Facial Yoga vs. Botox

This morning, a patient of mine asked me if I had heard of facial yoga as a replacement for Botox.
It turns out that a story about yoga for the face had come out last week in Time magazine.

The story tells of a New York yoga instructor who noticed that a lot of her patients received Botox during their lunch breaks. She came up with several "poses" for the face that would tighten facial muscles and reduce wrinkles- an "all natural" Botox!

The article also talked about how some of these exercises have helped people increase facial muscle tone- especially a few people with facial palsy or motion deficits.

It's a nice article- one thing that they pointed out was that the class was full of laughter and that afterwards, women said that they felt much more relaxed and at ease. Some even notice fewer lines in their face! It sounds like the class is a GREAT way to let off steam and afterwards people feel much more relaxed and at ease. I think that this is the reason they feel and "look" better.

Facial muscle exercises couldn't hurt and may help people relax- but they won't replace Botox any time soon. Botox relaxes muscles and helps prevent the lines in the skin that are caused by these muscles. These yoga exercises STRENGTHEN muscles and could in theory, make these lines more obvious.

My patient agreed that she would try the exercises for fun and as a stress reliever- AND use Botox to help erase the wrinkles she already has.

Will Yoga Replace Plastic Surgery?

An interesting story by Natasha Singer in The New York Times today highlighted a new trend in the yoga world. It seems that people are now performing yoga exercises as an alternative to plastic surgery! These classes can be found in many parts of the country such as Manhattan, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas and come under names such as Yo-Tox, the Yoga Facelift, and Revita-Yoga.

These classes are billed as combinations of yoga and facial exercises that will combat frown lines, wrinkles, and sagging. One instructor, Annelise Hagen, states that “each pose, stretch or exercise is designed to relax the muscles and release the patterns people unconsciously etch into their skin.” To sculpt your nose, she recommends alternating breathing out of each nostril (I would take the class just to see how this can be done!). To remove crow’s feet the student must open the eyes wide to smooth the lines. Another yoga exercise called the “downward dog” can add color to the complexion. By teaching her students to consciously relax their facial muscles, they can get a similar effect to using Botox. Gary Sikorski, another instructor certified in yoga facial toning, notes that “Folks are realizing the face has muscles and that there’s a substitute to plastic surgery that costs less and can achieve similar results.”

Can these exercises possibly work?
Will yoga replace Botox and plastic surgery?
Can I learn to alternate breathing out of each nostril?

Very unlikely. While the yoga exercises may relax you and your facial muscles, muscles aren’t the only culprit in facial aging. Here in Miami, it’s plain to see that many of the effects of facial aging are the result of sun, gravity, smoking, and genetics. Juvederm, Radiesse and other dermal fillers are an excellent way to replace facial volume that has been lost due to the thinning of our skin or that has descended because of gravity. Surgical procedures such as a facelift, brow lift, eyelid surgery, etc are still the best way to remove excess or baggy skin and reposition soft tissue to create a more youthful look.

The GOOD news is that these yoga exercises can’t hurt- unlike many of the “alternative” therapy regimens out there (just ask Anna Nicole). In our hectic lives, we all need more opportunities to stretch, relax, and rejuvenate ourselves. Who knows? Maybe I’ll learn how to alternate my breathing out of each nostril after all…

The 2006 Plastic Surgery Statistics Are In!

(Click graph above to enlarge!)

Hello all! 2006 was another great year for aesthetic plastic surgery. The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) has just released their 2006 statistics. The survey noted that in 2006, there were nearly 11.5 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in the United States! This was a 1% increase since 2005. Since 1997, surgical procedures have increased 123% and nonsurgical procedures have increased 749%!

These results are a testament to the continued popularity of aesthetic plastic surgery in America. The study also highlighted some very interesting trends. They noted that in 2006, surgical procedures actually decreased by 9 percent. Nonsurgical procedures (such as Botox, dermal fillers, and laser therapy) increased by 3 percent. We have seen this increased demand in noninvasive techniques in our center- their popularity continues to grow because of their proven safety record and their effectiveness. There’s a lot you can do today with just a syringe, a peel, or a laser these days!

Surgical Procedures- Break down by men and women.

The survey noted that women account for 92 percent of these aesthetic procedures.

The Top 5 Plastic Surgery Procedures for Women are:

1. Breast augmentation
2. Liposuction
3. Eyelid Surgery
4. Tummy Tuck
5. Breast Reduction

For the first time since the beginning of this survey- breast augmentation proved more popular than liposuction! This was due in part to the FDA approval of silicone gel breast implants in late 2006 (the use of silicone gel implants increased by 18% from 2005). We have seen this at our center as well. We have A LOT of women requesting silicone gel implants because of their softer feel and natural results.

Men accounted for 8% of all cosmetic surgery.

The Top 5 Plastic Surgery Procedures for Men are:

1. Liposuction
2. Rhinoplasty
3. Eyelid Surgery
4. Breast Reduction for a fatty chest (gynecomastia)
5. Facelift

Top 5 Nonsurgical Procedures are:

1. Botox
2. Hyaluronic Acid (Juvederm, Restylane)
3. Laser Hair Removal
4. Microdermabrasion
5. Laser Skin Resurfacing

Because of the safety and effectiveness of the surgical and nonsurgical techniques, we can expect continued growth through 2007 and beyond! Stay tuned!