Plastic Surgery Seattle Blog

In its latest issue, the publication Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery includes the results of a recent study on the wrinkle relaxing injectable, ‘Reloxin.’  During the study, Reloxin was evaluated on its long term safety for repeated use on moderate to severe forehead wrinkles or ‘glabeller lines.’

Reloxin would be the first real competitor for Botox in the U.S. cosmetic surgery market – a market which allowed Allergan Inc. to net $1.3 billion in revenue last year with Botox.  Medicis Pharmaceutical is expecting FDA clearance for Reloxin sometime this year.

A Los Angeles dermatologist commented to Bloomberg news about the study, saying “the side effects are the same as Botox” and “many of our patients liked it even better.”

Reloxin and Botox are similar in their composition; both contain a particular ‘botulinum toxin’ that has been proven to relax the muscles that cause wrinkles in the face.

Reloxin has actually been sold outside the U.S. under the name ‘Dysport’ for about 15 years, but Botox has still managed to claim over 80 percent of the worldwide market for the neurotoxin.  One market analyst speculates that “Reloxin may be priced 15 percent lower than Botox” which could allow it to claim a decent chunk of the market share.

2008 Statistics gathered by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reveal that 355,671 breast augmentations were performed in 2008, while 341,144 liposuction procedures were done nationwide.

This seems to indicate significant change taking place in the industry; for the first time, the popularity of breast augmentation procedures has outdone that of liposuction.

In a recently issued press release, ASPS President Alan Gold is quoted, saying “for the first time in the twelve years these statistics have been collected, liposuction is a runner up in popularity to breast augmentation. He further predicts that “this turnabout will generate discussions in the medical community and the public at large.”  According to Dr. Gold it’s possible that “changes in fashion, i.e. décolletage baring styles, might be a factor behind this change.”

10.2 million cosmetic procedures were performed nationwide in 2008 and 92 percent of them were had by women.  The top 5 include:

1. Breast Augmentation
2. Liposuction
3. Eyelid Surgery
4. Rhinoplasty
5. Abdominoplasty

The top five non-surgical procedures were the following:

1. Botox
2. Laser Hair Removal
3. Hyaluronic acid wrinkle fillers (Juvederm, Restylane)
4. Chemical Peel
5. Laser Skin Resurfacing