Allegran, the company that makes Botox, has pleaded guilty to a charge of misbranding and has agreed to pay a $600 million fine.

The company agreed that, as a result of its marketing of Botox from 2000 through 2005, Botox treatments for headache, pain, spasticity and juvenile cerebral palsy became “intended uses” of the drug although the FDA had not approved them.

For more info see Botox probe ends with a $600 million fine.

For a more interesting look at the allegations check out Botox WhistleBlower Case. Excerpt below;

whistleblowers alleged that Allergan implemented a sophisticated marketing plan with the purpose of inducing physicians to prescribe Botox(R) Therapeutic for various off-label uses which were neither FDA-approved nor demonstrated to be safe and effective. According to the whistleblowers' complaint, Allergan knew when it initiated this illegal marketing scheme that there was little credible scientific basis to justify its assertion that Botox(R) Therapeutic was safe and effective for these off-label uses. The whistleblowers also alleged that Allergan regularly provided illegal kickbacks to physicians who prescribed Botox(R) Therapeutic for off-label use. These alleged business practices caused federal and state government health care programs to pay millions of dollars for prescriptions which were ineligible for payment.

Trisha Goddard, age 51, has never used Botox but she says last year, after discovering she had breast cancer, and before getting chemotherapy treatments, she decided to have Restylane injected into her cheeks because she was afraid her face would hollow out during the chemotherapy. The photo here was taken before the chemotherapy, see her story and more recent photos here.

Here's a video discussing the major fillers (Restylane, Juvederm, Collagen, Perlane, Radiesse and Sculptra) and where they are best appplied on the face. Dr. Brahme advises on which fillers are best for which facial area and also outlines the costs for each product as well as how long the various treatments last.

Check out this photo of Janice Dickinson getting what looks like a Botox injection at the Beverly Hills office of Dr. Frank Ryan.

Those legs are quite something for a 54 year old.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons released some stats to summarize cosmetic procedures for 2008. There were 12.1 million cosmetic procedures performed altogether. Botox was by far the most popular procedure accounting for 41% of all procedures. Here's a summary of the numbers as compiled by the Washington Examiner;

Number of procedures performed in 2008
» 12.1 million cosmetic procedures.
» 1.6 million cosmetic surgical procedures
» 10.4 million cosmetic minimally invasive procedures

Top Five Surgical Cosmetic Procedures in 2008
» Breast augmentation (307,000)
» Nose reshaping (279,000)
» Liposuction (245,000)
» Eyelid surgery (221,000)
» Tummy tuck (122,000)

Top Five Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Procedures in 2008
» Botox (5 million)
» Hyaluronic acid (1.1 million)
» Chemical peel (1 million)
» Laser hair removal (892,000)
» Microdermabrasion (842,000)

The photo above entitled "Botox is the Best!" is by evixir

The Daily Mail has a frightening article today about companies that are selling Botox, Restylane, and banned skin-lightening creams online.

It's illegal to do this in countries such as the US or UK, but this doesn't stop companies based elsewhere to try to sell these medical products online.

It's hard to believe anyone would want to try to inject themselves with something that arrives in the mail from unknown sources. But even if you were 100% sure this was legit botox it is extremely risky to try to do it yourself. One doctor says;

If the toxin is not injected in precisely the right place, you can paralyse the wrong muscles, causing drooping of the eyelid or eyebrow or even paralysing the muscles that move the eyeball, causing impaired vision.

'With applications of Botox in the lower face and neck it is also possible to cause inability to speak or swallow, and there has been at least one death reported in America. While these are rare complications in the hands of an expert, they are potentially life threatening in unqualified hands.'

See the Poison by Post article on these frightening developments.

Here's a dramatic before and after video of a guy who gets his crow's feet reduced with the first time use of Botox around the eyes. See him also in an earlier video where he has Botox applied to almost completely eliminate his frown lines.

A recent survey of 126 dentists found that dentists are divided about whether they should be offering Botox injections as part of their services.

Only sixteen percent of the dentists surveyed currently offer the procedure. But many more would if the procedure was allowed in their jurisdictions.

The study found that dentists who specialize are much less likely to offer Botox than dentists who are GP's.

Interestingly, over three times as many male dentists as female dentists responding to this survey offer Botox - 20% of men, compared to only 6% of women.

Here are some of the comments by the dentists;

Botox is not for dentists

"I think we are too busy to take on the additional liability of these procedures." (New Jersey dentist)

"I'm a dentist - not a plastic surgeon." (Virginia dentist)

"It's not in the field of dentistry." (California periodontist)

"It's way beyond our scope of treatment. It is bad enough that Plastic Surgeons do this sort of thing." (Utah dentist)

Botox has been great for my dental practice

"I have an R.N. who comes into my office and offers a full range of cosmetic and laser procedures for my patients. She has also introduced some of her long-time patients to my practice. Facial aesthetics is a nice complement to a cosmetic dental practice." (California dentist)

Dentists and facial injections are a great combo

"I think anyone professionally trained to give subcutaneous injections should be able to administer Botox within a licensed medical/dental practice." (Michigan dentist)

"No one is better qualified to place Botox or Restylane than a dentist due to understanding facial symmetry issues. Bar none!" (Nevada dentist)

Dentists and Botox are not meant to be

"Since when was Botox or Restylane injections for facial/head/neck esthetics considered dentistry? I've never seen it taught or discussed in any dental textbooks or journals. It certainly is not in the definition of dentistry that the Ohio (or probably any other state) Dental Board considers in the realm of dentistry and covered by a dental license. I know some dentists are offering this service, but I have also heard from some that once patients request it around their lips, they many want you to do it elsewhere eventually! Where does it stop? I think dentists performing this service is ridiculous." (Ohio prosthodontist)

A research study has concluded that Botox can make people more depressed. By partially freezing the muscles on the forehead, it stops people from being able to express their feelings visually. This can lead to keeping emotions bottled up inside and hence perceiving the world in a more negative way.

Dr Judith Grub told The Sun: "Suppressing negative emotions is something we do every day to be polite.

"However, my research shows that paralysing muscles that help you to express emotion leads to internalising these feelings."

See the story here.

Here's a video that really clearly shows the before and after reduction in wrinkles after the application of Botox. Jon, age 41, lets us watch as he is injected with Botox. We see how he looks just before the procedure as well as about two weeks later. Jon says the effects last about 4-6 months so he usually goes in for this treatment twice a year.

via Before and After TV

In the video below we see TV's “Real Housewives of Orange County” visit a plastic surgery clinic in Newport Beach to get their Botox injections and to discuss what we can expect from the 4th season of the show.

Story via In Your Face.

Mary is 45 years old. She started getting Botox injections at age 37 and never experienced problems, but after going to a new clinic she had a most horrible experience and was stuck trying to hide her face for months.

She says "Go to a good dermatologist. Don't take risks with your face."

See her story here.

People Magazine has asked many celebrities to give their Botox confessions. Some were eager to admit they used it. Janice Dickinson says “I started Botox the first year it came out. I was the first one in line, and I have had Botox every six months since then.”

Check out all the celebrities who say they use it regularly, infrequently, not at all or 'no comment' at In Your Face.

Cliff Richard is 67 years old now. The photo here is from 1964, on the set of the film "Wonderful Life'.

Richard says he tried Botox a few times but it made his eyebrows collapse. See a profile about him and some recent photos here.

The Canadian National Post recently profiled four dermatologists who specialize in Botox injections.

These four women have all been using Botox for several years and they are all big fans as they would obviously need to be in order to recommend it to their patients.

Dr. Jang of Vancouver (pictured here) has given her age at '50+'. She says she's been using Botox since the 90's. She uses it for general lifting in combination with fillers. The first area she had done on herself was for the frown line -- the 'number 11" between the brows.

Check out the glowing stories about four female dermatologists and their use of Botox. Reading this story you would think Botox is the new toothpaste, that growing old with wrinkles is just not the socially acceptable thing to do anymore.