|
|
Beauty Attracts Some Venture-Capital Beholders
Wall Street Journal
October 13, 2007; Page B1
Consider it another beauty myth shattered.
Venture capitalists have tended to shy away from investing in the vanity niche -- wrinkle-erasing or flab-zapping concoctions and devices -- a field better known for hype than scientific innovation. But with people spending more of their disposable income on beautifying themselves, investors are starting to express more interest in products like these
The success of the antiwrinkle drug Botox, which hit $1 billion in sales last year, has fueled much of this interest. At the same time, cosmetic lasers and other skin-treatment devices are gaining popularity in doctors' offices, shopping malls and holiday resorts. As a result, the so-called cosmetic-medicine market, though still small, is starting to attract traditional technology and life-sciences investors.
An array of venture-capital firms ranging from giant Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to influential firms such as Polaris Venture Partners poured a total of about $130 million into cosmetic medicine last year, up from about $41 million in 2005, according to the National Venture Capital Association, though that figure is rough because the business is relatively new and still fragmented.
|
 Be Careful Down ThereBarbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert
Sep 4, 2007
As more women undergo cosmetic vaginal procedures, experts warn that such surgery may not be safe or effective.
We've become a society obsessed with the quest for physical perfection. If you don't like the nose (or ears or lips or breasts) you were born with, there's a solution: find a doctor and get it fixed. Last year Americans underwent nearly 11 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. That's an increase of 7 percent from the previous year and more than 400 percent from a decade ago. Clearly, the idea of altering nature's plan for your appearance is now widely accepted. But are there parts of your body that should be off limits?
Some doctors think so. Last week the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Gynecologic Practice issued a statement to its members warning about the dangers of trying to create "designer vaginas" through procedures that purport to trim and slim the vaginal lips, tighten the vagina or add extra bounce to the G-spot with injectable materials like collagen. Over the past few years these procedures have been marketed in magazines and over the Internet largely as boosts to sexual satisfaction, turning labiaplasty (the technical name for surgery that snips the vaginal lips or labia) into one of the fastest-growing procedures. Labiaplasty is sometimes necessary for medical reasons--if there's a problem with urination, for example. But doctors say those cases are not the reason for the surge. Although there are no firm numbers on how many procedures were performed last year, doctors around the country report more and more requests from patients for purely cosmetic changes. When there's no medical reason for these surgeries, they're not covered by insurance and can cost patients as much as $10,000.
Not so long ago, the main clientele for cosmetic vaginal procedures was sex workers and nude entertainers, but with the increasing popularity of bikini waxes, women have become more aware of the appearance of their vaginas, and a growing number seem to feel they don't measure up.
For complete article go to :
|
 Aestheticians Who Get in Your FaceBy BETH LANDMAN
Published: October 11, 2007
WHEN Isabel Dassinger arrived at Townhouse Spa with its mother-of-pearl walls and roaring fireplace, she was anticipating an afternoon of coddling. But just as Ms. Dassinger, 50, had relaxed under a heated blanket, the rebuke of her facialist, Julie Lindh, put her on edge. "If you don't stay out of the sun and use the products I suggest," Ms. Lindh warned, "you will have saggy skin, jowls, and look like someone's grandmother in a couple of years."
Ms. Dassinger, who runs a healing center in Montclair, N.J., was aghast. "At first I thought she was kidding," she said. "She wasn't."
Still, Ms. Dassinger returned for another appointment and now visits Ms. Lindh monthly because she relies on her high-tech solutions and tell-it-like-it-is diagnoses. "There is a nicer way she could deliver her comments, but you get used to it," said Ms. Dassinger, who has her skin stimulated with an ultrasound machine. "Julie gets away with talking to people like that because she makes your skin look amazing."
In the past, facialists basically cleaned pores, applied a mask and rubbed cream on your décolletage. The extent of their expertise was determining whether skin was oily, dry or sensitive.
Now that professional skincare is rife with options, and the goal is often to take years, not simply pollutants from a face, the aesthetician has become the decider. She makes it her business to berate clients who eat poorly, and decides whether to use light-emitting diodes, mild peels or blue, red and green light therapy.
That technological artillery is part of the reason that facialists, once considered subservient worker bees, have won the respect of clients.
"This is the time of the über-aesthetician," said Anna L. Moine, a consultant to the spa industry. "She is becoming the arbiter of your life, a second mother who even tells you what to eat. Some of them are actually dictatorial. These people are being venerated because the new technology has made them vehicles to maintaining the image of youth."
That some aestheticians now work at "medi-spas," where facials are performed under a doctor's auspices, has also added to their credibility in the eyes of customers. The number of so-called medi-spas nationwide has more than tripled, to 976 in 2007, up from 310 in 2006, according to the International Spa Association.
For conmplete article go to:
|
 Breast Cancer Awareness Month
New York - WABC - October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and it seems everywhere you look, people are wearing pink to show their support. And while showing your support, you can also save money. Eyewitness News reporter Michelle Charlesworth has more on the power of pink. What is better than saving money while getting some great stuff, including cashmere, jeans and full body massages? And at the same time, you are giving to breast cancer charities. It's a win, win, win situation. "There are so many breast cancer product out there now," said Jasmine Chang, of "O, The Oprah Magazine." "Anywhere from fashion to beauty products. There's home products. And this is just a great array that we found." Jasmine and the folks at "O" pulled together some pink pieces you might not know about.
A pair of Fidelity Jeans are Jasmine's favorite. They are almost $200 a pair, but $20 goes to charity.
"What they've done was they created this very subtle ribbon motif on the back pocket," she said.
A cashmere sweater from Lauren Hanson sends 100 percent of its $173 purchase price to research. The Polos are $75 from Ralph Lauren, and that's another that sends 100 percent. A brush set from Target that costs $20 also gives the entire amount to charity. That's a great deal for a great cause.
Most other pieces give 5 to 30 percent to charity. A fully adjustable pink bra is $28 from Cleavacious.
There are also rain boots for mommy and daughter and fancy chiffon tops by Rebecca Taylor, including one in the $300 range.
The number of pink ribbon products keeps growing every single year, but there are also services getting involved. At the Oasis Day Spa on Park Avenue, wearing pink is basically like wearing a coupon.
"Ya gotta wear pink, and we want to raise awareness about the fact that October is Breast [Cancer] Awareness Month," said Bruce Schoenberg, of the Oasis Day Spa. "We'll give a 15 percent discount to anybody that comes in wearing pink on Mondays and Wednesdays."
Five percent of all money spent on those days on services or products at the spa, through the entire month of October, goes straight to the American Cancer Society.
There is no exact count on how much pink money has been funneled to charities this way, but we can tell you the company that started the pink craze, Estee Lauder, has now donated more than $150 million.
Don't miss the chance to meet Medical Spa expert, Cheryl Whitman, CEO of beautiful forever Medical Spa Business Consulting when she is a guest speaker at the following:
-American Society of Plastic Surgeons-Plastic Surgery Administration Association and the Association of Plastic Surgery Assistants at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland Saturday, October 27 through Wednesday, October 31st
-On Monday, October 29th and Tuesday, October 30th at 9:40AM Cheryl will be speaking for Care Credit on "Building and Opening a Medispa".
-On Tuesday, October 30th Cheryl will be speaking at 2:30PM where the topic is "How Does the Plastic Surgeon Compete with Medispas in Their Plastic Surgery Administration Association and the Association of Plastic Neighborhood".
Beautiful Forever is happy to announce that we now offer a "Virtual Consulting" Service.
Talk with experts for as little as one hour or buy a package of hours! Get all your questions answered, such as ..How do I choose the right location? How can I increase my bottom line? Is my marketing strategy successful? Have I hired the right staff? Am I getting the most out of my retail line?
|
|