Body Shaping Companies Announce Co-Marketing and Sales Alliance at American Academy of Dermatology
March 5, 2010
Eleme Medical Inc. and Osyris Medical USA announced today that they have entered into a strategic co-marketing alliance. The companies will be collaborating on specific marketing, public relations and trade show events to target dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medical spas. A recent MEDACorp survey of dermatologists and plastic surgeons showed that laser lipolysis and cellulite devices were the categories that most interested physicians who planned to purchase an AED device in 2010.* Under terms of the agreement Osyris USA, who currently sells the laser lipolysis device Lipotherme™, will be added to the current distribution network in the U.S. for products from Eleme Medical including the SmoothShapes® system. Additionally, Eleme Medical will provide certain sales support on certain Osyris product offerings, including Lipotherme.
Nancy Briefs, President and CEO of Eleme Medical, commented, “Osyris and Eleme Medical are premier aesthetic companies focused specifically on the body shaping segment. The addition of Osyris to the company’s existing distribution network will provide greater geographic coverage in the United States. Combining the expertise of both teams is a strategic move to serve our physician partners more completely and increase revenues by offering one stop shopping for body shaping technologies that grow practices.” Read more
Palomar Medical Presents New Aesthetic Products at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting
March 5, 2010
Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc., a leading researcher and developer of light-based systems for cosmetic treatments, announced today that it will preview two new products — the Artisan(TM) Aesthetic System and the MaxG(TM) pulsed light handpiece — at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in Miami, Florida, from March 5th through March 9th.
The new Artisan Aesthetic System offers key skin resurfacing and skin rejuvenation technologies — a fractional non-ablative laser for treating acne and surgical scars, melasma, and striae; a fractional ablative laser for resurfacing and wrinkle treatment; and a pulsed light device for treatment of pigmented and vascular lesions — in one comprehensive system perfect for skin rejuvenation and anti-aging practices. Artisan empowers aesthetic practitioners with the ability to treat each discrete sign of aging and other undesirable skin conditions using the most appropriate technology. With Artisan, practitioners can tailor unique treatment regimens to each client’s specific needs, offering the best aesthetic outcome with the least amount of downtime or disruption. The Artisan Aesthetic System is pending US FDA clearance, and Palomar will begin shipments upon clearance. Read more
BOTOX for Acne
March 5, 2010
Acne is a condition that leads to breakouts of skin lesions, commonly called pimples. Although the exact cause isn’t known, it’s believed to occur from a combination of factors: excess oil production (sebum), clogged pores, bacteria and inflammation. Excess oil, dirt, hair and skin cells accumulate in the follicle and clog the pore. Bacteria on the skin thrive in this mixture, causing inflammation and the development of pimples.
There are several types of acne lesions. Pore blockage close to the surface of the skin causes minor inflammation and the development of a comedo. A closed comedo, or whitehead, is caused by a blocked or narrowed opening into the follicle. An open comedo, or blackhead, looks black or discolored because the surface of the plug is dark. A papule is a solid lesion that causes a small bump on the surface of the skin. It occurs when inflammation is a bit deeper. Even deeper inflammation causes the formation of a pustule, a dome shaped lesion filled with pus. Deep blockage and inflammation leads to the most serious types of acne lesions, nodules and cysts. A nodule is a painful, solid, dome-shaped pimple that extends deep into the skin. A cyst is a deep, painful, pus-filled pimple that is severely inflamed. Both nodules and cysts can lead to significant scarring.
Acne is a very common skin condition that typically appears between 10 and 13. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, nearly 100 percent of teens have at least an occasional acne breakout. For most people, the symptoms last about five to ten years. The most common sites of acne lesions are the face, neck, chest, shoulders, scalp, upper arms and legs. Read more
Medicis Presents the Dysport(TM) Challenge: Love It or Leave It
March 4, 2010
Medicis (NYSE:MRX) today announced the launch of its new program, the “Dysport Challenge.” Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2009, Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription injection used to temporarily improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in adults less than 65 years of age.
“We continue to be pleased with the positive feedback from physicians and patients who are using Dysport,” said Jonah Shacknai, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medicis. ”We are so confident patients will love Dysport that we are introducing the Dysport Challenge. Patients may try Dysport and save $75. If they love it, they may receive $75 off their next Dysport treatment for a total savings of $150. Patients who do not love their Dysport treatment can have their frown lines treated with another botulinum toxin type A product and receive a $75 rebate.”
The Dysport Challenge runs from March 1 through April 30, 2010. Offer terms and conditions apply. For complete offer details, please see below, visit www.DysportUSA.com or talk to your licensed healthcare professional. Ask your healthcare professional if Dysport is right for you. Read more
Allergan Celebrates 20 Years of Approved Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A (BOTOX(R)) in Canada
March 3, 2010
Twenty years ago, the first approved use of BOTOX(R) (botulinum toxin type A), a neurotoxin widely used to treat several life altering medical conditions, was granted in Canada. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, healthcare professionals from coast to coast reflect upon the discovery, science and evolution of a therapy that has impacted the lives of millions of patients worldwide.
BOTOX(R), a purified protein derived from the naturally-occurring bacterium Clostridium botulinum, was first approved by Health Canada on March 14th,1990 for the treatment of strabismus (crossed eyes), blepharospasm (uncontrollable blinking), and VII nerve disorder.(1) Other approvals for the medical uses of BOTOX(R) soon followed and included:
– To reduce the subjective symptoms and objective signs of cervical
dystonia (muscle contractions in the neck) on March 29th, 1995;
– For the treatment of dynamic equinus foot deformity due to spasticity in
pediatric cerebral palsy in patients two years of age or older on July
7th, 1999;
– For the treatment of hyperhidrosis of the axilla (excessive underarm
sweating) on August 31st, 2001; and
– In the management of focal spasticity (muscle tightness that can affect
multiple areas of the body) on October 24th, 2001.(1) Read more
FDA Law Enforcers Crack Down on Illegal Botox Scammers
February 24, 2010
In November 2004, when four people became paralyzed after purportedly receiving Botox Cosmetic injections at a medical clinic in Oakland Park, Fla., the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) was called to investigate. The four victims were hospitalized with severe botulism poisoning. The paralysis was temporary—a result of being injected with potent, unapproved botulinum toxin. The doctor who injected the toxin had passed it off as Botox Cosmetic, an FDA-approved drug to treat forehead wrinkles.
What began as one OCI investigation of a Florida medical clinic escalated into 210 investigations of health care professionals throughout the United States. As of July 2008, the work of OCI has led to 31 arrests and 29 convictions of individuals who purposely injected an unapproved, cheaper substitute toxin for FDA-approved Botox Cosmetic into nearly 1,000 unknowing patients.
Under federal law, no form of botulinum toxin may be commercially distributed for use on humans unless it has been approved by FDA. At this time, Botox Cosmetic, made by Allergan Inc. of Irvine, Calif., is the only type of botulinum toxin approved by FDA to temporarily soften the frown lines between the eyebrows. Botox Cosmetic is a sterile, purified version of the same toxin that causes botulism, a severe form of foodborne illness. In both cases, the toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The injectable form of sterile, purified botulinum toxin, when used in small doses, locally affects the muscles’ ability to contract, smoothing out frown lines to make them nearly invisible. Read more
Statutory regulation of Botox ‘rejected due to cost’ in UK
February 23, 2010
Instead of mandatory regulation of the industry, a voluntary register run by the private sector is being set up.
Unscrupulous practitioners have been administering Botox injections and wrinkle fillers at parties and in their homes and complaints of botched treatment have increased.
Voluntary register for Botox practitioners is not good enough and statutory regulation must be brought in, critics have said.
Experts have been calling for statutory regulation for years but ministers have again rejected the move and are backing the voluntary scheme instead.
The voluntary scheme will see doctors, dentists and registered nurses who have had extra training in Botox and other injectable cosmetic drugs display a quality mark.
To qualify for the mark they will have to sign up to professional standards and be inspected.
Those holding the quality mark will not be able to administer Botox at parties or prescribe the substances for patients they have not seen. Beauty therapists and other untrained staff will not be allowed to hold the quality mark.
But it will then be up to customers and patients to check they are using a practitioner with the quality mark.
Critics said the scheme was better than nothing but did not go far enough and an independent regulator for all cosmetic procedures and drugs should be set up called OffCos. Read more
Face value: Why more men are getting Botox
February 23, 2010
A growing number of males are turning to injections and laser treatments in an effort to maintain job security.
Like many realtors, 60-year-old Toronto agent Sean had a tough 2009, but it wasn’t just a recessionary market and skittish buyers that preoccupied him.
A couple of decades older than many of the brokers in his circle, he felt that his younger colleagues had developed an edge over him when it came to attracting and keeping clients. To compete with them, however, he didn’t send out more pamphlets or bombard computer inboxes with e-blasts. Rather, the veteran broker decided to update a more personal calling card – his face – with regular laser treatments.
“It’s basically a facelift without the cutting,” says Sean, which is not his real name. (For privacy reasons, he preferred that his identity not be disclosed.) “The people at work didn’t notice I got anything done. They just noticed that I looked better.” Read more
Botox Injections May Help Avert Negative Emotions
February 16, 2010
Botox, which is used to get rid of unwanted wrinkles, could have another surprising use - as an anti-depressant, a new study conducted by American researchers reveals.Undergoing botox treatment involves injecting the protein derivative, botulinum toxin type A, in areas which in which wrinkles and frown lines appear. Researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by Dr David Havas, interviewed more than 40 patients twice, immediately after the treatment and two weeks later. Read more
Botox May Prevent Some Migraines
February 16, 2010
Small study shows patients with ocular type benefit from treatment.
Botulinum toxin type A (Botox), the drug that can temporarily erase wrinkles, may also help prevent some types of migraines, a small study suggests.
Specifically, Botox may help reduce the recurrence of those migraines people describe as crushing or eye-popping, otherwise known as ocular migraines. However, the treatment does not appear to work for migraines that are experienced as pressure inside the head, the researchers added.
“In a previous study, neurologists discovered that most patients with imploding and ocular headaches responded to botulinum toxin A injections with a reduction of their headache frequency, while the majority of patients with exploding type migraines did not respond,” said lead researcher Dr. Christine C. Kim, a dermatologist in Encino, Calif.
“We tested this hypothesis in a cosmetic dermatology setting, using botulinum toxin A doses that were much lower than what is typically used by headache specialists, and found similar results,” she added. Read more










