Their article reported that teenagers who watch cosmetic surgery reality shows, like Extreme Makeover, are more likely to have an interest in cosmetic surgery for themselves.

In one study, Charlotte Markey, a psychology professor at Rutgers–Camden, and Patrick Markey, of Villanova University, surveyed 170 teens (average age 19.77, 59% female) to assess their impression of reality TV shows that feature cosmetic surgery, appearance satisfaction, self-esteem, and their interest in cosmetic surgery.

“Participants who reported favorable impressions of reality television shows featuring cosmetic surgery were more likely to indicate interest in pursuing surgery,” the researchers wrote.

Their second study divided 189 participants into two groups (average age of 19.84, 51% female); half were shown an ‘extreme makeover’ program and the other half a show with a neutral message.

The researchers found that women were more likely to want cosmetic surgery than men, and that the viewers of the cosmetic makeover show were more inclined to consider the procedure for themselves compared those who didn’t view the show.

The two studies were done to “examine the influence of media messages about cosmetic surgery on youths’ interest in altering their own physical appearance,” wrote the researchers.

“There is a cultural context to never be satisfied with our physical selves. It’s the rare person who is either completely oblivious or has developed such a strong counter message to not be affected,” said Dr. Charlotte Markey.

“A correlational and experimental examination of reality television viewing and interest in cosmetic surgery,” is available for purchase at Science Direct.

Dr. Angelo Cuzalina, president-elect of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, says that those who are looking for new jobs and going on job interviews often want the surgery.

“It’s almost becoming a fad. People have the gauging procedure where they gradually stretch out their lobe so it has a giant hole that’s larger than a quarter. But then they want to join the workforce and think their chances for a job might be better if they didn’t have this,” he says.

Dr. Brian Glatt, a plastic surgeon, agrees, saying that he is seeing more patients who gauged their ears as teens but are now outgrowing the trend.

Dr. Patrick Carney performs the surgery using a local anesthetic; he removes any skin surrounding the split to create a clean edge and then stitches the ear back together. Sutures will be put into the lobe and removed within a week.

While patients can expect some scarring, says Dr. Cuzalina, patients should be able to wear regular earrings again after a few months, if desired.

“It’s not a really painful operation to have done, but you may never get the lobe back to its original shape,” Dr. Cuzalina says. “But more people are doing it. It usually takes some change in a person’s life to force them to come in and get the surgery.”

Dr. Carney performs earlobe repair surgery in his Twin Cities offices.

The challenge allows patients to save $75 when they try Dysport. If they “love it,” they receive $75 off their next Dysport treatment; if they don’t, patients receive a $75 rebate off another botulinum toxin type A product, such as Botox.

Over 91.2 percent of 22,416 patients who took the challenge from March 1 through May 9, 2010, made “Love It,” according to Medicis, the maker of Dysport. Only 2.6 percent of all registered patients have made a selection to “Leave It” since the program began.

When the challenge started, Jonah Shacknai, the chief executive of Medicis, said,“We are so confident that we are literally willing to bet our money that patients will love their Dysport treatment.”

Approved by the FDA in April 2009 to treat frown lines between the eyebrows, Dysport works much like Botox and is Botox’s first comparable competitor in the U.S. cosmetic market.  Dysport works by a process called neuromuscular blocking, which relaxes small muscles in the face and forehead that cause wrinkles to form.

In the release on passing the 100,000 registrant milestone, Shacknai said:

“We are pleased to announce this tremendous support by both physicians and patients for the Dysport Challenge. Medicis made a bold statement of confidence in the brand by offering patients the opportunity to try Dysport and save up to $150 total.”

Open to patients 18 and older, complete Dysport Challenge details are available at www.DysportUSA.com. Advancements in Dermatology and Skin Speaks Spa M.D. offers Dysport to patients in the Twin Cities area.

An estimated 6.9% of all minority respondents and 9.9% of white respondents indicated that they have had an invasive or non-invasive cosmetic surgery procedure.  Asians were most likely to report having had cosmetic surgery (11.1%), followed by African-Americans (7.1%), Hispanics (4.6%), and other races (6.2%).

The most common non-invasive cosmetic procedures that Asian respondents reported having were fat injections, dermabrasion, and Botox. Black and Hispanic respondents reported the most common procedures they had were laser hair removal, Botox, and chemical peels.

For invasive procedures, the survey found the most common procedures were facelift (among Asian respondents); tummy tuck (among Hispanic respondents); and liposuction (among African-American respondents).

The survey also revealed that Asian and Hispanic respondents were more likely to indicate cosmetic surgery was popular among members of their racial/ethnic background when compared to African-Americans and all other races. Almost a quarter of those surveyed said they knew someone of the same racial/ethnic background who has had cosmetic surgery.

While more than 30 percent of those surveyed said they would seek out a cosmetic surgeon of the same race/ethnicity as themselves, over half (56.6 percent) said they thought it would be difficult to find a surgeon of the same race/ethnicity as themselves.

Dr. Mark Berman, president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, says, “Cosmetic surgery is en vogue no matter who you are. Feeling better about yourself and making improvements to your looks is thankfully not limited to a specific race or culture.”

Dr. Carney is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery; he has five Twin Cities Skin Speaks Spa M.D. locations.

Newsweek surveyed 202 corporate hiring managers and found that 56 percent of them said qualified but unattractive candidates are likely to have a harder time getting a job. More than half recommended spending as much time and money on “making sure they look attractive” as on perfecting a résumé.

When the hiring managers were asked to rate nine character attributes in order of importance for job candidates, looks came in third, after experience and confidence—and before where an applicant went to school.

The report also includes an interactive feature called “The Beauty Breakdown,” which estimates what a lifetime of cosmetic maintenance will cost a “modern diva.” Gathering data from a number of sources—including the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and Allure magazine—it looks at beauty costs from the tween years through 50 plus for American women, coming up with a lifetime total of $449,127.

For those in their 30s and 40s that included treatments like microdermabrasion, Botox, lip plumping, and laser varicose vein treatments, in addition to hair care, waxing, and tanning. For women over 50, chemical peels and deep line wrinkle fillers were added to the regimen.

For the lifetime total, the amount spent on the face was estimated at just over $314,000, more than treatments on hair, the body, and hands and feet combined.

In today’s economy, spending money on these treatments may not be “frivolous,” the magazine notes.

“Economists have long recognized what’s been dubbed the ‘beauty premium’—the idea that pretty people, whatever their aspirations, tend to do better in, well, almost everything. Handsome men earn, on average, 5 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts (good-looking women earn 4 percent more),” the report says.

Dr. Carney’s Skin Speaks Spa M.D., with five locations in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, offers a range of treatments to help you look your best, including Botox, chemical peels, and wrinkle fillers. (image via Newsweek.com)

Read more about the event, this Thursday evening on our Events page.

Latisse

Throughout her 16-week treatment on Lastisse, Danes was photographed at different angles to demonstrate her lash growth. The gallery is posted on the Latisse site and none of the photos have been retouched.

Danes said she became the latest “Latisse girl” because she was curious about the product. “The more I learned about Latisse, the more impressed I was. I’ve never used a product that actually affected real physical change,” she said.

In 2001, Allergan developed a glaucoma treatment called Lumigan, and a side effect was discovered—patients began growing longer, fuller lashes. This led Allergan to study the active ingredient in this other product, and after a clinical trial, Latisse was born and earned FDA approval in December 2008.

During research of Latisse, doctors reported on average:

• 25 percent increase in eyelash length
• 106 percent increase in eyelash fullness
• 18 percent darkening of the eyelashes

The effects of Latisse are not permanent, so you have to keep using it, as the eyelashes will return to normal if you stop using Latisse.  Advancements in Dermatology offers Lastisse; call for more information and special introductory pricing. You can sign up for Latisse Lash Perks to get a $20 rebate on Latisse. (images via www.latisse.com)

Late last year Johnson & Johnson announced that it was discontinuing its collagen filler Evolence, and in January Allergan announced it would be discontinuing its collagen fillers at the end of the year. Allergan halted production of the products in 2009, but manufactured enough inventory to meet estimated market demand through the end of 2010, according to Kelly Lao, manager of corporate communications.

Patients who have received treatment with Evolence will continue to receive support regarding medical inquiries or reporting of adverse reactions.

As for Allergan’s collagen fillers, which includes CosmoPlast, CosmoDerm and bovine products Zyderm and Zyplast, Lao explains that “the discontinuation of the sale of our collagen products … is in response to declined market interest … since the introduction of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers like Juvéderm have become more popular.”

Seth L. Matarasso, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at the  University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, agrees with Lao’s assessment. “There is an overwhelming popularity of the new kid on the block: the hyaluronic acids. They have been embraced universally, and suddenly collagens aren’t as popular,” he says.

Hyaluronic acid products have several advantages, including:

• Longer-lasting results
• Appear to give a better fill
• Some contain lidocaine for less painful injections

Future improvements will allow hyaluronic acids to provide more volume and contour-changing ability and the ability to fill deeper lines, reports Dermatology Times.

Advancements in Dermatology and Skin Speaks Spa M.D. offer the following hyaluronic acids fillers: Juvéderm, Restylane, Radiesse, and Sculptra.

The full story is available online: “Dermatologists prepare for departure of collagen from U.S. market.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jill, a 40-something with years of skin damage from the sun, received Fraxel restore treatment. Dr. Chapas, a dermatologist in New York City, explained to Meredith Vieira that Fraxel gives energy that stimulates new skin cells to grow and makes skin look refreshed  and more youthful.

“I’m thrilled. It really got rid of so much of the sun damage that I could see. It just makes me feel like I have fresh, new skin,” Jill said of the treatment.

Dr. Chapas said it usually takes 1 to 3 treatments to see results. After treatment, patients may have a few days of redness and a little dryness, according to the doctor.

Thermage is a treatment to tighten, “lift”, and contour skin, with improvements in tone, shape, and texture.

Lisa, a mom of two, received Thermage on her stomach. She says that Thermage tightened her belly and helps her fit better in her clothes.

Lisa B. received a combination of Thermage and Fraxel on her face. She was suffering from skin discoloration, breakouts and blotches, and looseness. She received Thermage to tighten her skin and build collagen, followed by Fraxel the next week to help even out her skin tone.

Dr. Carney offers Fraxel, Thermage, and ThermaFrax, which is a combination treatment, offering a skin tightening procedure, followed by a fractional resurfacing treatment to attack the skin laxity, fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation and surface imperfections at once. Advancements in Dermatology has five locations in the Twin Cities—in Edina, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Woodbury, and Crystal.

A new generation peel for all skin types to improve skin tone and texture. Great for reversing sun damage and signs of aging while stimulating collagen and elastin production. A single Vi Peel will achieve significant repair and add a healthy glow to the skin. It is a true, restorative and painless repair of damaged skin including sun damage and acne.

The VI Peel addresses skin problems at the cellular level to help erase fine lines and wrinkles, shrink enlarged pores and build collagen. It is effective in practically eliminating hyper pigmentation including melasma, the most difficult pigmentation issue to address. The Vi Peel also provides excellent results for patients with acne.

The skin peeling associated with the VI Peel is a light, fluffy peel that begins on the third day and is generally finished by the end of day four. The peeling is easily hidden by moisturizer and in some cases is virtually invisible.

Rejuvenize Peel:

• An advanced formulation of peeling agents, with a built-in anti-irritant and penetration enhancer that provides controlled exfoliation of the uppermost damaged layers of the skin to reveal fresher and healthier skin.
• Provides predictable results with minimal down time.
• Effective for use o skin with sun damage, melasma, pigmentary changes and acne scarring
• Noticeable improvement with just one peel
• Recommended for Skin types I-VI
• Can be used on skin types V-VI after the patient has established tolerability to Vitalize Peel, or with physician consent
• Well tolerated with minimal “down time”
• Easy to use (does not require timing or neutralization)
• A novel synthetic surfactant, Isoceteth-20, creates more uniform peeling while controlling penetration of salicylic acid, and therefore reduces skin irritation associated with the stronger chemical peels without diminishing peeling effect

The philosophy of SkinMedica is that everyone deserves to have naturally radiant skin. Each SkinMedica product is backed by years of research on the skin’s healing ability. Restorative ingredients such as retinol, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and their patented TNS growth factors make these products an effective part of your anti-aging and skin care regimen.