What's Wrong with Botox?

Beyond Botox: 7 Strategies for Sexy, Ageless Skin Without Needles or Surgery
by Ben Kaminsky, Howard Kaminsky

Sexy and ageless skin is possible for a woman at any age - and she doesn't have to resort to invasive treatments like Botox to get it-as long as she cares for her skin properly, says Ben Kaminsky, founder of B. Kamins, Chemist and leading authority in helping women's skin look healthy and beautiful. In Beyond Botox, Kaminsky provides a groundbreaking 7-step plan to help skin look younger and sexier... without Botox or surgical procedures. The book's plan is based in science and targeted specifically to women who are searching for a common-sense alternative to eating fish 6 days a week (a la Perricone).

This plan includes scientific secrets on how exercising too vigorously can rob your skin of vitality; how getting 8 hours' sleep for a week will take years off your skin; and how using the right amount of moisturizer (and the right weight of moisturizer) will actually make a difference in how your skin looks and feels. Beyond Botox will not advocate use of only B. Kamins products. Kaminsky will talk about popular products and how to find creams that will make a difference on your skin type.

B. Kamins, Chemist has established itself as THE skincare brand for women in midlife, and this book will establish itself as THE book for women who want vital-looking skin in midlife and beyond.

Chapter 1

Everything They Don't Want You to Know ... and Only a Chemist Will Tell You

You look in the mirror on Monday morning and see the face of a middle-aged woman peering back at you. Who is that tired-looking person? Sure, you're not as young as you used to be ... and the small "laugh lines" around your mouth and eyes don't really bother you too much. They're the signs of a life well lived, right?

But it's your complexion - which always seems dull these days - and those persistent, deeper creases on your forehead that really get you down and make you feel, well, old. Maybe your physician is right. Maybe it's time to look into Botox. But ugh, the idea of injecting a toxin like botulism into your face seems downright foolish. Doesn't Joan in the office know someone who had some awful side effects from that procedure?

Sighing, you hop into the shower, hurriedly dress, grab a bagel and a coffee on the way to the office, and spend the day trying to keep up with the crazy rat race that is your life. At night, despite your best intentions, you forgo the gym to stay late at the office, then you rush home for some takeout with the family before crashing into bed ... and getting up early the next morning to do it all again.

What if I told you that you didn't have to subject yourself to procedures like Botox, Restalin, brow lifts, or other invasive or surgical procedures to have sexy, vibrant, young-looking skin? What if I told you that some doctors - despite their good intentions - actually make big bucks off these types of cosmetic procedures even though there are other, affordable techniques that are even safer and more responsible in the long term? What if I showed you another way to make your skin look beautiful and ageless?

My name is Ben Kaminsky. I am a pharmaceutical and dermatological chemist, cofounder of the cosmeceutical company B. Kamins, Chemist, and president of Odan Laboratories. For more than thirty years, I have been in my laboratory, developing medicines and dermatological preparations that are prescribed by physicians and widely used in hospitals to treat skin conditions and other medical problems. I also formulate very specific cosmeceuticals, the cosmetic products that have healing druglike benefits and are intended as a bridge between the physician's office and traditional cosmetics. My chemist colleagues and I are on the front lines of skin care research: we test new products, develop new formulations, and relay that information to your doctor so he or she can learn about the newest advances in beauty, cosmeceuticals, and skin care.

Although dermatologists and other physicians diagnose skin conditions, most doctors have varying knowledge in how to actually treat skin problems, depending on the courses they took in medical school. In fact, it is the pharmaceutical chemist - the professional who researches and develops the precise formulations - who ultimately understands how to resolve skin disorders safely and effectively and who helps dermatologists and other medical doctors do the same. That's the work that I do every single day, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to bring my findings directly to the consumer - to you - and let you know the truth about what products, procedures, and lifestyle choices really make the most difference for your skin.

The Truth About Botox

Since I started my pharmaceutical career in the early 1970s, we have learned much about skin care and what ingredients are most effective. I have seen tremendous advances in moisturizing materials and in methods to renew aging skin, and we are constantly improving our older formulations to produce revolutionary new products that are far more effective in rejuvenating aging skin and healing dermatological problems than ever before. In particular, we've discovered several topical formulations (i.e., products that can be applied directly to the skin) that are remarkably effective in combating the signs of aging. In addition, certain lifestyle changes (like eating specific foods and maintaining a proper sleep regimen) have dramatic and lasting effects on the skin.

But even as we learn more about what really works to keep skin looking healthy and gorgeous, I have observed an ever-increasing tendency for many physicians and cosmetic dermatologists to turn away from such topical formulations and lifestyle recommendations. Instead, many medical doctors lean toward invasive procedures to rejuvenate aging skin, such as the currently trendy injections of Botox. Botox, as you surely know by now, is a highly diluted and purified form of botulinum toxin (a neurotoxin that causes botulism). When injected into the skin, Botox temporarily reduces the ability of the underlying muscles to contract and crease the skin.

These days, it's hard to open a magazine or turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for Botox or hearing about a glamorous Hollywood star who has reportedly used the procedure. Because of a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, the money to be made from providing Botox, and, yes, the procedure's sometimes dramatic short-term effects, we are left with the impression that Botox is the cure-all for revitalizing aging skin.

The results, admittedly, can be dramatic ... in the short term. In the past five years, the use of Botox has caught the imagination of numerous physicians who now offer it to their patients, both young and old, as a "quick fix" wrinkle treatment. However, I strongly believe that not everyone is a candidate for such an invasive procedure, and I respectfully but firmly disagree with those doctors who tout Botox as the only effective long-term solution. The effects of Botox are temporary - and in some cases even harmful - and this type of quick fix is not the secret to long-lasting, beautiful skin. I believe that there's a safer and ultimately more effective alternative.

What goes underreported about Botox is the fact that, as with all relatively new procedures, there are certain risks involved. Many times these Botox injections can even cause unwanted side effects. For instance, some patients have the tendency to bleed and bruise easily. They also may be slow to heal, allergic to the injected ingredients, or have difficulty with the topical anesthetics. Although it happens rarely, there is a risk that the doctor slips a bit when injecting Botox - and the consequences of this can be dire. The worst that can happen is that you won't be able to raise your eyelids all the way, or, if the shot was near the mouth (which is unapproved usage according to the FDA), you could be left drooling. If this occurs, you would have to wait for the toxin to wear off, which can take several months. Moreover, because the toxin actually paralyzes the muscles that cause deep frown lines, even if the doctor did a perfect job, you might not be able to frown, raise your eyebrows, or squint. This could lead to a diminished range of facial expressions, so you might want to consider that too.

And if your wrinkles and/or sagging skin are resulting from loss of elasticity that occurs with aging, sun exposure, and smoking, sometimes Botox won't work at all. There are other treatments for such conditions. Just keep in mind that Botox isn't a miraculous cure for all wrinkles.

In addition to checking to make sure you're not allergic to any of the ingredients in Botox Cosmetic, you should not use Botox if you have an infection where you want it injected, or if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant. Also discuss with your doctor any medications you're taking. And though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Botox Cosmetic to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (called glabellar lines), the FDA also warns that "the most common adverse events following injection are headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, blepharoptosis (droopy eyelids), and nausea. Less frequent adverse reactions (less than 3 percent of patients) included pain in the face, redness at the injection site, and muscle weakness. These reactions were generally temporary, but could last several months. Because Botox Cosmetic is a prescription drug, it must be used carefully under medical supervision." For a supposedly "safe" elective procedure, this is scary stuff!

Despite all the press and hype, only 2 percent of women in the United States used Botox last year. The other 98 percent went "beyond Botox," instead opting for noninvasive topical treatments and healing lifestyle therapies to resolve problematic or aging skin.

The bottom line is this: Botox is not the cure-all for sun-damaged skin or the wrinkles associated with aging; there are other alternatives.

Copyright © 2006 by Ben Kaminsky and Howard Kaminsky

About the Author

Ben Kaminsky, a graduate of the Faculte de Pharmacie de Universite de Montreal, is a preeminent pharmaceutical and dermatological chemist who has developed medicines for physicians and dermatologists all across North America for more than 30 years. He is a member of numerous professional pharmaceutical societies. He resides in Montreal.

Howard Kaminsky was the president and publisher of three major publishing houses: Warner Books, Random House, and William Morrow/Avon. Also the author of several screenplays, four novels (cowritten with his wife, Susan), and numerous magazine articles, he lives in New York City and Connecticut.