February 19, 2010
I previously wrote on this blog about Dysport, and it's debut on the market as a competitor for Botox. I wasn't too thrilled that although it seemed to be very similar to Botox, there was essentially little or no cost difference, and speculated that there were maybe some issues of propping up the price because of third party reimbursement for certain non-cosmetic applications, and that each company wanted to keep that under wraps.
Well, I'll let that line of conspiracy theory go and chalk it up to the unintended consequences and inefficiencies of government's intrusions into health care (imagine any other product coming onto a market, competing head to head with a similar product - the price of both would go down).
Because of patient interest, I decided to get Dysport and have it available along with Botox in my Santa Barbara practice. So Dysport is now available at Pacific Plastic Surgery with myself or Jessica. As for t
December 24, 2009
Another pop culture comment...What's up with Lady Gaga's "Dance in the Dark" and the intro line of "Silicon, saline, poison inject me..."? Thinking I might have a whole song to comment about, she then digresses, mentioning Jon Benet Ramsey and Stanley Kubrick. And Jesus and Liberace. So forget all that - let's just focus on those 5 words... First of all, she means silicone, not silicon. (She does pronounce it silicone, but the lyrics say silicon - she needs a new writer. I'm available.) Silicone is a polymer made up of many molecular groups strung together. Silicon is an element. Although there may be some elemental silicon in a breast implant, it's mostly silicone. Saline - spelled correctly, no comment. Poison inject me... presumably she's referring to Botox, or perhaps all injectables, where she would be clearly wrong. But if she is referring to Botox, she's correct in the sense that Botox is a
August 05, 2009
Botox now has a competitor on the scene with Dysport. But don't get too excited, and don't expect prices for either product to diminish more than they already have with the general deflation of the economy.
(click on titile for full article)
January 02, 2009
OK, this starts out glum but there is a silver lining at the end…
I am really trying to wean myself off of television news and especially business news. It’s so distorted and inaccurate! The collapse of the markets in real estate, stocks, and commodities was forecast by some, but certainly not by the majority of the talking heads and business “experts” we see on CNBC, Fox, or CNN (Larry Kudlow, Ben Stein, Stuart Varney, and so many more). As I’ve listened to their Pollyanna pronouncements over the last few years (actually, since before the tech bubble) and seen them proven wrong over and over again, it seems logical that the ones to listen to now are the ones that were, instead, right over the last few years (here’s a few: Jim Rogers, Ron Paul, Nouriel Roubini, Peter Schiff). These folks were often the ones sidelined and ridiculed. These are the guys that would deserve the last laugh now, if there was anything to laugh about.
Bernanke and Paulson are in a desperate
November 21, 2008
Let's face it, pretty much every business is getting hit by this recession, and plastic surgery practices are no exception. I was at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS -www.plasticsurgery.org) in Chicago and there was much talk about the impact of the financial crisis on the plastic surgery industry in general, as well as individual practices. Some practice activity is down 30%! (That made me feel like I was doing fairly well!). Pretty much gone are the days (not too long ago) when patients could get an equity line on their home to pay for things like cars, boats, and...plastic surgery. The news isn't all gloomy - the downturn in the economy will provide opportunities for patients who still want plastic surgery procedures.
Many people use financing for plastic surgery, and the group I have been using is CareCredit (www.carecredit.com) In my experience, (and I have used about five other companies over the years) they have been the most rel
July 21, 2008
I just finished reading a new book about skin care that anyone should read who wants to learn more about their skin and sort through the confusion about skin care. That’s pretty much everyone, so go out and get this book! …
“The New Science of Perfect Skin” by Daniel Yarosh, PH.D., Broadway Books, New York, 2008.
The author, Daniel Yarosh, is the brains behind AGI Dermatics, a company that makes a high-end line of skin care products that goes by the name of Remergent (No , I don’t carry this product line, but dermatologist Gary Novatt, M.D. here in Santa Barbara does). Although understandably supportive of his own line of products, and others containing AGI Dermatic’s compounds, Yarosh is not over the top about it, and has good (and bad) things to say about many other competing products as well. He explains the science of skin care well, on a level that is easily understandable, and pulls no punches when commenting on many of the too-good-to-b
