgery at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The research also showed that Botox® injections are capable of preventing wrinkles in patients who begin treatment during their 30s.

During the study, 50 females aged 30 to 50-years-old were analyzed over two years while they underwent regular Botox® injections. Dailey and his colleagues found that, after undergoing injections every four months for two years, patients can slow the frequency to once every six months and still see desired results.

Physicians previously advised patients—based on earlier research—that they should undergo Botox® injections every three months to see maximum wrinkle-smoothing benefits. According to Dailey, the cost and frequency of Botox® deterred some patients from starting or even continuing their treatment.

Botox® was approved by the FDA for cosmetic purposed eight years ago. In 2009 alone, more than 2.5 million Americans underwent the popular injection (source: ASPAS). Botox® in Delaware should be injected by, or under the supervision of, a board certified plastic surgeon.

Get Botox®, Get Happy!

The running joke with Botox® is that patients can’t frown or show emotion. A recent study has found that this inability to show emotion may make you a happier person.

Botulinum toxin, the active ingredient in Botox®, is used to temporarily weaken the muscles in the face that cause wrinkles. This not only gets rids of lines in the face, it also limits the body’s ability to move the muscles in the face and express emotion.

The study, which was administered by Barnard College in New York, found that people who have a limited ability to physically express emotion might in turn feel less emotional. Botox® prevents feedback to the brain about such facial expressivity, therefore tricking the brain into thinking that there is less emotion felt during an event.

Joshua Davis, a psychologist at Barnard, and his colleagues showed people emotionally charged videos both before and after they were injected with Botox®. After viewing the videos, the subjects that were injected with Botox® exhibited a significant decrease in the strength of the emotional experience as opposed to the control group.

The study findings tie into a long-standing idea in psychology that dates back to Charles Darwin. The facial feedback hypothesis, which was later developed by William James, simply states that facial movement can influence emotional experience.

If simply frowning can ruin your mood, then not being able to frown should make you a happier person. Now that’s something to smile about!