Update in Aesthetic Dermatology, Introduction

UPDATE IN AESTHETIC DERMATOLOGY

Update in Aesthetic Dermatology, Introduction

Sep
2006
Vol. 25. No. 3
Kenneth R Beer, MD

In 1982, when the Food and Drug Administration approved injectable collagen for soft-tissue augmentation, the era of esthetic dermatology was born. In the decades that ensued, updates in esthetic dermatology largely consisted of new methods to cross-link bovine collagen or different methods of injecting it into various locations. When the Carruthers first reported the use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of dynamic rhytids in 1992, the next era of esthetic dermatology was begun. The use of botulinum toxins ignited interest within the dermatology community to explore the possibilities for nonsurgical esthetic improvement. This interest coincided with new techniques for performing liposuction that made the procedure safer and more effective, lasers that for the first time targeted specific components of the epidermis and dermis, injectable soft-tissue augmentation products that have increased persistence, cosmeceuticals based on a molecular understanding of aging skin and a host of other products, procedures and, perhaps most importantly, attitudes among physicians with respect to what can and cannot be done to enhance and improve appearance.

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