Tag Archives: cosmetic surgery

Batting Gorgeous Eyelashes Becomes Fashionable Trend in Las Vegas

It’s no secret that smoldering glances and flirtatious flutters lose a lot of firepower when your eyelashes are on the floor. That’s one reason Latisse, the first, FDA-approved, prescription treatment for growing longer, thicker eyelashes has created such a whirlwind.  The other reason?  Our stifling economy. Latisse

Many have probably heard of Latisse, but now its use is becoming increasingly trendy, especially in large metropolitan U.S. cities.   Some say the sagging U.S. economy is a major contributing factor for the popularity.  Spas and skin clinics report brisk sales, even without advertising, to women who have lost eyelashes and those who never had many to begin with. 

Las Vegas usage reportedly leads the pack, being an economical alternative to other more costly body enhancements including breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, liposuction, hair extensions and all other cosmetic nips and ticks. 

Commercials like Brooke Shields’ pitch for Latisse have graced television airwaves since 1997, when a change in Food and Drug Administration policy first made it feasible for pharmaceutical companies to hawk their products in explicit fashion, instead of just mentioning a product’s name and encouraging consumers to ask their doctor about it, such ads remain controversial. (The U.S. is the only nation in the world that allows this kind of advertising.)  

The medication results are apparently not hype.  The prescription drug medication grows your eyelashes longer and thicker.  It contains brimatoprost (0.03%), a prostaglandin that has been used for several years to treat glaucoma. During treatment, some glaucoma patients noticed their eyelashes getting thicker and longer. Someone smart at Allergan put two and two together, and behold, a treatment for thinning lashes was born.  

Latisse goes on like eyeliner, applied directly to the upper eyelid at the base of the eyelash. It is applied once a day, usually in the evening. Using it more often will not increase eyelash growth. It usually takes about a month to see results. 

The results, however, are not permanent. If you stop using it, your lashes will eventually return to their previous appearance. 

If you have a history of eye pressure problems or are using eye medications, you should consult an ophthalmologist before using Latisse. The most common side effect is itching or redness of the eyes. This occurred in about 4% of patients in a large clinical trial. 

A month supply of Latisse and the applicators are reportedly sold for a little over $100 dollars. However, some patients have found that by applying less it can last significantly longer, up to 10 weeks, many report.

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Breast Implants for the Asking

An idea spawned casually over drinks at Pure nightclub in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2005 is paying off big-time.   Seeing a cocktail waitress in the club who explained to guests she was saving money for breast implants and the willingness of many men in the group she was serving to immediately pledge anywhere from $5 to $50 to her cause – raising $750 before the night was over – prompted enterprising entrepreneurs Jay Moore and Jason Grunstra to return to California and try the same process online, launching www.MyFreeImplants.combreast

Cyber-solicited cosmetic surgery has apparently come of age.

 Acceptance of the idea, though, started slowly, with only four women in 2005 raising enough money for their implants.  Today, 425 women have reached their fundraising goals of $5,000 to $7,000, exchanging messages, photos and videos for cash donations.   The site’s founders expect $2.6 million in voluntary donations this year; that’s down from the $2.8 million raised in 2008- the recession is apparently hitting everyone. 

Women who want breast implants join the site for free.  At a minimum, men must buy “message credits to email with the women- $1.20 per message, $1 of which goes to the woman being messaged.  Men who want more from the site must pay $9.95 a month in membership fees, which busy the so-called “benefactors” a few free message credits, and, more important, access to every woman on the site: her photos, blog entries and else she makes make available.  These benefactors can make direct donations to women they like, or negotiate an exchange for their donations. 

It’s strictly forbidden to exchange actual addresses, e-mail or otherwise.  And giving your real name is cautioned against. 

About 2,000 men are paying the monthly fee; men who are, in effect, paying money to give to women they’re told they will never meet. 

The average donation is $30, though some have donated the full cost of a surgery. 

Surgeons can pay for ads to appear on the site or pay $295 annually to be listed among recommended doctors, provided they’re board certified. 

Women on the site never actually get the money they raise.  Instead, it’s held in trust, with interest accruing, until they meet their surgery goal.  Then, when the surgery is complete, the organizers pay the doctor directly.  On average, women take from six to seven months to meet their goal, though it can take years for many.  The trust holds about $2 million now. 

Some surgeons have refused to accept the Web sites patients, denouncing the process as degrading, shocking and appalling, relating it to an offshore lottery on a person’s health.  But many surgeons are going along with the idea. 

The hard part of it all for many of the women is persuading strangers to give them money online.  The “trick” is that women have to spend hours online developing relationships with benefactors, enticing them to send more message, buy photos and make donations. The large investment in time it takes to be successful is why 140,000 women have created profiles on the site, but only 3,500 are active. 

When the surgery is done, women are also contractually obligated to provide “after” pictures, so the people who made the donations can see what they paid for.  (The post-surgery photos available online are all of clothed women.)  The contract also requires women to stay on the site, talking to their benefactors, for an additional six months.

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Looking Youthful Will Cost ‘Ya – – $12 Billion!

BotoxAmericans spent nearly $12 billion on cosmetic procedures to look good good last year – much of it on breast implants, surgical face-lifts and Botox injections – a medical practice feeding frenzy that has touched everyone from young professionals to aging baby-boomers. 

Saving face doesn’t mean one has to go under the knife.  From hyaluronic acid injections to fractional resurfacing, nonsurgical options are an essential part of facial rejuvenation techniques. 

What started with Botox now includes a host of Restylane, Puragen, Sculptra and Evolence remedies. 

Dr. Paul Lorenc of New York believes cosmetic surgery has become more popular today because it’s much easier to perform, there’s less downtime for recovery and it’s more exposed in the media, saying, “What we are doing 10 years ago was archaic. We have progressed tremendously in the name of patient benefits and safety.” 

The No. 1 surgical procedure nationwide in 2008, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, was breast augmentation.  The average cost is $3,885 for silicone gel implants and $3,603 for saline implants. 

The top nonsurgical procedure in the nation was Botox injections ($2.46 million) at an average cost of $443 each. 

Face-lifts are still the main component of cosmetic treatments, with 132,000 procedures performed in 2008 at an average cost of $6,728. 

Since 1997, the number of cosmetic procedures nationally has increased 457 percent to 11.7 million surgical and nonsurgical procedures annually.  Women have 10.6 million, or 91 percent, of the procedures.

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