Reflections on Beauty

Dr. Charles Soparkar, an oculoplastic surgeon at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas and his fellow researchers performed a study showing that by taking a supplement containing organic zinc plus phytase, an enzyme, for four days before receiving their Botox injections, made the toxin 93% more effective. As a result of the amazing results, the researchers filed for a patent of the two supplements. The new supplement is being called ZYTAZE™ and will be available soon. The majority of the patients in the study were actually being treated for a rare form of eyelid spasm. However, this research is positive news for anyone who gets injections of Botox for cosmetic reasons.

“Surprisingly, the results showed that in over 90% of the patients studied, the zinc/phytase combination resulted in a remarkable improved responsiveness to treatment of blepharospasm using the same amount of botulinum toxin as previously used,” said Soparkar. “The toxins seemed to have greater effect and last longer. Potentially, this could mean using less toxin, offering patients financial savings, greater safety, and more consistent results.”

ZYTAZE is licensed to OCuSOFT, Inc., a company that focuses on ophthalmic research and development.

If the prescription isn’t terribly expensive, it could result in an overall savings for those individuals who use Botox for wrinkle reduction, as less product will be needed and the results will last longer. We’ll update you as soon as we hear further news on this topic.

You undoubtedly have heard all kinds of things about silicone injections. Priscilla Presley’s beautiful face was literally ruined by lowgrade silicone injections that her doctor assured her were “better than Botox”. The photos at left show the damage.

Even though silicone injections are illegal here in the states, lots of women receive them, either knowingly or not, in their lips, buttocks, breasts and face. If you took a straw poll of your friends, we’re betting that most of them would not know that silicone was not approved for cosmetic uses. The FDA has not approved liquid silicone for any cosmetic purpose, which means that silicone cannot be legally advertised or sold in the US for injections into the body, such as for plumping lips, cheeks, breasts or otherwise.

Back in the ‘50’s, silicone was injected into the breasts, for augmentation purposes. Because this practice resulted in infection, deformities, lumps and bumps, it was eventually banned.

There are a multitude of substitutions for silicone injections, all of which work much better and, because they are not permanent, will “age with” your face. Permanent fillers, such as silicone, will not do this, resulting in a strange appearance as one ages. We here at the Reflections Center are always on top of not just the latest, but the safest and most effective, dermal fillers for our New Jersey and New York patients.

If you’d like to see how you might look with Botox or dermal fillers, check out our Botox Treatment Visualizer and/or our Juvederm Treatment Visualizer. It’s a private and fun way to see if Botox and fillers might be right for you!

Heidi Klum is a Juvederm fan

We know that you want to look great at your holiday events. What quick treatments does Santa Chasin have that can be done to make you look your best?

Botox and Dermal Fillers plus facials, Dermasweep and other aesthetician services are on the front line of beauty-making for your holiday season! You’ll love these quick treatments that are affordable, have little or no downtime, and can take you from our NJ cosmetic surgery office to your fancy dinner party in no time!

Call today before we’re completely booked up before the final week of this wonderful year! We want to be certain you are able to set up an appointment for your holiday and New Year’s celebrations!

In the near future, face lifts may not focus exclusively on fat, skin and muscle adjustments. A new study performed at the University of Rochester Medical Center suggests that the structure beneath the skin—that is, the bone structure—can create much more youthful results.

Rochester’s researchers, joined by colleagues from Stanford and Harvard universities, noted specific changes in the jaw bone caused by aging. This bone loss results in the sagging jowls and older appearance of mature adults.  CT scans from 120 individuals divided into 3 age groups (20-36, 41-64 and 65+) were evaluated to measure the length, width, and angle of the jaw bone in each scan.

Facial Bone Loss

The CT scans revealed that as we age, the angle of the jaw increases, resulting in diminished support for the lower face. The result? Sagging skin, a disappearing jaw line and an aging neck.  The study’s authors concluded that correcting this bone loss, most likely through prosthetics screwed into the jaw bone, will result in much more youthful results after a face lift.

While this type of surgery is still a ways off in the future, there are things that can be done today to combat the effects of aging on facial structures.  For instance, a combination of dermal fillers and skin tightening technologies like Thermage can produce noticeable, natural and lasting results, and they are far less invasive as well!

Just because you act your age it doesn’t mean you  have to look it. According to a recent  study, men and women over the age of fifty are more fixated on their appearance than ever before.

A survey, administered by UK’s Saga Magazine, interviewed 10,000 people. The findings showed that baby boomers of both genders show a high interest in plastic surgery, wrinkle reduction and fake tanning.

StyleList.com reports that people over the age of 50 are 10 times more likely to use fake tanner or tanning beds and 14 times more likely to use wrinkle reduction products. Not only that, in one generation the frequency of cosmetic surgery has nearly doubled.

The study also found that the annual spending on cosmetics for the 50+ crowd has increased from $2.8 billion to $3.3 billion in one decade. Fifteen percent of women over fifty admitted to wearing padded bras—5 times as many as the previous generation.

So what is driving this trend of aging vanity? Perhaps it is because cosmetic surgery has become more mainstream and accepted than in previous generations. Celebrities like Kim Cattrall and Jane Fonda are also putting a new face to the phrase “aging gracefully.”

“Cosmetic surgery is not such the taboo it might once have been, and for the over-50s it is certainly an option,” Saga Magazine editor Emma Soames told The Daily Mail.

There are a plethora of treatments available to reduce the signs of aging in women over the age of 50. Botox and dermal fillers are very popular non-invasive treatments, while blepharoplasty and facelifts top the list for plastic surgery. At Reflections Center for Skin & Body in New Jersey, we have an array treatment options available to create a customized rejuvenation plan for any age.

You know the saying: “Everything goes south with age.”  Well, that encompasses earlobes, too.

Sure, earlobes aren’t the first things that come to mind when you consider your aging appearance. However, the signs of aging affect every part of your body. Earlobes are just as susceptible to drooping, thinning and wrinkling as the skin on the face and neck are.

Avoiding excessive sun exposure and heavy earrings can slow the signs of aging earlobes; still, completely stopping them is impossible.

Doctors are now using dermal fillers—which are already commonly used for facial wrinkles—to treat maturing ears and improve their appearance.

For patients who don’t have wrinkly lobes, but rather pierced ears that have begun to droop from heavy earrings, fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane or Radiesse can be used to add support. The use of fillers will also reduce how large the earring hole appears.

The results are indeed less permanent than an otoplasty. That being said, dermal fillers in the earlobes has no down time and immediate results.
At Reflections Center for Skin and Body we’re all ears. Our friendly staff would be happy to address any of your questions regarding dermal fillers in earlobes.

Collagen is a principal structural protein holding the skin together. Collagen’s ability to provide structure to the cells in the dermis keeps akin looking young and healthy. Collagen gives skin its strength and makes it appear firm and flexible with the help of elastin.

While there are certain habits that are known to slow the signs of aging skin, it cannot be stopped in its tracks.  In August of 2009, the FDA approved Scupltra® Aesthetic as a collagen-stimulating injectable. Sculptra ®, which has been available in Europe for a decade, was previously administered to HIV patients as a way to restore volume in to the face. Sculptra® Aesthetic, a long-acting facial filler, works deep within the dermis to replace and stimulate the production of lost collagen.

Unlike dermal fillers such as Juvederm® or Restylane®, Sculptra® Aesthetic works slowly over time to subtly correct facial wrinkles.  Sculptra® Aesthetic is injected an average of three times and results are said to last up to two years. As with any dermal filler, if you end the treatment your skin will revert to its original appearance. Sculptra® Aesthetic can only be administered by a physician in New Jersey, and be sure to choose an experienced medical professional for your treatment.

We all knew there was something in the body that would regulate fat (although some of us cannot seem to find that something no matter how hard we try!) but scientists now tell us that RHAMM (receptor for hyaluronan mediated motility) is the protein that regulates fat cells! Who knew?

It appears that by either blocking or deleting RHAMM, we can replace fat cells (yes, sometimes you want to keep the fat…stay tuned) where Father Time has depleted it—like in the face, right? Instead of fillers that need replaced on a regular schedule, fat stays around longer and would never be rejected since it’s “from you.”  Cell biologist Dr. Mina Bissell states that by manipulating the RHAMM, we can decrease visceral fat (the fat around your organs, in the tummy area) and increase fat in other places, like the face. The result could be “a means of providing a non-surgical approach for normalizing skin appearance after reconstructive surgery, for wrinkle reduction, and for face lifts and figure enhancement,”
according to Dr. Bissell.

Not only that, but face it (no pun intended) if you could get rid of visceral fat by flipping some kind of inner protein switch, wouldn’t you?

According to oncologist, Dr. Eva Turley, one of the best purposes for RHAMM might actually be as a replacement for facial muscle paralyzing agents like Dysport or Botox. “Unlike neurotoxin agents, which have to be injected periodically, a localized injection of a RHAMM inhibitor should produce long-lasting skin-volumizing effects and would not involve muscle paralysis,” said Dr. Turley, “which means there would be no loss of expression if it were to be injected into the face.”

Obviously, there’s more to do in terms of research here, but we live in exciting times, don’t we? In the meantime, there are a lot of terrific options to restore fullness to the face, diminish the appearance of wrinkles and to even out skin tone while tightening the skin. Call us, we’ll show you how it’s done!

A tear trough deformity is actually caused by a groove that lies beneath the lower eyelid. When light hits this area of the face, the groove creates a shadow, hence, the dark circles. If the area under the eyes is puffy or baggy, this exacerbates the problem. While the puffiness under the eyes cannot be eliminated without surgery, the tear trough groove can be treated with fillers to eliminate the look of dark circles.

In our practice, we use Restylane to correct a tear trough deformity. Restylane, hyaluronic acid filler, is much like the hyaluronic acid in your own body—it attracts water to the surrounding collagen fibers, plumping them up. It’s this plumping that eliminates the hollow.

The effect lasts from 6 months to a year before it needs to be repeated. Our patients with tear trough deformity swear by this solution as the way to maintain a youthful, bright-eyed appearance.

Artefill is a long-term dermal filler for nasolabial folds and marionette lines. It was very popular for patients who were accustomed to routine use of fillers who wanted something that would last much longer, ie, up to 5 years. However, during the recent economic slowdown the company experienced bankruptcy. The product remained FDA approved and in the meantime, all the info was maintained in the lab, awaiting another pharmaceutical company to take over.

Artefill’s safety and effectiveness have been validated through several clinical trials both before and after FDA approval, with 20,000 patients treated with Artefill since it’s introduction to the U.S. market in 2006. I am happy to report that Artefill is again available since Suneva Medical paid over $200 million for the rights to produce the product.

Although many use Artefill, I have to say that I prefer fillers that are not quite that permanent. We want to be able to customize the look for each patient as they age over time.

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Mitchell Chasin