Nearly 20 years ago, I watched the former Chairman of Plastic Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian, Dr. Norman Hugo, place a needle in the forehead of a woman with an electric wire attached so that he was sure it was in the muscle. The solution he injected was Botox, a medication that relaxes muscles. Now, Botox is a household name used by many, a billion dollar drug with many uses. Erasing dynamic lines, stopping sweating, relaxing muscles, treating lazy eyes, and the list goes on.

The techniques for using the muscle relaxers have advanced, and good predictable results can be obtained. Since I opened Yager Esthetics in 1997, the price of botox for physicians has gone up significantly, mainly due to demand and a lack of other similar products. All of this changed when Dysport, another Botox-like product hit the market about 2 years ago. I have used this product, and find it also works well, with pricing similar to Botox.

On November 1, 2011, a new product from Merz comes out-Xeomin. It is supposed to work as effectively as Botox, but with a true reduction in cost that I can pass along to my patients. I have been chosen as one of the first centers to receive the product. It will not be available to other doctors until February, 2012. It is FDA approved with the same indications as the other products.

I will update you with the results in 4-6 months, or you can call the office to be among the first to try Xeomin. I am very excited about its potential.

image: Istockphoto.com