The New York magazine had an unusually detailed article last Sunday about new trends in plastic surgery for celebrities and the New York elite. The stretching face-lift of old is giving way to plumping the face outwards by adding fat and injections to it. The article names at least three of the top plastic surgeons in New York and provides us with a scoop on what aging celebrities (such as Madonna who turns 50 this year) are doing to keep their faces looking young. Check out the New New Face.

Evolence is a new dermal filler that's just been approved by the FDA in the United States though it's been available in Europe and Canada for three or four years.

It's made out of natural collagen - pig skin - and it lasts longer than many other fillers. The Evolence web site has some interesting before and after photos of four beautiful women who start out with deep nasolabial folds. The 'after Evolence' photos are very persuasive as to its anti-aging powers. They tell us that these photos are real photos of real women and they have not been retouched.

Check out their before and after photo gallery.

You may not be feeling tired but if your upper eyelids are drooping or if the distance between your upper eyelid and eyebrow is greater than average than other people may think you are tired.

This is one of the findings of a recent survey by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. They are making the statement that how you look (in terms of tired, sad, angry or happy expressions) may have more to do with your facial aesthetics than it has to do with how you actually feel.

Here's their summary of other appearances of emotion;

Disgust
Lowering or slanting the inner corner of the eyebrows towards the nose, as well as adding forehead winkles significantly increased the perceived facial expressions of anger and disgust.

Happiness
Happiness was perceived by raising the lower eyelid and the presence of crow’s feet, which, according to the study, seem to simulate the cheek elevation that occurs with smiling.

This is all somewhat interesting but what would be far more interesting for us is to get some views from plastic surgeons on how stress or worry will typically age the face. Where might the wrinkles start showing for someone who is very prone to worrying? And conversely, if a person is prone to habitual anger, may we be more likely to see a different set of aging lines elsewhere on the face?

Photo by prairie880

Acupuncturist Siamak Shirazi claims that cosmetic acupuncture can take years off your face. It helps to eliminate fine lines and makes the deeper lines look softer. It can also help to minimize dark circles, puffy eyes, double chin, sagging skin, and dropping eyelids. He says cosmetic acupuncture works by increasing collagen production and also tones the muscles under the facial muscles which makes your face look tighter.

It is not as dramatic as facial surgery but he says people will definitely notice the difference. Ten treatments in the space of five weeks is what is required and he says you should start seeing the difference after about five treatments. The package costs about $1,500.00.

We'd be interested in hearing from other acupuncturists (and any people who've tried it) about the validity of these claims.

MSNBC has a very interesting slideshow showing before and after photos of about twenty celebrities. Many of these Hollywood stars have gone much too far with their cosmetic surgery habits.

Plastic surgeon, Dr. Tony Youn, takes a look at each of these examples and gives us his opinion on what these people have had done to their face.

See also Dr. Youn's celebrity cosmetic surgery blog here.

Celebitchy is convinced Kathie Lee Gifford, age 54, has had some serious work done on her face over the years. She says;

It’s pretty obvious that Kathie Lee has had more than a few visits to her plastic surgeon’s office. Her face looks way too smooth and pulled and she’s starting to look like Priscilla Presley.

It looks to me like Gifford had more than one face lift along with ongoing maintenance that results in a mask-like effect on her face."

We'll be seeing a lot more of Kathie Lee Gifford soon. She's joining the Today Show as of this week.

Plastic Makes Perfect: the Complete Cosmetic Beauty Guide is a new book by Wendy Lewis. Lewis is the world's first cosmetic surgery columnist, writing weekly in the Mail on Sunday's You magazine. Julie Bindel of The Guardian interviewed her recently. Have a look at her photo to see what the perfect plastic face might look like.

Is facial acupuncture effective in erasing wrinkles?

The New York Times has an interesting article today. They interviewed half a dozen women who said their facial puffiness has decreased, their under-eye bags have disappeared and their wrinkles are diminished or softened after acupuncture treatments.

There is still no one winning name for the procedure. Sometimes it's called 'facial rejuvenation', others advertise it as an 'acupuncture face-lift' or 'cosmetic acupuncture'. It works by stimulating the body's natural energies, called qi.

See their article about using acupuncture to lessen wrinkles.