2005: The year in plastic surgery; Top 10 plastic surgery hot topics Outside of Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch and Jennifer and Brad's divorce, making headlines this year were various stories about plastic surgery. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) presents the 2005 Top 10 Plastic Surgery Hot Topics.

Allergan poised to tighten grip on wrinkle market For years, Botox-maker Allergan Inc. has been fighting the battle to relieve age-conscious men and women of their forehead wrinkles and crow's feet without much competition. But while Botox has been wildly popular with practitioners of cosmetic medicine, the tissue-paralyzing treatment has not helped Irvine-based Allergan capture the growing market for treating wrinkles on the other two thirds of the human face.

Candela Ellipse Flex IPL receives FDA clearance Candela Corporation today (21-Dec-05) announced the FDA clearance of a new "flexible" intense pulsed light system. The Ellipse(TM) Flex IPL system was developed in close cooperation with leading skin researchers and dermatologists. The new Ellipse Flex treats a wide range of cosmetic conditions quickly and comfortably including facial rejuvenation, vascular lesions, facial veins, acne, age spots and diffuse redness.

Britian launches cosmetic surgery advice website A website giving information about cosmetic surgery and treatments is being launched by the government. The Department of Health says it is important people considering treatment can access reliable information about the risks and likely outcomes.

Starting young: Twenty-somethings seek youth with Botox Forget "40 is the new 30." Now even twentysomethings are joining the quest for eternal youth by using anti-aging products and wrinkle treatments.

Provectus receives fifth medical device patent for laser technology Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PVCT) announced today (22-Dec-05) that it has received a notice of allowance for a patent application covering the Company's laser-based technologies for selective destruction of pigmented tissue, with applicability to elimination of moles and pigmented skin cancers, such as melanomas.

ThreadLifts grow in popularity "Thread lifts" promise to be among the most popular aesthetic procedures in 2006, an ideal solution for those who want to treat sagging facial skin without the downtime or scarring associated with invasive surgery.

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