BOTOX is most commonly used by plastic surgeons to reduce the appearance of wrinkles in aging skin. However, this is by no means the extent of its usefulness. For many years, doctors have been experimenting with off-label uses of the product. Off-label uses consist of treatment purposes the drug has not received official FDA approval for. Pharmaceutical companies cannot legally market the drug for these purposes.

One of the more common experimental uses of BOTOX is as a treatment for migraines. Several studies have evaluated the drug's effectiveness in reducing the pain of these devastating headaches. While there is no conclusive evidence that BOTOX is a migraine wonder cure, many patients have experienced a serious reduction in their symptoms and pain after receiving treatments.

Recently, there have been several other potential uses of BOTOX that may indicate that we have a wonder drug on our hands. Consider the following:

• BOTOX has recently been found to clear up acne. Acne is caused by the sebaceous glands in your skin releasing too much oil, also called sebum, into your pores. Bacteria feed off of this sebum, causing an inflammation that you experience as a pimple. BOTOX stops the production of sebum, and as a result, the bacteria in your pores have nothing to feed off of.
  
• BOTOX has been found to cure baldness in some people. This treatment was discovered by accident, when a doctor using BOTOX to treat headaches found that the patient began growing more hair after having the drug injected into her scalp. BOTOX dilates the blood vessels in your scalp, causing an increase in the flow of nutrients to the hair shaft. This stimulates the hair follicles and causes new hair to grow.
  
• Psychologists have been examining the effects of BOTOX on depression. There is growing evidence that your facial expression strongly impacts your mood. Therefore, if you scowl or frown frequently, you will be more likely to feel angry or depressed. If you smile regularly, you will feel happy. For many people, BOTOX injections cause their face to become fixated in a somewhat smiling expression. This has been found to positively improve the mood of these people. Look out Prozac, here comes BOTOX!
  

Of course, there are the more bizarre uses of BOTOX as well. Women have experimented with injecting the drug into their feet to reduce the pain caused by wearing high heels. Perhaps the most off-the-wall use of BOTOX came at the hands of Sharon Stone last fall, when she tried to use it to prevent her 10-year-old child from having smelly armpits.

What will come next? We will have to wait and see. But one thing is clear: just as Windex proved the cure-all for a loud Greek family in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," BOTOX may be the next cure-all for middle- and upper-class American suburbanites across the country. When in doubt, get BOTOX.

If you live in the Phoenix, Arizona area and have a bizarre problem that just won't go away, BOTOX might be the treatment you've been looking for. Please contact the Phoenix plastic surgery office of Dr. Paul Angelchik today to schedule an initial consultation.

Otoplasty is a procedure that reshapes your ears so that they may be more proportional with the rest of your head. During the procedure, a plastic surgeon will shave cartilage off of your ear and then mold it into a more natural shape. The surgery can help change the angle of your ear or reduce its size.

There has been a growing trend in recent years to market this surgery to young children and teenagers. Here is the philosophy being used:

Children are cruel. They will make fun of each other for the slightest imperfection. For children with overly large or disproportional ears, this ridicule can cause severe psychological damage and seriously lower self-esteem. In an attempt to spare your child such a scarring experience, you should have his or her ear reshaped to avoid this torturous mockery at the hands of cruel peers.

I can't fault plastic surgeons for adopting this marketing stance. After all, they are trying to generate clients, and how many adults will actually care enough to have their ears reshaped? However, I find it shocking that parents would buy this marketing ploy hook, line, and sinker.

Kids have been teasing each other about physical imperfections since the dawn of time. It is what they do. To some degree, all children feel awkward and uncomfortable in their bodies -- even those who are considered by their peers to be "attractive." Many children choose to put others down in an attempt to feel better about themselves. That is just human nature when it comes to interactions between children.

The reality is that for generations, children have endured this ridicule and then grown into adulthood without severe self-esteem issues. We all know people from our childhood who were called "Dumbo." Perhaps you were one of them. We all have memories of other children sticking their own ears out in the most overtly protruding manner possible to make fun of their big-eared peers. Perhaps you were one of these people. Perhaps you were simply the person who watched from the sidelines, attempting to stifle your snicker because you felt bad for the child being picked on.

Regardless of what role you played in this incident, you undoubtedly have some memories of a similar experience. We all do. It is part of being a child. Why should we assume that children today are any different?

Fortunately, the vast majority of children with big ears eventually grow into them as they move through adolescence and into adulthood. At this point, the ridicule and mockery stops, and they no longer feel self-conscious about their big ears.

For generations, children have been forced to suck up this cruel treatment due to having big ears. Most of these children become fairly normally adjusted adults -- at least, they are as normally adjusted as anyone else. I guess "normally adjusted" is somewhat of a relative term.

So why is the 21^st Century any different than the 20^th in this regard? Why do children all of a sudden need to be spared this cruel treatment when generations of children emerged from it none the worse?

What kind of a message are you sending to your child if you give him or her plastic surgery to avoid getting picked on at school? Wouldn't you be sending a better message if you sat your child down and explained that what is most important is the person you are on the inside? By having this conversation, you are more likely to raise a child that grows into a beautiful adult -- both inside and out.

While the numbers of children visiting plastic surgeons for otoplasty are growing exponentially, I would like to challenge the parents to reconsider their values and the purpose of this surgery. Is your child better off for it, or are you sending a message to your child that vanity and superficiality trump substance and integrity in life? What are the consequences of sending that message?

Besides, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. If your child gets teased for big ears, he will learn a valuable lesson in life. He will learn how to take such treatment in stride without letting it consume him. This is a good skill to learn at such a young age. Your child will also hopefully learn how it feels to be treated poorly, and decide that he does not want to be responsible for making others feel that way. After all, you never truly understand the impact of your cruel actions until you have been treated cruelly yourself.

If you have read through this entire tirade and still believe that your child should get ear surgery to avoid the ridicule that we've all gone through in the past, please contact
the Naples, Florida plastic surgery office of Dr. Manuel Pena today to schedule a consultation.

The shocking and untimely death of Michael Jackson yesterday afternoon has left the entire world buzzing. People all across the globe have been voicing their reactions, his music has once again dominated the airwaves, and many Internet sites -- including CNN, Google, and Wikipedia -- completely crashed yesterday afternoon as millions across the world tried to gather information about this breaking story.

Michael Jackson certainly had a roller coaster career, achieving heights equaled by only a select few artists and lows that go unrivaled by his peers in the entertainment industry. Sadly, in recent years he has become known more for his eccentric behavior and plastic surgery
nightmares than for his enduring contributions to music. Between his myriad nose jobs, facelifts, and skin bleaching procedures, the King of Pop has also earned the moniker, the King of Bad Plastic Surgery.

Unfortunately, many of the articles reporting his death speak of these forgettable moments. Hopefully, as he is remembered in the weeks to come, people will focus on the positives of his legacy, because it is undeniable that his contributions to the world of music and entertainment rank among the greatest of all time.

In the 1980s, the world of pop music was dominated by Michael Jackson. His Thriller album shattered sales records for the time, selling almost 50 million copies worldwide and holding the number 1 spot for 37 weeks. I was about 7 or 8 years old when the album took the world by storm. I remember it very well. It was one of the first albums that ever had a major impact on me, and probably contributed to my burgeoning interest in music.

Jackson also helped launch MTV into the juggernaut it became during the 80s. His elaborately choreographed music videos became the gold standard for which others aspired to achieve, and his extended-length video for the song "Thriller" has arguably never been paralleled since.

But most important to Jackson's legacy is undoubtedly the doors he opened for other black artists. In his heyday, he was as iconic as the Beatles were in the mid 60s. While there were many black artists before him to achieve widespread success, none reached the levels of Michael Jackson. For the better part of a decade, he was the biggest pop star in the world (hence his nickname), and his style, music, and dance moves were imitated by many others trying to emulate his model of success.

Hopefully, this will be his enduring legacy, and people will forget about the eccentricities that have marred his life and career over the past 15 years. There are hundreds of black musicians, actors, artists, athletes, and politicians who owe a huge debt of gratitude to Michael Jackson. They all benefited by being able to walk through the huge doors opened by Jackson in the early part of his career. Without a doubt, the massive levels of success experienced by many hip hop and R&B artists over the past two decades was largely made possible by the path blazed by Michael Jackson in the early 80s. In many ways, he is the entertainment equivalent of Jackie Robinson or Martin Luther King Jr.

Michael Jackson's death has left a huge void in the music and entertainment world. It is uncertain if we will ever see another entertainer reach his heights and accomplish as much as he did in our lifetime. Hopefully we will, but if we do not, it will only further add to his lofty legacy.

This one falls into the category of "I can't believe how utterly stupid this woman is!"

There is a reason why many people spend enormous amounts of money at their plastic surgeon's office. If you want something done right, you have to pay for it. If you think you can find a way around spending money for quality results, then you are sorely mistaken. Just ask a Minneapolis woman who recently learned this lesson the hard way.

Our protagonist in this bizarre tale, who incidentally wishes to remain anonymous, wanted to make a few cosmetic alterations to her face. She desperately desired fuller lips and smoother skin (her face was riddled with acne scars).

She had received silicone injections from a plastic surgeon about a year and a half ago. While she was very happy with the results, the $2700 bill made her stomach a bit queasy. She was determined to find a better deal this time around.

Rather than go to a board certified plastic surgeon for BOTOX treatments or a collagen filler that would plump up her lips, our protagonist decided that she did not need the skills or experience of an accredited doctor to achieve her results. After all, you are only injecting a liquid into your face. Anyone can do that.

And so she did.

Our protagonist went on the Internet and bought a tube of silicone lube for $10. She then went to her local drug store and purchased a few syringes. She was ready to make her plastic surgery
debut.

I doubt that she read the label on the tube of lube very carefully. Had she taken the time to do so, she would have discovered that the company who made the product warned that the lubricant is for external use only. But then again, maybe our brainiac hero read the label and interpreted external use only as meaning, "Fill a syringe with this stuff and shoot it into your face."

I can only imagine how her pride in saving about $2650 turned to utter disgust when she saw her face in the mirror after giving herself the injections. The pictures on the Internet are utterly hideous. This woman now has pools of lube in her lips and cheekbones. They look puffy, blotchy, and fairly disgusting.

The lube was 100% silicone, and since her previous injections were silicone-based, this brilliant woman just assumed that any old silicone would do the job. Now her disfigurement is 100% permanent, because silicone does not get absorbed by the body.

The woman has recently flown to California to visit a plastic surgeon in a desperate attempt to fix the damage she has done to her face. Most likely, there will be very little he can do for her, and whatever he tries to do will probably cost her much more than the $2700 she would have spent on the original injections.

We have several morals to this story, and they are all somewhat obvious. The first is you get what you pay for. If you really want to improve your appearance, you should spend the money to have a qualified plastic surgeon do the job correctly. Otherwise, you may look much worse after your treatment than you ever did before.

The other moral to this tale is that stupid people should never try to perform plastic surgery procedures on themselves. Most likely, it will not turn out the way you expect it to, and then you will have no one to blame other than yourself and your own utter stupidity.

If you live in the Los Angeles, California area and would like to improve your appearance with some facial fillers, don't do it yourself. Learn from the mistakes of our protagonist and let an expert do the job for you. Please contact the Bray Plastic Surgery Medical Center today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bray.

This is the third and final part of the blog series covering the website MyFreeImplants.com, which was established to help raise money for women to receive free breast augmentation procedures. Women can establish profiles on this site to be viewed by men who are prospective benefactors. The men then donate money to the woman of their choice, sometimes in exchange for photos or videos. When the woman has raised enough money to pay for her breast surgery, the money will be sent directly to the plastic surgeon.

To find out more about the specifics of this website, please read part 1 and part 2 of this blog series.

I'm not sure what to make of this website. Clearly, this is capitalism at its finest, if not its most perverse. These women are truly living the American dream. Get a new set of boobs for free! All you have to do is flirt with some horny guys online and send them some seductive pictures. I'm sure the sexier your photos, the quicker you'll reach your goal.

But what about our generous benefactors? What do they get from this whole process? I'm sure that in some sick way, they get a feeling of satisfaction knowing that they helped improve the life of some stranger, albeit in the most superficial of ways. However, this seems to be rather little to receive in return for heaps of cash. I guess they will always have the photos they received and a few flirtatious email threads to look back on.

I wonder how many men have been unable to pay for gifts for their wives and girlfriends in order to donate money on MyFreeImplants.com. How would you explain that to your wife? "Sorry, honey. I couldn't really get you a birthday present this year. I just gave $500 to help some strange girl get breast implants. You should check out her photos though. She's going to look great with her new boobs." Can you say "divorce"?

In my opinion, this website is wrong on many levels. It speaks to the warped values and priorities of the American people. There is currently a trust set up by the MyFreeImplants.com people holding over $2 million specifically for the purpose of providing women with free breast augmentation. Is there a similar $2 million trust holding money to provide people with health care when they can't pay for it themselves? Is there a trust to help pay for food and shelter for homeless and hungry people? Is there a trust established to help provide supplies to inner city schools that can't pay for new text books and desks? I have not heard of such trusts.

Why are so many men willing to fork over their cash to pay for a stranger's breast implants when they will not donate money to more worthy causes? Furthermore, why is there not a website to help breast cancer victims fund breast reconstruction following a mastectomy? Is that not as equally a worthy cause as giving a suburban housewife the gift of free breast implants? It seems that we may need to re-evaluate our values when a website such as MyFreeImplants.com thrives the way it does while so many Americans are suffering to survive the recession.

However depraved, shallow, or morally bankrupt this website may be, it seems that it is here to stay. For those women who absolutely must get breast augmentation but do not want to go into debt to overhaul their body, this site seems to provide a legitimate opportunity. If you are looking for a handout to make your breast augmentation a reality, it is worth visiting their website.

However, if you live in the Chicago, Illinois area and want to pay for your breast implants on your own, please contact Dr. Otto J. Placik today to schedule your initial consultation. He is board certified and will gladly offer you other financing options so that you do not have to beg for money on the Internet.

This post is part 2 of a 3 part blog series discussing the website MyFreeImplants.com. This website has been created to provide women with a way to raise the money to get breast augmentation for free. Men can become members of the website, which allows them to view the profiles of women seeking free breast implants. They can begin an email communication with their woman (or women) of choice and receive photographs and videos. In exchange, these men donate money to the woman's breast implant fund.

To learn more about the specifics of this program, please read part one of this blog series. And now, for part 2...

You may be wondering what happens to this money once it gets donated. How can these men be certain that their money is actually going to be used for its intended purpose? The co-founders of the site came up with a simple solution to this dilemma.

The women never actually receive any of this money. Their donations are placed into a trust that is managed by Moore and Grunstra. Once a woman reaches her goal, the money is paid directly to the plastic surgeon straight out of the trust. Most women take six or seven months to reach their goal, although for some women, it may take several years. Currently, there is about $2 million in the trust, which collects interest for Moore and Grunstra while it sits in the account waiting to be doled out for breast augmentation procedures.

Women, if you are reading this and are enticed to throw your hat in the ring -- be forewarned. This is not a slam dunk. It requires a great deal of work to raise the money. The more time you spend on the website soliciting and conversing with potential donors, the more likely you are to reach your goal. Out of the 140,000 women who have created profiles since the website started, only 3,500 are still active and only 425 have successfully raised enough money to pay for their breast implants. The rest have given up because they didn't want to put in the work.

The current record is held by a college student. She raised all the money to pay for her surgery in 13 days. She spent 12-14 hours a day on the website one winter break and now she is the proud owner of free breast implants.

Women who receive the free surgery are contractually required to provide "after" photos on the website so that their benefactors can see the results. Don't get too excited folks; the women are fully clothed in these photos. In addition, the women are obligated to continue conversing with their donors for at least six months after surgery.

There will be more to come on this bizarre website in part three of this blog series.

If you live in the Chicago, Illinois area and would like to get breast augmentation, please contact the Chicago breast surgery office of Dr. Otto J. Placik today to schedule a consultation.

We are slogging through a recession, which means that the women of our country must get creative to fund the luxuries that they can no longer afford. If you do not have the money to pay for your breast augmentation and your husband (if you have one) will not splurge to give you the hooters of your dreams, do not fret. There are other ways to achieve your goals, and you may not even have to pay a dime for your surgery.

You will probably not find out about this plastic surgery financing option from your local plastic surgeon. You will probably not hear about this on TV either. There is only one place where you can be the beneficiary of such generosity -- the Internet.

There is a website called MyFreeImplants.com that raises money to pay for women's breast implants. You do not have to qualify to become a recipient of this generosity. Any woman, no matter how much money she has in the bank, can receive this service. All you need is the diligence to see your fundraising through to its completion.

This website was created in 2005 by two men who got the idea at a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The cocktail waitress at the club they were at mentioned that she was saving money for breast implants. By the end of the night, the bachelor party group had raised $750 for her cause.

The wheels began turning in the brains of Jay Moore and Jason Grunstra on that fateful night in Las Vegas. When they returned to California at the end of the weekend, they hatched the plan for MyFreeImplants.com. Co-founder Jay Moore has called his website a "boob bank." Earlier this year, Moore quit his day job and now runs the website full time. Both Moore and Grunstra expect to make six figures from the site this year.

For an aspiring woman, membership on the website is free, although it is highly recommended that you use a pseudonym and do not disclose information that is overly personal, such as home addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses. Furthermore, women are not supposed to meet their benefactors. This is a strict cash exchange between strangers with no chance of it developing into anything more.

Once you set up your account, you can post photos of yourself, write blog entries, share videos, or include any other material that may make you more desirable to potential benefactors. Of course, this is not a porn site, so ladies -- try to keep your posts clean. At the very least, keep them PG-13.

The men lurking on the site will have to shell out some cash to participate. At minimum, you must pay for "message credits" to be able to speak to the lovely ladies. These cost $1.20 per message, and $1 of this will go to pay for the woman's plastic surgery. For a $9.95 per month membership fee, you can become a full-fledged benefactor. Your membership will give you several free message credits and access to the profiles of every woman registered on the site.

Benefactors can give donations to their favorite women with no strings attached, or they can negotiate a trade for their cash. It is not uncommon for the men to request custom photos or videos in exchange for their money. It seems that for the men, this site fulfills a voyeuristic fantasy -- for a price.

Currently, there are approximately 2,000 men paying monthly fees to this website. Of course, once you pay the fee, you will most likely be spending considerably more money to help fund the breast surgery for the woman or women of your choice. While the average donation is $30, there are men who give a lot more. One man reportedly donated the entire cost of a woman's surgery.

There will be more to come about MyFreeImplants.com later this week. This is a three-part blog series. Part two should be posted tomorrow for your viewing pleasure.

In the meantime, if you live in the Chicago, Illinois area and are considering breast augmentation, please contact the Illinois plastic surgery office of Dr. Otto J. Placik to schedule your initial consultation.