For news of celebrities and cosmetic medicine, visit the “In Your Face” blog

“Skin of the Stars” was an experiment in creating a blog about celebrities and cosmetic medicine.

It now has been superseded by the blog “In Your Face,” which provides a daily supply of news about how celebrities are using or shunning procedures ranging from Botox injections to face lifts.

If you’re interested (and why else would you be reading this?), visit “In Your Face” and bookmark it so you can return to it daily.

A sampling of recent “In Your Face” posts is at right.

Poll — Does Priscilla Presley’s face look fake or fabulous?

The medically altered face of “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Priscilla Presley leaves doctors and viewers divided.

I’ve written an article about what doctors have to say, with a poll you can contribute to.

In voting so far, readers say her face looks:

• Fake (77)
• Fine for a 62-year-old (14)
• Fabulous (4)
• Forgettable (3)

Ali Lohan, Stallone, Gifford, Dolly Parton

ON THE FACE OF IT

This week’s celebrities who have changed their looks.

Ali Lohan, 14-year-old sister of Lindsay Lohan.

An aging Sylvester Stallone

Kathie Lee Gifford, who is scheduled to join the Today show on April 7.

Sources: Celebslam, Awfulplasticsurgery.com

BEAUTY BLOGGING

The Beauty Brains (Real Scientists Answer Your Beauty Questions) focuses on Is Pantene putting plastic in your hair?

The idea that it coats your hair with plastic is a myth started by stylists to keep you from buying salon products. (BTW, Pantene contains silicone, not plastic.).”

OH, OH, DOLLY

Dolly Parton – Plastic Surgery on American Idol is a focus for plastic surgeon Dr. Tony Youn

She has nary a wrinkle on her face, but somehow looks much better than Joan Rivers, who appears to have had a similar amount of work done. This may be because her plastic surgeons have focused on addition of volume to her face in addition to tightening of the skin. I thought she looked radiant. She’s such a musical legend, a sweet, cute woman. I wouldn’t want my mom to look like her, but it sure works for Dolly!

WRINKLE-FREE ANIMALS

Botox and animal testing is the topic for Plasticized.com.

We received an email asking about animal testing and Botox. Yes, it’s true that Allergan tests their batches of Botox on animals to determine the LD50 as a quality control measure . Recently, Allergan came out with a statement about FDA approval for a revised assay to reduce the overall number of tested animals. Although Botox is used most commonly for cosmetic reasons, it is a manufactured drug also used for medical conditions, and animal testing is not uncommon in these cases.

Blog buzz — prostitute, Lara Flynn Boyle, dandruff and facial exercises

This is an experiment to see whether a roundup of blog posts would work well.

This week’s buzz about cosmetic medicine touched on actress Lara Flynn Boyle; Ashley Youman, prostitute linked to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer; and bad advice on dandruff and wrinkle-fighting face exercises. A sampling from blogs related to dermatology and plastic surgery:

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Plasticized.com

· Facial resistance training

There are enough bogus ’systems’ out there to fill up a blog on an hourly basis. Here’s one more: Flex Effect Facial Resistance Training. There is absolutely no way that the claims made by this website are legitimate. … Droopy upper eyelid skin can not be corrected by facial exercises. Never.

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Awful Plastic Surgery: A chronicle of celebrity plastic surgery

· Is Eliot Spitzer’s escort Ashley Youman worth $1000 an hour?

Ashley Youman attempted to make herself even more attractive (what she started out with was not shabby) by getting rhinoplasty and breast implants. .

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The Beauty Brains: Real Scientists Answer Your Beauty Questions

· Is Your Stylist Lying To You?

Courtney’s question: I was reading a magazine article about natural remedies for dandruff and was shocked that the article quoted a hairstylist saying that SLS in shampoo causes dandruff. “That’s impossible” I thought, having been a loyal reader of your blog. It seems that stylists always seem to be handing out this bogus advice about how hair works without any scientific evidence to back it up. Is this just bad training or a conspiracy to sell product?

You’re right about SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), Courtney. It does not cause dandruff. The real cause is a complex combination of hyperactive skin cells and the effect of a fungus. (For more details…

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Truth in Cosmetic Surgery blog by plastic surgeon Dr. John DiSaia, San Clemente, Calif.

· Eliot Spitzer – The Fall of a Demon-crat

I find it surprising that a request came in for my take on the Spitzer thing. It must have become clear in my ramblings that I do not like hypocritical politicians, but then again who does. [Photos of his hooker] make it apparent (although no body shots are present) that this gal was not a supermodel, but a cute next door type. She could have used a nose job. See how I put at least something about plastic surgery in the post. And I don’t even do nose jobs!

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Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery blog by plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn of Michigan

· Lara Flynn Boyle

Lara Flynn Boyle is making an appearance on Law and Order (my wife’s favorite show, which I can’t stand !). Her lips look large (they have for years) but her face appears a bit more filled out. It’s possible she may have had fat grafting or Sculptra to volumize her face, but she may also have gained a few pounds. She was dreadfully thin when she dated Jack Nicholson.

Kelly Rowland explains her decision to get breast implants

Singer Kelly Rowland had plastic surgery in October to increase her bust size from an A-cup to a B-cup, she told People magazine.

Before and after photos are on my “Inside Innovation” blog.

Rowland, 27, who sang with Beyoncé in the group Destiny’s Child, said she took a long time to decide to have breast implants.

“It is a decision I made for myself. I like it, and that’s all that counts. For young people: Think about it before you just jump off and do something (you may regret later),” she said.

Vanessa Williams, Botox fan

Feb. 24, 2008 — Add actress-singer Vanessa Williams to the list of admitted Botox fans.

“I certainly do Botox, which I definitely think that almost every woman that I know has,” she told ABC interviewer Barbara Walters in today’s Oscar-night show.

“And it’s a miracle drug, no cutting, nothing …“ Williams, 44, who currently stars in the show “Ugly Betty,” won the Miss America pageant at age 20. She was born March 18, 1963.

After Penthouse magazine ran nude photos of her, she was forced to resign as Miss America. She later launched a recording career, including the albums “The Comfort Zone” and “The Sweetest Days.” As an actress, she co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Eraser” in 1996. Other roles, listed by IMDB.com, included “Soul Food” (1997), “Shaft” (2000) and the Broadway musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

Much more about celebrities and plastic surgery here:
http://innovation.freedomblogging.com/technology-and-the-stars-celebrity-corner/
and here:
http://www.ocregister.com/celebritymed

Sylvester Stallone — HGH user and role model?

Sylvester Stallone defends his use of human growth hormone, which helped him get buff for the new “Rambo” movie.

Does that make Stallone a bad role model for boys and young men? Answer that question in this reader survey, which is accompanied by more information about Stallone.

For complete coverage of cosmetic medicine, see the Register’s Cosmetic Medicine Web page.

For coverage of celebrities’ use of cosmetic medicine, see the Register’s Celebrities and Cosmetic Medicine Web page.

For breaking news and comment, see the posts in the Cosmetic Medicine category of the “Inside Innovation” blog. To add those posts to your RSS reader, use this URL.

‘Real Housewife’ typifies breast-implant problems

Tamra Barney’s breast implants have plastic surgeons talking, as the Bravo network celebrity shines a spotlight on the problem of implants that women discover are defective or the wrong size.

Barney, one of the “Real Housewives of Orange County,” revealed in Tuesday’s episode that she had her breast implants downsized because they were attracting unwanted attention – and straining her neck and back.

Breast-implant replacements like Barney’s are a common operation, both because many implants rupture and because many women decide that they want a different size of implant.

But they’re a type of operation that can be problematic, doctors say, especially if women don’t know what to expect. …

(READ MORE)

Four famous pairs of lips — Simpson, Hilton, Lohan, Spears

The latest in lips – that’s a topic People magazine focuses on in its Dec. 17 issue. Here’s the rundown on four celebrities the magazine highlights:

Jessica Simpson (shown in 2006 photo): Restylane injection in 2005, but nothing since then, says her representative.

Paris Hilton: Plump lips, but her representative says she had no work done.

Lindsay Lohan: Her lips aren’t boosted by cosmetic medicine, but by cosmetics containing lip-stimulating herbs such as cinnamon and ginger, according to a spokesperson. “She’s a fan of Lip Venom lip plumper.”

Britney Spears: “She enhanced them a tad,” a source told People.

For the latest news and analysis about trends in aesthetic treatments, see the Register’s Cosmetic Medicine Web page.

To see which stars are using which treatments, see the Register’s Celebrities and Cosmetic Medicine Web page.

Scarlett Johansson poll, plus no-needle rival for Botox

News and info about celebrities is on the Celebrities and Cosmetic Medicine page. That includes a reader survey on Scarlett Johansson vs. US Weekly over its suggestion that she had plastic surgery.

Here’s the latest on my Web pages on cosmetic medicine:

• A potential rival to Botox wouldn’t need to be injected. Medicis pays $20 million to get into that game.
• Signs of a slowdown in breast implants because of economic weakness.
• LipDissolve centers shut down nationwide, except in Costa Mesa.
• New 5-year study of ArteFill long-lasting dermal filler.
• FDA approval of Fraxel re:pair laser treatments.
• Dangers of overstating how well lasers work as skin treatments.
• How improvements in cosmetic medicine have helped change people’s expectations of what they’ll look like as they age. (Bye-bye, Granny.)