Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Fancy grabbing yourself a pair of plump lips or a few less wrinkles for lunch? Or sipping on Martinis while being injected with a dose of Botox?
These days, popping out for some lunch time cosmetic touch ups, or having Botox injections over cocktails is all the latest — if not scariest — craze.
Erasing those wrinkles at lunch in 20 minutes is now a reality. A new dermal filler treatment recently launched in Australia, called Essential Beauty with CPM, is a new cosmetic weapon that allows you to erase those unwanted wrinkles or plump up your lips in less than 20 minutes and return to work after the procedure.
The treatment which reportedly has "minimal bruising and swelling," has taken the world by storm. New Zealand Dr Tracey Lambert says, "There have been 185,000 syringes of CPM already sold around the world" and she expects to see a significant growth in the dermal filler market in the next couple of years.
"It's so mainstream now, and it's not just wealthy people having the procedures," she explains. "Younger people are increasingly having their lips plumped and there's a huge range of people from 30's to 70's having their lines treated."
Gone are the days when cosmetic surgery, no matter how minor, was a life changing decision. Now with procedures such as CPM, it’s as easy as going for a hair cut or getting your nails done.
"I'm like a medical hairdresser — having these procedures is so low-key, it's like going to the dentist," Dr Lambert says.
If the lunchtime touch ups weren't enough, the latest craze in after five Botox parties have now led to a review of the cosmetic surgery industry by the NSW government.
According to NSW Health Minister John Hatzistergos, Botox parties were being conducted without proper medical supervision and assessment. The proposed review, would have a group of health experts examine advertising material which uses before and after pictures to promote cosmetic surgery.
"It is important that we should protect consumers and do something about ensuring these Botox cowboys are put out of business," Mr Hatzistergos said.
The concerns highlighted by Mr Hatzistergos included the, "deceptive advertising" used in the promotion of the treatments. Botox procedures were deceptively being advertised on the internet and newspapers as anti-wrinkle injections or injections for age lines, as advertising Botox was a breach of the Therapeutic Goods Act.
He also highlighted the risks involved in conducting Botox treatments in "social settings" in an environment where people were "drinking alcohol" and not in a position to make an informed decision.
According to Dr Cholm Williams, Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons spokesman, botched Botox procedures carried out by, "someone who doesn't have thorough surgical training doing this sort of work" could have serious consequences and needed to be weighed up by the patient.
"The problem with Botox is you're talking about paralysis in areas of the face. It's not permanent, but you can look pretty terrible for those three to four months if it's not in the areas you want," said Dr Williams.
