The world of aesthetics is a creative place. New treatments, or twists on existing treatments, are shaking up the industry every day.

But with so many new procedures making their way to market, it’s fair to say that not every innovation is going to be a keeper. Here are a few of the wackier developments that have found their way into salons, spas and clinics around the world.

1. Fire Facial

Not for the faint-hearted. Originating in China, where the treatment is known as Huo Liao, the fire facial involves placing a towel soaked in a special elixir on a patient’s skin, and setting it on fire. Yes really. The flames are thought to stimulate cell generation, eventually culminating in younger and healthier looking skin – providing there’s some left.

2. Leech Detox

Popular in the spas of Austria, leech detox (as the name suggests) involves the precise application of leeches all over the body to suck out impurities in the blood, leaving the skin radiant and clear – without having to live on mung beans and wheatgrass shots. The treatment is popular with Hollywood stars including Demi Moore, who revealed her penchant for the unusual treatment on The Letterman Show.

3. Sand Burial

Yes, it sounds like a primitive form of torture, but it’s actually a popular rejuvenating and detoxifying treatment in several countries, particularly Egypt and Japan. The patient is buried in warm sand so the heat from the sun, or sometimes hot underground springs ( as is the case in Japan), gradually soothes the muscles and joints, as well as helping the patient sweat out toxins to improve the condition of the skin. The treatment is thought to be particularly beneficial for those suffering from arthritis and rheumatism.

4. Snail Facial

Why use expensive creams when snail snot will do? The slimy secretions from our shell-dwellin’ friends contain a powerful cocktail of hyaluronic acid, antioxidants and proteins thought to help soften and smooth the skin. During a snail facial, the skin is thoroughly cleansed before live (organically farmed) snails are let loose on a patient’s face, spreading their moisturising elixir wherever they go. This treatment is currently available in the UK, having made its way over from Japan. Really slowly.

5. Placenta Facial

And while we’re talking controversial facials, how about this one. The placenta face mask contains stem cells harvested from a sheep’s placenta, which are thought to promote collagen production, tighten the skin, clear acne – and even boost brain power. Quite the cure-all. The treatment started life in China and is now available in the UK and New Zealand.

If you don’t fancy adding any of those treatments to your repertoire, we’ve plenty of other aesthetic training courses you can choose from instead. Call us on 01844 390110 or email [email protected] for details.

This is the story that just won’t go away. We recently wrote about Botox maker Allergan rejecting a takeover bid by Canadian pharmaceutical company Valeant. But it seems Valeant have rhino hide, and won’t be letting rejection put them off.

It’s been reported that the conglomerate will this week launch an exchange offer for Allergan Inc, which will allow them to bypass the board of Directors and take their hostile bid directly to shareholders.

Allergan has already rejected Valeant’s $53 billion offer, but the company’s largest shareholder, Pershing Square Capital Management, has indicated it will be seeking a special meeting later this year to change most of Allergan’s board.

To trigger the meeting, Pershing needs to ensure the support of 25% of Allergan’s shareholders – an increase of 15.3% on its own holding of 9.7%.

Despite the challenge ahead, Valeant’s Chief Financial Officer Howard Schiller is bullish about their chances of shoring up the support. He pointed out that more than 50% of Allergan’s shares have traded since news of Valeant’s offer first leaked out on 21st April.

Talking about the controversy surrounding their approach to Allergan, Valeant’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Pearson, said:

“Hostile is not our preferred approach. But this deal was so strategic and financially compelling that it really makes sense.”

It increasingly seems that it’s a question of when, not if, this deal will finally go ahead.

 

We recently reported on the scandal of illegal Botox being used in Australia. And now worrying findings in the UK have revealed that more than five in six people who have had Botox treatment admit to having essentially no idea what was injected into their face.

An alarming 84% of Botox patients questioned admitted they didn’t know what product was used on them when they had treatment. Nor did they know for sure whether it even contained the essential ingredient that makes the treatment effective – Botulinum toxin.

Other findings in the national study, carried out by a large cosmetic surgery group, included the fact that nearly a third (29%) of respondents said they had undergone illegal Botox treatment at a local beauty salon, 10% had Botox injections at home or at a friend’s house, and 3% were treated at a Tupperware-style beauty treatment party.

In keeping with these findings, and perhaps most worryingly of all, many of those questioned admitted they had no idea if the person administering their treatment was appropriately trained to perform the procedure.

But amid all these horrifying stats, there is perhaps a little hope on the horizon. Almost two-thirds of respondents (62%) who had either had or considered having non-surgical treatments agreed that the industry was not properly regulated, or that enough was being done to protect people having non-surgical treatments.

Tighter regulation can’t come soon enough.

Who are Cosmetic Courses?

Cosmetic Courses is the UK’s leading and longest established aesthetic training provider developed by Plastic Surgeon Mr Adrian Richards. We have 6 state of the art training clinics across the UK and over 50 online and offline courses available to medical professionals in botox and dermal fillers. Cosmetic Courses have trained over 8000 delegates to date.

To find out more about our aesthetic training courses for medical professionals please click here!