Nine Cosmetic Treatments to Rethink

'Non-surgical' doesn't always mean safe. Why these nine procedures and drugs could leave you disappointed—or worse.
Nine Cosmetic Treatments to Rethink // Woman with arms across chest (© Arkadius Kozera/ImageBroker/age fotostock)
Botox breast lift
By Maggie Koerth-Baker for MSN Health & Fitness
Why do it: In spring 2008, high-profile New York dermatologist Patricia Wexler, M.D., began touting a new way to use Botox. Wexler claimed in interviews that by injecting the drug into the pectoralis minor chest muscle to temporarily paralyze it, she could make back muscles called rhomboids pick up the slack, so to speak. She said this forces the patient to stand up straighter, which in turn essentially gives the breasts a surgery-free "lift."

The problems: "It's nonsense. Worse, it's dangerous nonsense," says Michael McGuire, M.D., president-elect of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He and Patrick McMenamin, M.D., president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, agree that Wexler's procedure wouldn't work. And both doctors say injecting anything into the pectoralis minor is dangerous. Hidden beneath larger muscles and very thin, the pectoralis minor sits on top of the rib cage. On false move, and the needle could puncture a lung. McGuire and McMenamin also worry about whether paralyzing the pectoralis minor would make breathing more difficult, and whether the amount of Botox needed could reach dangerous levels.
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010 2:09:46 PM
I'm sooooo sorry that I read these comments this late. I bought the Brava and haven't had much swelling in the 4 weeks I've been using it. I wear it for about 14 hrs on average each day and up to 18 hrs on weekends and after 10 hrs of no wear I'm always back to my original size. I'm so worried that I may not see the type of results marketed at all. It should be a crime to mislead people in such a way esp by purporting that the FDA in some way guarantees your product when in fact this is not so. To loose a few dollars is one thing but when you're talking thousands of dollars of hard earned cash from over 40000 people across the world, well this has to be one of the biggest heists in history. Someone should shut them down !!!!!!
Thursday, October 01, 2009 7:01:36 AM
I met a lady who had permanent eye liner on and she was a lot older and she looked like a clown.  Her eyes had sagged in time and the makeup  didn't.
Monday, September 21, 2009 3:28:54 PM

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Monday, September 21, 2009 5:40:11 AM

As a state licensed permanent cosmetics technician and instructor since 1993 ,and am frustrated by the misinformation.  MRI's are not affected by the pigment. We use pigment, not tattoo ink.

This is one of the best procedures a person can do to have a more youthful appearance without surgery. I have had my makeup for 18 years. Of course as with any beauty treatment, or procedure it is important to research your technician , look at before and after photos.

Thursday, August 13, 2009 5:39:57 AM

The whole "magnetic ink vs.  MRI machine" thing is a myth, which MythBusters proved wrong.

 

Just because you heard something somewhere doesn't make it true.

Thursday, August 13, 2009 4:29:52 AM
PERMANENT MAKEUP

Regarding this subject - I've never heard about this in the media - but I once had someone tell me that if a person has permanent makeup (a tattoo) they can't get an MRI because of the magnetic quality of the ink. An MRI will pull magnetic things out of the body - since it's a big magnet.

This should be well known....  Before anyone even considers this procedure - they should know that getting eye liner (and maybe other tattoo locations) can keep you from getting internal imaging if you have a disease or problem that the docs needs to look at.

Monday, August 10, 2009 4:37:50 PM

it's a well-known fact : Women improve with age!!

 no need for fast fixes that will erode our faces and bodies Let Mother Nature  do her work .

 

Friday, August 07, 2009 6:41:33 PM
This text [in "Treatment #9] contains a typo
"Thermage
Why use it: Approved by the FDA in 2002, Thermage uses heat generated by radio waves to give patients tighter, more taught skin; it's often promoted as a "non-surgical facelift."
The word should be "taut" and the phrase should include a hyphen, "more-taut."
Thursday, August 06, 2009 7:07:26 AM
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Thursday, August 06, 2009 7:05:23 AM
This is so silly. Of course you should be careful about the procedures mentioned, but waxing the hair off of your legs or eyebrows is not that risky. What about real threats like breast implants? Those are becoming an acceptable norm despite the fact that it is a major surgery with an extremely high complication rate that results in significant pain and recovery time. Over 50% of women who have this done need a second surgery within 5 years due to complications, and nearly 100% of them need to be removed or replaced after 10 years or so. Do you think men would be willing to go through all that to enhance their appearance? LOL no way! There is also very little scientific research done on the long term affects they have on women's health.

I think it's a little disturbing that the article warns against Brava (OMG you might get a rash!) but implants are ok?

And BTW - the Brava thing is a crock. I have found very little evidence that it actually works. You can find plenty of women online complaining about the fact that it does not provide any results, even after wearing it for up to 16 hours a day for multiple months. I tried it myself for a few weeks I am embarrassed to say and that was enough for me to learn to love what I have, even more than I did before. Who wants to give up their life and stay hidden away at home in that thing for months? Talk about depressing! 
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