A Winning Skin Care Combination for Botox Users

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Botox Cosmetic users seeking to further enhance their skin appearance may want to give a combination of two topical skin treatments a try.

A recent study suggests that using a new 4% hydroquinone skin care system—one specifically designed for use in conjunction with nonsurgical cosmetic skin treatments—in combination with tretinoin (Retin-A) further enhances the improvements in skin appearance attained using botulinum toxin type A, better known as Botox Cosmetic.

Applying the hydroquinone system plus tretinoin may offer multiple clinical benefits over standard skin care, including significantly milder fine lines/wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. The results of the study, “Further Enhancement of Facial Appearance with a Hydroquinone Skin Care System Plus Tretinoin in Patients Previously Treated With Botulinum Toxin Type A,” appear in the July issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ).

In this multicenter, randomized, investigator-masked, parallel-group study, 61 patients who received upper facial treatment with botulinum toxin type A at a plastic surgery or dermatology clinic were randomly assigned to use either the hydroquinone system (cleanser, toner, proprietary 4% hydroquinone, exfoliant, and sunscreen) plus 0.05% tretinoin cream, or a standard skin care regimen (cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen) for 120 days.

Outcomes were assessed by the investigators and through a patient questionnaire. Compared with standard skin care, the hydroquinone system plus tretinoin resulted in significantly milder fine lines/wrinkles and hyperpigmentation at days 30, 90, and 120 (p ≤ 0.05) and significantly superior overall ratings for each of nine patient assessments at days 90 and 120 (p ≤ 0.05).

A greater proportion of patients using the hydroquinone system plus tretinoin believed that their study treatment had further enhanced the improvements attained with botulinum toxin type A compared to those using the standard skin care regimen (86% vs. 8%). Both regimens were generally well tolerated.

“The new hydroquinone system is not only effective, it is also easy for patients to use, increasing the likelihood that they will be able to get maximum benefits,” said study co-author Joel Schlessinger, MD, FAAD, FAACS. “Most importantly, using the system in combination with tretinoin significantly improved how patients perceived themselves, which is the ultimate goal of any aesthetic treatment.”

This article received a Level 2 rating, the second highest, based on the evidence-based medicine rating system used for all ASJ articles. The rating system measures the overall strength of the data presented in the article. ASJ implemented the rating system in 2011 to promote and advance evidence-based medicine in plastic surgery.

A Winning Skin Care Combination for Botox Users

Face-Lifts For Men Rose 14%

A new report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows that men underwent more than 1.1 million cosmetic procedures in 2010, a rise of 2%.  Many male surgical procedures increased significantly; facelifts for men rose 14% in 2010, while male liposuction increased 7%.

For men, though, some experts believes the spike in plastic surgery has a direct relationship with the economy, because baby boomers are trying to look younger to compete in the job market.

Plastic surgeons say that another trend they see in male plastic surgery is the type of patient seeking their services.

“Typically people think of celebrities and high profile men undergoing cosmetic surgery,” said Stephen Baker, MD, an ASPS Member Surgeon based in Washington DC. “And while that may be true, the typical male cosmetic surgery patient that I see is an average guy who wants to look as good as he feels. Most of my patients are ‘men’s men,’ the kind of guy you might not think would have plastic surgery.”

The type of procedures that men seek out vary by age. Gynecomastia, or male breast-reduction procedures, for instance, were up by 6%, with men under 30 dominating the requests.

Facelifts, by contrast, were largely driven by baby boomer men in their 50s and 60s, who may still appear slim because they work out but are trying to get rid of “turkey neck.”

2010 Top Five Male Cosmetic Surgical Procedures, by Volume:

1. Nose Reshaping (64,000)
2. Eyelid Surgery (31,000)
3. Liposuction (24,000)
4. Breast Reduction in Men (18,000)
5. Hair Transplantation (13,000)

2010 Top Five Male Cosmetic Minimally-Invasive Procedures, by Volume:

1. Botulinum Toxin Type A (337,000)
2. Laser Hair Removal (165,000)
3. Microdermabrasion (158,000)
4. Chemical Peel (90,000)
5. Soft Tissue Fillers (78,000)

[Source:  "Men Fuel Rebound in Cosmetic Surgery."  American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).  21 Mar. 2011.  Web.  31 Mar. 2011.]