Is Restylane a do-it-yourself product?

I saw a question on the website RealSelf.com today about buying Restylane online and self-injecting. I have heard this question before and I have to say it is surprising that anyone would actually even consider it. Restylane, like Juvederm and other dermal fillers, is a prescription product which means it is regulated by the FDA and can only be sold legally on the order of a physician. If there is a site selling Restylane directly to consumers, there is clearly something wrong. One likely possibility is that it isn't in fact Restylane at all. I have been treating a patient for the past several months who was injected with a product she was told was Restylane, by a beautician without any medical license or supervision. It turned out to be some unkbown product imported from China, and the complications have been very difficult to correct.
Just as important, acheiving good, natural-appearing results with dermal fillers requires a great deal of skill, training, and experience, not to mention basic sterile technique. It is definitely not a do-it-yourself product.

Snake venom wrinkle cure?

A hundred years ago there were traveling salesmen pitching health elixirs purported to cure everything from baldness to consumption. They became known as "snake oil" salesmen because that was often one of the "miracle" ingredients. (And the reason they were traveling salesmen is so that they would be long out of town before people got wise to the scam.) So now we see the latest wrinkle cure, a new face cream with a synthetic version of the venom from the temple viper, a type of poisonous rattlesnake commonly found in Thailand. According to the manufacturer, amino acids in the venom block nerve signals telling face muscles to contract, which helps stop wrinkles from forming. Snake venom has already been used in a lip-gloss called Lip Venom, which its manufacturer Du Wop says “plumps out the lips.” We are told that Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan of the product.
The idea may not be as outrageous as it seems though. A derivative of another type of snake venom has been in use to treat high blood pressure for years. In the case of the Du Wop product, it probaly works in a way similar to Botox, another toxin, though in this case applied in a cream rather than by injection. However, it would almost certainly not be as effective as Botox injections, and clinical trials are ongoing for a Botox cream, with promising results reported so far. Since Botox has such a long safety record, I think I'll wait for the topical version to be approved. (The snake venom product is sold at the British uscale department store Selfridges, but is not available in the U.S.)

Is there an Obama bump in cosmetic procedures?

It may seem like an odd question, but I saw it posted recently on RealSelf.com. Why would the new president be associated with an increase in Botox or liposuction? It remains to be seen whether this will prove to be the case, but perhaps there is some increased optimism out there in some quarters. Maybe people are just tired of hearing about gloom and doom and ready to focus on a few indulgences and morale boosters. On the other hand, a sour economy with little good news seems out of phase with what some consider vanity. But the age-old maxim about lipstick sales increasing during recessions is actually true, maybe people are just doing Juvederm or Botox injections instead. And with the job market becoming more and more competitive, maybe a fresher or less tired look is justification enough for “a little work” as long as it doesn’t look like it. Not long ago the “fake” look was actually a status symbol in some parts of the country, but natural is the key now.