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SCROTOX: The latest Botox craze for 2016

We all know there are many uses for Botulinum Toxin, commonly known as Botox. However there is a bold new craze for 2016 coined ‘Scrotox’. This is the method of injecting Botox into your scrotum with the aim to boost the size and smooth the wrinkly male privates, but just how risky is it? In the past decade, the number of men undergoing cosmetic surgery has doubled and there is seemingly an increasing demand for this new non-surgical procedure.

What is Scrotox?

This Botox treatment, costing around £2,800, claims to:

  • reduce sweating
  • reduce wrinkles
  • increase the size of the scrotum by ‘inflating’ deflated balls

According to experts, over the last year the number of men enquiring about Scrotox has doubled.

This ‘facelift for your scrotum’ is said to be highly beneficial for athletes. The Botox is said to help alleviate some of the irritation and discomfort often experienced by cyclists and runners caused by excess sweating and rubbing during their training.

However, after the treatment, some loss of feeling is to be expected. Although it aims to improve the appearance of the scrotum, in many cases, the scrotum has a large amount of loose skin. In these cases, this injectable treatment will not produce optimal results, and experts say you may not get the desired outcome.

Many clinics do not yet offer this procedure due to the complications and risks that come with dealing with the anatomy in this area. However, the procedure is becoming increasingly popular with men intrigued by the philosophy of a smooth scrotum, and willing to undergo treatment below the belt.

So… is it worth the risk?

Botox training at Cosmetic Courses

Although we are not training in this particular use for Botulinum Toxin we do offer a range of Botox training courses for facial rejuvenation. If you are medically qualified as a doctor, dentist or nurse and are interested in finding out more about our training courses, please feel free to contact our course co-ordinators.

 

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Allergan Vs Valeant – the takeover saga continues

Who knew a takeover bid in the pharma industry would be so thrilling? The battle between Allergan Vs Valeant is shaping up like an epic tennis match, with shot after shot screaming back over the net.

The last was from Valeant, who announced they were seeking to bypass Allergan’s board of Directors and take their hostile bid directly to shareholders.

But now Botox maker Allergan have hit a blistering return. To head off the $53 billion hostile takeover bid, the board are preparing a slew of measures – including taking on debt to buy back their own shares.

Also on the table is a plan to make acquisitions of its own (anything Valeant can do…), as well as a round of spending cuts to increase shareholder value, according to Chief Executive David Pyott.

The hope is that these measures will be enough to persuade shareholders that Allergan is better off going it alone.

It’s thought that Allergan will officially reveal their masterplan when they release their second-quarter results later this month. But even then it seems the battle won’t be over.

Valeant have hit back, saying they already have enough shareholders on side to call a meeting to try and replace Allergan board members with nominees who support their takeover bid. They need the support of shareholders who hold at least 25% of the company’s shares.

Financial Analyst Ronny Gal says that while it’s possible for Allergan to swing things in their favour, they will find it challenging.

“When I run my numbers, a buyback alone doesn’t quite cut it. A buyback plus another round of cost cuts, or the acceleration of the discussed cost savings, does.”

An acquisition could help them, according to Gal, but only if it increases their profits – and quickly. To win round short-term investors, he says, Allergan needs to deliver another $10 per share in 2015 or $11 per share in 2016.

Get comfortable. Allergan Vs Valeant is going to run and run…

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Valeant seeking to bypass Directors to ‘seal the deal’ for Botox maker Allergan

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.

 

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Is that illegal Botox in your face? Not sure really…

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! 

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Illegal Botox causes Australian health scare

Several patients seeking Botox treatment at a beauty clinic in Perth, Australia were horrified to discover their treatment had been performed by an unregistered nurse using illegally imported Botox.

The revelation came after an investigation carried out in response to a customer complaint. The relevant state department has advised all patients who visited the clinic (Pastel Skin and Body Care) for Botox treatment to contact a public health nurse for a check-up.

They stressed that Botox, or Botulinum Toxin, is a prescription-only medicine, and as such must only be administered by a registered medical professional.

Deputy Chief Health Officer of West Australia, Andrew Robertson, confirmed that the patients given illegal Botox injections had bought their anti-wrinkle treatment via internet shopping sites – the biggest in Australia being cudo.com.au and deals.com.au.

Talking about the problem of tracking down all the people affected, he said: “Where possible, West Australia Health is contacting all of the clinic’s clients who have been given injections, but information on some clients is limited”.

Dr Robertson encouraged all patients who had received Botox treatment at the clinic within the last year – and not received a letter or email from the Health Department – to contact the West Australia Public Health Nurse.

He reiterated that anyone having Botox should ensure that their treatment was being carried out at a licensed clinic by a trained health practitioner – this being the best way to avoid the risk of receiving Botox of unknown provenance, and eliminate the chance of cross-infection.

Cosmetic Courses offers a wide range of accredited aesthetic courses, including Botox training, to registered medical professionals from around the world across of six state of the art training clinics, both online and offline. For information on any of our training courses, please don’t hesitate to email our team at [email protected] or give us a call on 01844 390110.

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17% of Mancunians would have Botox by unqualified practitioners

A Manchester clinic has undertaken research in to consumer opinion, on where and by whom people would undergo non-invasive cosmetic procedures. The results are quite startling – with a sizable minority happy to undergo work by those who are not specifically trained for the task at hand.

On the heels of the Keogh review, whose recommendations are yet to be implemented, many practitioners and clinics are keen to make their credentials clear and to advise those who are looking for treatment that it is always preferable to have it carried out by those uniquely qualified for a specific treatment. What is clear from this group of surveyed participants however is that the general public themselves are worryingly blasé about who treats them.

In the survey 16% admitted they would undertake non-invasive body-sculpting by someone who was not qualified to carry it out. 17% said that they would be happy to have Botox administered or dentist work carried out by someone who was not qualified to do so.

A minority were also unfussy as to where they had the treatments carried out, with a quarter happy to visit a beauty salon for non-invasive treatments and 5% who would be willing to do it at a friend’s house. A similar number would be willing to have their treatment carried out in their own home.

The problem with having procedures carried out by those who are unqualified, and with not being in a clinical environment whilst doing so is not just that the likelihood of things going wrong is greater. If something requires urgent medical assistance then there is no immediate back up for that and the customer will have to seek medical help elsewhere. There is also no accountability if something does go wrong.

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Pharmaceutical giant in hot water for alleged improper marketing of Botox

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has come under fire in China for allegedly marketing Botox through improper practices, as well as being investigated for possible tax and invoice fraud.

The Wall Street Journal earlier this week reported that investigations are being carried out on the corporate behemoth for possible bribery and corruption, in a planned marketing strategy to boost sales in the emerging market. They claim to have seen evidence of emails targeted at 48 doctors which include cash and other incentives as a reward for prescribing Botox for therapeutic reasons.

The marketing strategy even took the name of a Russian World War II sniper, ‘Vasily’, after Vasily Zaytsev, with communication regarding the incentives supposedly sent to and from the private email addresses of GSK’s sales personnel.

GlaxoSmithKline have responded by announcing their own internal investigation and say initial findings show there has been no improper sales and marketing conduct carried out by sales staff at their organisation. A spokesperson for GSK in London announced:

“…we are investigating these new claims. However, our inquiries to date have found no evidence of bribery or corruption in relation to our sales and marketing of therapeutic Botox in China”

“GSK has some of the toughest compliance procedures in the sector. We are proud of our high standards and operate in accordance with them.”

GSK’s distribution of Botox in China is for therapeutic use (such as facial spasms) rather than cosmetic use ie. for the treatment of wrinkles.

Cosmetic Courses offer a wide range of aesthetic training courses to medical professionals. For information on any of our courses, contact the team on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

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