Depressed? Try botox!

The Globe & Mail is reporting on new research that shows that using botox reduces depression.

The study, undertaken in a chain of medical spas in the UK, compared women having botox in their frown lines with women having other cosmetic procedures.

The Botox group scored significantly lower on measures of anxiety and depression. And merely looking younger or refreshed didn’t explain the difference; both groups were about equally happy with their new appearances.

I commented on the effects of botox on our emotions in this post.

An example is bruxism or teeth-grinding. This is a condition that is becoming more frequent and severe as people worry about the current economy. Using botox to reduce teeth-grinding results in the individual not only feeling less jaw pain but also feeling less stressed.

Botox doesn’t replace dealing with your problems or getting the therapy that you need but if nothing seems to be working, it just might be the catalyst that you need to get you on the road to feeling better.

Dr. Rose Jeans
Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa

Barack Obama is good for business

Even up here in Canada, we are feeling the excitement in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.

I know several people, Canadians, who are in Washington for the inauguration.

This is such a historical event, such a beacon of hope for Americans and for the rest of the world, that I have only ever thought about it in social and political terms, never thinking that it related to my medical cosmetic practice.

However, I came across this article and had to share it with you: Cosmetic procedures pick up prior to Obama inauguration.

Washington, D.C.-area cosmetic dermatologists, and skin experts in other major cities, say despite the sagging economy, requests for quickie cosmetic fixes, such as Botox and microdermabrasion, have picked up during the last few weeks as people pretty-up for inaugural fetes.

What is so interesting about this article is that the effects are being seen in so many different states and that both men and women are having treatments.

Leslie Baumann, director of the Cosmetic Medicine and Research Institute at the University of Miami, in Miami, Fla., says, “We were swamped this week. Some were going to the inauguration in D.C. But I saw many going to inauguration parties in Miami.” Many are men in their 50s and 60s, Baumann says.

I can’t say that the inauguration has brought more clients in the door here in Burlington but I have noticed that many people seem more happy and optimistic as the big day approaches.

Best Wishes to the United States of America! Best Wishes to President Barack Obama!

Dr. Rose Jeans
Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa

The changes in Catherine’s face

These images were taken on our medical camera system, the left image before we did any treatments on Catherine, and the right 2 days ago.

Do you see how the redness has really come out of her skin? The Vivier Redness Relief skincare products and the IPL treatments did that.

You can also see how her brown sun spots are fewer, smaller and lighter. The IPLs did that too. Catherine would need a few more IPLs to erase the brown spots completely.

Catherine’s skin looks smoother and more dewy. This is also called radiance. Radiance comes from the skincare products and the Pixel laser treatments.

Catherine’s face has slimmed down with her 15 pound weight loss but her cheeks haven’t flattened out. That’s because I injected some Teosyal dermal filler along her cheekbones to lift and volumize her cheeks. Putting filler in the cheeks helps to reduce the lines that bracket the mouth (nasolabial folds and marionette lines) and lifts jowls.

The frown lines on Catherine’s forehead were smoothed out with BOTOX® Cosmetic. She also got a bit of a brow lift with the botox but you can’t see it in this picture.

Catherine’s lips are plumped up just enough to smooth out the vertical lines using Teosyal KISS, a product I really like.

Another important point about Catherine’s face is that she continued her running during the makeover period and competed in a couple of races without getting tanned. Catherine was really diligent about applying her sunscreen.

Isn’t it exciting to see what a transformation can occur in just a 1-month period?

5 Hollywood secrets for staying young

I saw a program on Star! over the weekend called Staying Young in Hollywood. Dr. Stephen Mulholland of SpaMedica listed the top 5 secrets that Hollywood stars use to stay young.

1. Avoid sun exposure
   UV rays hasten the breakdown of collagen in the skin leading to wrinkles, rough skin texture and sagging skin (not to mention skin cancer).
2. Use medical-grade skincare products
   The skin is a good barrier and stops most products from penetrating. Medical-grade skincare products have been formulated to penetrate the skin tocreate the results you want and they have the research to prove it.
3. Use BOTOX® Cosmetic
   This really is the simplest and safest way to prevent and treat wrinkles caused by muscle contraction.
4. Use dermal fillers
   Dermal fillers can replace lost volume in the face, fill in a wrinkle and plump up your lips. Formulations like Teosyal are more purified and longer-lasting than earlier products.
5. Have IPL treatments
   Intense pulsed light treatments erase sun damage, broken capillaries and redness leaving the skin looking smoother and more even-toned.

And there is one more thing that Dr. Mulholland didn’t include in his top 5…

• Avoid cigarette smoke
  Smoking wreaks havoc on your skin, speeding up the destruction of collagen and giving you a grayish cast. Smoking can also stain your skin and hair yellow — not a pretty sight!