Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty Surgery Blog

Facial Plastic Surgeons should be more interested in ethnic rhinoplasty because the number of interested African Americans, East Asians, and Hispanics is rising dramatically! It still represents a minority of most rhinoplasty practices, though. Ethnic rhinoplasty requires a totally different view of aesthetics, principles, and tools to achieve appropriate augmentation and definition. A dramatic change in a profile pic after shaving down a big bump is probably the easiest thing to do in rhinoplasty. So, you see surgeons’ websites full of these examples. (Hint: look for a surgeon who shows you the other views too…the front view and three quarter views are often the most important because that is how the world sees you). The differences in skin thickness, cartilage consistency, and other factors in ethnic patients can often mean that it is harder to achieve a dramatic change. Most ethnic patients have a tendency towards thicker skin combined with softer, less distinct cartilage. A lot more grafting is required than in a typical primary reduction rhinoplasty that makes a nose smaller. But, if you see a rhinoplasty specialist, the type of pleasing, balanced result you are looking for should be achievable. You just might have to dig a little deeper to find a surgeon with lots of experience in Augmentation Rhinoplasty.

Is Botox safe during pregnancy

There was a disturbing article regarding news from Australia about an expectant mother who in 2005 was treated in her first week of pregnancy with a botox rival, Dysport, and gave birth to a baby who was deaf and blind. The report goes on to say that the Australian version of the FDA, released documents last month detailing the case including a report from the manufacturer of Dysport which states there may be a “possible” link with the drugs usage during pregnancy and the unfortunate outcome.

Now for those of you in the states a few things should be known:
1. There are a lack of controlled studies into the effects of Botox on pregnant women and their unborn children, therefore it is impossible to say conclusively either way whether it is safe.
2. For the sake of erring on the side of caution, Botox’s manufacturers recommend that it is not used on either pregnant women or nursing mothers.
3. As with the effects during pregnancy, there is a lack of information on whether Botox injections can pass the toxin into breast milk.

There have been a number of animal studies in rabbits and rodents which show that in high doses, there is a link between botulinum toxin and low birth weight, problems with bone development, and even possible miscarriage. It should be highlighted that the doses used in the animal studies were far more than anyone would get for cosmetic or medicinal purposes.

Here in the US, no physician we know would do botox in a pregnant patient for cosmetic purposes. The reason is simple, if there isn’t enough information to know conclusively that it is not a possibility, it simply is not done. It should be noted again however, that if you have had botox recently and now find out that you are pregnant, the chances of this being a problem is exceedingly low- the amount of botox normally injected is simply not enough to circulate and cross the placenta in a high enough concentration to cause any problems. In fact, there is one case study out of Tennessee of a woman with cervical dystonia, a muscular disorder, who underwent 4 apparently uncomplicated full term pregnancies while receiving botox treatments regularly for her disorder.

The point is while there is little chance of this being a problem, if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant in the near future you should tell your doctor before undergoing any treatment.