There is no such thing as Botox resistance, says leading cosmetic surgeon

A newreport coming from Britain claims that women who regularly get Botox may becoming immune to the injections.

The report was based on findings by German researchers, published in the Journal of Neural Transmission, which found that one in 200 Botox users developed antibodies, making the treatment less effective over time.

Patients who needed larger doses – including those prescribed it for medical reasons to treat spasms or sweating – were more likely to stop responding, the research found.

Other scientists, writing in the British Medical Journal’s online forum Open, revealed that repeated injections “can trigger an immune response… which might lead to non-responsiveness to treatment”.

However, Dr. Alexander Rivkin, a Los Angeles Cosmetic Surgeon,who on Monday featured in a Good Morning America story about injectables, tells The Plastic Princess that’s absolutely not true:

He said: “I have injected more than 10,000 patients with Botox over the last 10 years and have never seen a single case of Botox resistance. For the vast majority of cosmetic patients, you actually need less Botox as time goes on because the muscles being injected weaken and atrophy somewhat with repeated Botox treatments. If a Botox treatment is less effective than the last time there are a variety of reasons – there was an error in the preparation of the bottle, there was an error in Botox injection placement, there is an increase in the patient’s stress level, causing them to be using their frown muscles more, etc. actual antibody resistance can happen, but is extremely rare.”

Original Article

Dr. Alexander Rivkin

A 10-Minute Solution to Erasing Tired Eyes

Heavy bags under the eyes are an issue many women face, but there is a treatment that promises to eliminate the problem in just 10 minutes.

By injecting filler into the eye bags, cosmetic surgeons say they are able to quickly fix that troublesome area under the eyes — known as a tear trough — with an in-office procedure that does not require anesthesia.

“Ten minutes later [post-filler], they [patients] come out and they don’t have dark circles under their eyes,” said Dr. Alexander Rivkin, a Los Angeles based-facial cosmetic surgeon. “It lasts for two, three, four years.”

“It really is the fountain of youth for the eyes,” Dr. Rivkin said.

ABC’s Good Morning America followed four women — Taryn Piana, Iya Ritchie, Esther Lira and Melissa Beretich — each seeking that “fountain of youth,” who decided to try the tear trough treatment themselves.

“What I’m hoping to come out with is to be able to go back to what I was doing four to five years ago and not wear makeup,” Beretich, 40, said prior to her procedure with New York City-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven Pearlman.

Ten minutes later, Beretich said she “absolutely” saw a difference in her eyes and felt no pain at all.

“What this treatment is doing is camouflaging the bags,” Pearlman said of the $600 to $1,000 treatment.

“For people who only have mild [eye] bags, it’s a way to stave off the need for surgery by filling in that hollow,” he said. “It’s not reducing the bag but you’re making it less visible.”

Lira, one of Rivkin’s patients who tried the treatment, said she was never able to cover her bags with makeup that looked natural. After her treatment, Lira, 42, like Beretich, said she could “see a difference.”

Ritchie, 40, and Piana, 27, both of whom worked with Rivkin, were also pleased with the results of their trough treatment. “It’s awesome,” Piana said.

Surgeons say the side effects of the treatment — like puffy eyes and possible bruising — will fade away within one week.

Original Article

Dr. Alexander Rivkin